Tragedy and Strong Women
In 534 BC drama was officially recognized by the state and that it was
officially associated with Dionysus because, from that point on, all
state-sponsored productions were presented at festivals honoring that god.
Going to the theater was for the ancient Greeks a festival occasion. People
would spend the day watching three or four tragedies, followed by a comic play.
The finest playwrights were all Athenians, Aeschylus, Sophocles and Euripedes
among the tragedians and Aristophanes among the comic writers.
Greek Tragedy is full of strong women: Medea, Phaedra, Antigone, Electra.....all
of whom exhibit the full range of lust, defiance and revenge. The playwrights
were able to show some empathy for the condition of women as is evidenced in the
famous speech given by Euripides to Medea:
of all things that are living and can form a judgment
we women are the most unfortunate creatures
Firstly, with an excess of wealth it is required
for us to buy a husband and take for our bodies
a master; for not to take one is even worse
And now the question is serious whether we take
a good or bad one; for there is no easy escape
for a woman, nor can she say no to her marriage.
She arrives among new modes of behavior and manners,
and needs prophetic power, unless she has learned at home,
how best to manage him who shares the bed with her
And if we work this out well and carefully
and the husband lives with us and lightly bears his yoke,
then life is enviable. If not, I'd rather die.
A man, when he's tired of the company in his home,
goes out of the house and puts an end to his boredom
and turns to a friend or companion of his own age.
But we are forced to keep our eyes on one alone.
What they say of us is that we have a peaceful time.
living at home, while they do the fighting in the war.
How wrong they are, I would very much rather stand
three times in the front of battle than bear one child