Male and Female Relationships in Hesiod's Theogony
One of the most interesting and complex facets of Greek mythology is how it portrays the relationship between the sexes. At first glance, the celebration of Zeus and his relationships with multiple women, mortal and immortal, appears to celebrate the male and portray women as subjugated vessels, good for little more than bearing and raising children. Furthermore, complicating the issues of sexism and sexuality is the fact that mythology portrays relationships between humans and non-humans, adding another dimension of power and inequality. However, delving below the surface of Greek myths, one finds a reverence for the feminine, which belies the apparent sexism and misogyny that one encounters on the surface of most myths. Nowhere is this interaction between the male-female dynamic and the human-divine dynamic more fascinating than in Hesiod's Theogony. The first substantive mention of the feminine in Theogony centers around Hesiod's description of the Muses. At first glance, as Hesiod describes how the nine Muses were created by Zeus visiting Mnemosyne's bed for nine nights, it appears that the story of the Muses is going to be about Zeus's infidelity to Hera and his use of a Mnemosyne as little more than a womb. Howeve
Interestingly enough, in Theogony, the female is given responsibility for the creation of, not only deceit, but a myriad of negative emotions or elements. For example, Night gave birth to Doom and Fate. Furthermore, Night "though she lay with none," bore "Blame and painful Woe" (Theogony 3.213-4). This is remarkable because in Greek mythology, most originations are said to be the responsibility of two parents. The contrasting situations, where men are solely responsible for creation, such as when Athena sprang from Zeus's head, are not solely negative. However, there is nothing positive about Night's creation of Blame and Woe. r, the story of the Muses actually centers on their relationship to human men. It is in the depiction of how the Muses elevate men that one sees how female-centered Greek mythology actually was. For example, when the Muses choose to interact with a mortal man, the result is that "all the people look towards him while he settles causes with true judgments" (Theogony 1.82-3). This reverence for those supported by the Muses demonstrates that the female were considered extremely important in Greek mythology. This shift is most dramatically detailed in Hesiod's description of the role of women. According to Hesiod, "Zeus who thunders on high made women to be an evil to mortal men, with a nature to do evil" (Theogony 6.598-9). Furthermore, Hesiod says that men cannot avoid this evil by avoiding marriage, because they will then not have anyone to take care of them in old age (Theogony 6.602). Therefore,
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Approximate Word count = 1042
Approximate Pages = 4 (250 words per page double spaced)
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