Roles And Rights Of Wives - 1677 Words

Ancient Greek literature always seems to have one thing in common; writers either perceive the wives as faithful and ideal or lustful and selfish. By looking at the effect literature and writers had in shaping the role of wives, one can find several differences. However, many ideas stayed the same, and exploring the reasons these concepts did not change describes a great deal about the ancient Greeks and their strong belief on the duties of wives. Literature greatly affected the roles and rights of wives in the 8th century B.C. The ideal wife appears in The Odyssey, which Homer wrote in this time period; though the epic itself takes place during the 12th century B.C., some of the ideas represented in the tale represent the beliefs of the ancient Greeks in 700 B.C. The wife, Penelope, wept for the loss of her husband Odysseus. According to â€Å"The Status of Women in Ancient Athens,† she remained â€Å"chaste, unviolated, and faithful to her husband,† as well as â€Å"accepting [of] his adultery and absence† (O’Neal 117). She was the epitome of an ideal wife, and now that the Greeks established an ideal wife, the Athenians hoped to train and mold women. The ideal Athenian bride was 15 or less, and she had to be dedicated to the well-being of the husband, children, and household (O’Neal 118). All wives were uneducated and only had knowledge of household chores, and they were â€Å"virtually imprisoned in their homes† (O’Neal 117). Women did not have the right to hold political power, and theyShow MoreRelatedPerspective of an Ideal Marriage Essay1660 Words   |  7 PagesEven in today’s society, with women rights, ladies are still in their husbands’ shadow. Husbands are the head of the house and bread winner. Wives are the housekeeper. Today even thought a wife have rights she is still her husband’s maid. 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