Mariam Dogar
11/18/14
Humanities
Section K
Contrarieties within Greek Views on Womankind in Tragedy
The intransigence of sexist concepts and their dogged presence in society are unfortunate
afflictions which mankind faces today that are still in the process of being abated. However, it is
a gargantuan task to defeat the stereotypical view of women being inferior to men because it has
been a belief ingrained in cultural norms for thousands of years. The gender bias ubiquitous
throughout literature, religious texts, and the words of many influential thinkers from around the
world is the primary culprit for the obstinacy of these stereotypical concepts. A mere glimpse
into many ancient Greek plays results in more than enough evidence showing how the women of
the epoch were generally depicted as frail, naïve, and impotent. However, this is occasionally not
the case. For example, in Aeschylus’s Agamemnon, the formidable protagonist is actually
Clytemnestra, a cunning and regal female. Additionally, in Euripides’s Women of Troy, the focus
of the play is on the lives of the female characters with the purpose of enhancing its overall
emotional impact on an audience. In both of the aforementioned plays, the indubitably
patriarchal society of ancient Greece is depicted; however, the prominent roles of certain female
characters and their contributions to the structure of the play itself are refreshingly
disharmonious with the anti-feminine thoughts presented by Aristotle in The Poetics.
In Agamemnon by Aeschylus, the atypically capable and trenchant character of
Clytemnestra is offered as a proponent of adept female characters atoning for the lack of
substantial male characters. Aeschylus accomplishes this with the argument between the Chorus
of Elders and Clytemnestra that follows her observation of the signs of the fall of Troy. After
she announces the Greek triumph, the obstinate Leader of the Chorus asks for “proof” in order
“to make assurance sure.” Clytemnestra repeatedly recounts the tale, even though she recognizes
that the Leader is chiding her “as a credulous girl,” and is unfairly forcing her to assert her
cognizance of the situation. However, once she tells the marvelous tale of the ascendancy of the
Greeks in extreme detail, she effectively ends the argument and forces the Leader to concede.
This is not the only time that Clytemnestra is proven to be stronger than a male force. For
instance, when Agamemnon first returns, he and Clytemnestra immediately start bickering, yet
she effectually wins the argument after commanding him to “yield.” As Agamemnon’s “will
bows down to hers,” he obeys Clytemnestra’s wish. Consequently, Aeschylus offers a peculiar
relationship of an increasingly dominant woman and an etiolated man. This incongruity is also
exhibited when Clytemnestra decisively and cleverly plots the murder of Agamemnon,
endeavoring a feat that a stereotypically incapable woman would not undertake. This murderous
act of betrayal is in fact analogous to Agamemnon’s act of sacrificing his “virgin” daughter, in
which he misleads Clytemnestra. Thus, it can be discerned that qualities of deception, and the
certain intelligence and determination that dupery requires, are nondiscriminatory between males
and females. Towards the end of the play, the Chorus realizes that the king has been murdered,
and laments that Clytemnestra has spun a “spider-web of treachery.” However, when Aegisthus
is present, it shifts its animosity towards him, asserting that he is a “womanish man,” and that
cowardice and mendacity are female characteristics. Aeschylus uses the character of
Clytemnestra and her encounters and intricate relationships with weaker male characters to
sagaciously question the gender stereotypes of the time period.
While Aeschylus asserted that female figures can become powerful activators to
compensate for weak male characters, Euripides demonstrated the importance of offering a
female point of view to intensify the concluding effect of a play. The Women of Troy by
Euripides centralizes on the plight and struggle of the Trojan women induced by the end of the
Trojan War and mirrors the aftermath of the Peloponnesian War to evoke a puissant emotional
reaction. The tragedy lacks prominent male figures, and it instead utilizes a multitude of female
characters to detail a universal and relatable human suffering. The emotionally purging
components of the post-war residuum include dealing with untimely and unsavory death, the
extortion of women to become concubines, young and depressed widows, tragic infanticide,
tarnished legacies, and finally, eradicated hopes. Euripides arouses pity with the character of
Hecabe, an old woman who is woeful after all of the misery that ensued during the fall of Troy.
Her despondent words, “Let me lie. There’s no comfort in your comforting,” detail an
understandable anguish and inconsolability that only extreme catastrophe can induce. The play’s
tragic essence is increased with the realization that the women now being forced to become
slaves of the Greeks will really only have to adapt to a change in scenery; the women of Troy
already lived lives akin to being slaves. This is best exhibited by Andromache, who “renounced
restlessness and stayed in [her] house,” abstained from gossip, “kept before [her] husband a quiet
tongue [and] a modest eye,” and “knew what matters it was for [her] to rule.” Her deferential
attitude is reminiscent of the enforced behavior of women of the time, and the dilemmas she
faces because of her submissive nature make the scene increasingly pitiful. Euripides’
unorthodox, comprehensive spotlight on the female characters in The Women of Troy not only
increases the heart-wrenching aspect of the play, but it also displays his uncustomary investment
of thought into the feminine psyche and perspective.
In The Poetics, Aristotle dictates a very strong opinion of women as inferior creatures
that is regrettably consistent with stereotypes of women being subservient. He states in respect to
character that “even a woman may be good, and also a slave; though the woman may be said to
be an inferior being, and the slave quite worthless.” The evident sexism in the slight distinction
between a woman and a slave portrays how Aristotle disparages female characters in plays. In
regards to retaining propriety in a work, Aristotle asserts that “there is a type of manly valour;
but valour in a woman, or unscrupulous cleverness, is inappropriate.” This archaic perspective
not only confirms Aristotle’s biased views and his intent to denigrate women, but also elucidates
why Agamemnon and The Women of Troy are such unconventional works. Aristotle’s rules of
formulating a quintessential tragedy ignore the points made in Agamemnon and the Women of
Troy, and instead contain gender prejudiced views that are antithetical to the aforementioned
provocative and evocative plays.
In The Poetics by Aristotle, women are belittled in a manner begotten by the prominent
patriarchal society of ancient Greece; however, in the earlier works of Agamemnon and Women
of Troy, a contrariety in the view of women is seen with the importance placed on the plethora of
female characters to enhance the play. Aeschylus utilizes the character of Clytemnestra in an
almost panegyric manner, which is in stark contrast to the denigrating way females are depicted
in The Poetics. The use of the Chorus of Elders is significant because as they represent the old
standards and societal views of how a woman should act in accordance with her male
counterpart, the character of Clytemnestra unearths the idiocy of this ancient dynamic. She
shows flaws in the Chorus’ judgments and attempts to enfeeble her, perhaps in a way that
Aeschylus saw flaws in the treatment of women as subordinate, servile beings. Whereas Aristotle
sought to trivialize the lives of women, Euripides thought to expand on them. In The Women of
Troy, the plight of the females is crucial to the play’s overall impact and plot. There are also
undercurrents of the injustice of denying women an active role in the political system. These
influential plays are essential to the shift in thinking over time and the extinguishing of age-old
stereotypes. The viewpoints of Aristotle, Aeschylus, and Euripides are ever-present today.
Whether gender prejudiced or fair, these perspectives and stereotypes inhabit the minds of
politicians, religious leaders, neighbors, family members, and spouses; therefore, it is critical that
we yearn to understand the origin and the context behind them before mankind can hope to form
a society that treats women and men as equal.