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Free Term
Paper on Women's Subordinate Roles
Euripides, the fifth century BC
Greek dramatist, described women's lives in Athens through the
female protagonist of his play, Medea. In Athens the league of
youth, the Ephebia, took first place. It is no accident if
Aristotle’s begins the depiction of the Constitution of Athens
by referring to this state youth league. This power by the state
signified the attempt, carried out shortly before him by the
declining egotistic democracy, to reinstate the first and
ancient Greek league of men warriors. In our understanding it
indicates nothing other than the beginning of a general military
service for all young, free Athenians.
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In their 18th year they were put into quarters and identically
uniformed. Gymnastic masters and educators stringently watched
over the sustenance of discipline, promising power and
steadiness. This act of desperation by the Greek democracy,
aware that the aristocratic Athenian had once arisen from among
them, came too belated. The strength of Athens decayed through
the sabotage by politicians, dogmatist, democrats, and women
dismissed from womanhood, and by race mixing.
Athens offered the example of a well-disciplined state, and was
lacking of any female sway. The kings and the ephors formed the
entire power, the basic nature of which was the maintenance and
augmentation of this power through the extension of the upper
stratum with its conventionalized viewpoint. For that exclusive
aim, women were also required to participate in gymnastic games.
Commonly, the wearing of golden jewelry was prohibited to them,
as were elegant hairstyles. If woman enjoyed respect midst the
Teutons, then it was not by virtue of the fact that there were
hereditary conditions. On the contrary, it was due to patriarchy
was thoroughly achieved.
In Medea’s apology is said that of all living things that have
breath and sensation, the women are the most ill starred. At an
excessive price they have to buy a husband who are then the
master of their bodies. The result of our life’s exertions hangs
on this, even if the women acquires a sinister or a moral
husband. For divorce is contemptible for women and it is not
conceivable to refuse wedlock. When a woman comes into the new
decorum and mode of her husband’s house, she must somehow
divine, since she has not learned it at home, how she shall best
deal with her husband.
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The government In Athens, with respect to weak or disfigured
infants made no decision, but parents obviously sometimes left
such infants to die of exposure. Athenian girls who endured
babyhood received no public teaching, academic or contrarily.
Whatever casual education they received was restricted to
equipping them with the ability and expertise to be advantageous
as wives and mothers. Athenian women lacked political rights, so
there was no aim and objective to teach them about the science
of government i.e. politics.
When Athenian girls came of age, they were to be sold by their
fathers for marriage. Even as wives, they were required to stay
in the house at all times although few women outside the upper
classes could permit to recognize this practice. Their principal
life chore and jobs were taking care of the children, housework
and sewing.
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