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Essay / Research Paper Abstract
A 5 page research paper that examines the status of women in ancient Athens. The writer access this topic by examining Agamemnon by Aeschylus and argues that the character of Clytemnestra is the antithesis of ideal Athenian womanhood. The status of women is examined as suggested by the play. Bibliography lists 3 sources.
Page Count:
5 pages (~225 words per page)
File: D0_khstacly.rtf
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Unformatted sample text from the term paper:
have tried to discern every aspect of their society (115). Similarly, ONeal argues that a "comprehensive and unbiased view of the role of women in Athens during the fifth and
fourth centuries BC is difficult to ascertain," as there were no Athenian women writers during this period (116). The view that scholars have of women during this period is presented
through literature written by males of the upper class. However, classical Greek literature, such Aeschylus play Agamemnon, gives modern scholars some insight into how aristocratic males viewed the role of
women in fifth century Athenian culture. Aeschylus (525-426 BC) is first among the famous tragedians of fifth-century Athens (Pomeroy, et al 184). His greatest surviving work is a
trilogy of plays known as the Oresteia, of which the play Agamemnon is the first in the series. Agamemnon draws its name from that of the Greek commander-in-chief during the
Trojan war who returns home victorious after a ten year struggle to take Troy. However, this play might have been more accurately named after Agamemnons faithless wife Clytemnestra, as it
largely revolves around her plot to murder Agamemnon and retain power, aided by her lover, Aegisthus. As pointed out by Pomeroy, et al, the murder of Agamemnon poses a moral
dilemma for his children, Orestes and Electra, who have to choose between not avenging their father and murdering their mother (185). Examination of this play demonstrates that portrayal of Clytemnestra
serves to substantiate the role of women in Athenian society, while simultaneously rationalizing the correctness of male hierarchical social dominance. As ONeal points out, classical Greek literature portrays both
the Greek ideal of the "good" wife, as well as her opposite the "bad" wife, epitomized by Clytemnestra (119). The "good" wife is epitomized by Penelope in Homers Odyssey. During
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