Women in Aeneid and Agamemnon

Women in Aeneid and Agamemnon

In much of the Ancient World from Sumer on, women were considered inferior to men in numerous ways: they could not mix with men, had strict roles, and other than certain exceptions (goddesses, oracles, etc.) were really more of use to bear children, care for the home, and provide familial stability. Of course, it is difficult to generalize an entire group over millennia; there were powerful and influential women, but as a general rule, Ancient societies were clearly male dominated with limited roles for women. This, of course, was not always true in literature, oral tradition, or religion/mythology (Salisbury).

We must also be wary of placing modern cultural views upon the ancient world, deciding that if a woman was not actualized in a certain manner, then she was marginalized. Indeed, each society has a unique world view, and the timespan and technological level so great between the ancients and our 21st century society that a number of misunderstandings often occur. First, in the ancient world, a pre-industrial economy, the primary activity for individuals was agriculture. To have an adequate workforce for agriculture, though, there must be individuals to work the land. Life was hard, so a woman's primary job was to marry soon after puberty and begin raising a family. Additionally, the modern world (post the Age of Enlightenment at least), tends to stress the role of the individual, and the actualization of the individual in order to attain happiness. In the ancient world, the core unit was the survival of the clan, then the town, and as larger areas were settled, the group. In this way, society could survive (Thompson).

Virgil's Aeneid is a Latin epic poem telling the story of Aeneas, a Trojan who travelled to Italy where he, as a hero, became the ancestor of the Romans. The first six books tell the story of Aeneas' trip to Italy, and his encounters with a number of people. The second part tells of the Trojan's ultimate victory over the Latin tribes. Agamemnon, one of the most famous plays from Ancient Greece, was written by Aeschylus as commentary on seduction, betrayal, and reconciliation. If Virgil and Aeschylus were to converse about women the might scratch their chins and say -- which women -- mortal or God? Greek or Trojan? Athenian or Theban?