Women of Legend (greece) Flashcards

1
Q

Describe the start of the legend of Pandora

A
  • when world began, world was populated by men only
  • titan named Prometheus wnated to give mankind a gift (make lives easier)
  • gives them gift of fire (forbidden by the gods)
  • zeus discovers prometheus’ actions = angry
  • wanted to punish prometheus + mankind
  • presents them with gift that they would welcome but would destroy them
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2
Q

Who made Pandora?

A

Hephaestus, god of the forge and craftsmen who shapes her out of earth and water

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3
Q

What qualities did pandora recive from the gods?

no quotes needed

A
  • athena - dressed her in beautiful silvery gown + skill of needlework + weaving
  • aphrodite - elegance + beauty
  • hermes - ability to lie and decieve
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4
Q

What does the name “Pandora” mean?

A

all gifts

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5
Q

what did zeus do with pandora after she was made?

A
  • sent her down to earth
  • bride to epimetheus (god of afterthought + prometheus’ brother)
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6
Q

What did Prometheus say to Epimetheus?

A
  • told him not to accept any gift from Zeus
  • forgets about it when he sees how beautiful Pandora is
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7
Q

What did Pandora bring with her?

both older + newer versions of the myth

A
  • a pithos (jar)
  • later version: a pyxis (box)
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8
Q

What did Pandora do with the jar/ box?

A
  • opened it out of curiosity
  • explicitly told by zeus not to open it in later versions
  • set all miseries that plague mankind free
  • hope left behind in box
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9
Q

What did Pandora opening the jar imply?

A
  • women could not restrain themselves
  • needs men to control them
  • women are inferior to men
  • pandora’s willful disobedience = women always scheming, needs to be tamed, controlled
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10
Q

What is Hesiod’s Works and Days supposed to be?

A
  • didactic text
  • teach or instruct those who read it/ heard it
  • Greek values of women are apparent
  • Pandora serves as bad example of an uncontrolled woman
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11
Q

What role does the legend of Pandora fill?

A
  • serves as a creation story
    origin story for humankind
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12
Q

Hesiod, Works and Days 54-105

A
  • pandora mentioned as “curse”
  • “one about which every single man will delight in his heart, embracing his own destruction.”
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13
Q

What implications does Pandora being mentioned as a “curse” have?

A
  • first mention of women = “curse”
  • women are a burden to men (punishment)
  • tempts men + something to suppress, to control
  • women were not to be celebrated

negative connotations
hesiod, works and days

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14
Q

analysis of “one about which every single man will delight in his heart, embracing his own destruction.”

A
  • women = irresistable = men welcoming their own destruction (“delight”+”embrace”)
  • women are cunning, telling men not to be fooled by their appearances

Hesiod, works and days

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15
Q

Traits that Pandora recieved quotes

Hesiod, Works and Days

A

“weaving of the richly wrought loom”
“sprinkle charm about her face, as well as desire that would cause trouble, and sufferings”
“bitch’s mind and a thievish nature”

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16
Q

analysis of “weaving of the richly wrought loom”

A
  • women made to do domestic tasks + stay at home to serve men
  • weaving = virtuous
  • domestic tasks like weaving occupy women = cannot lie and decieve men
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17
Q

analysis of “sprinkle charm about her face, as well as desire that would cause trouble, and sufferings that would gnaw at one’s limbs”

A
  • beautiful looks would cause jealousy
  • it’s in women’s nature that they want to cause trouble
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18
Q

analysis of “bitch’s mind and a thievish nature”

A
  • will decieve you, sly
  • underneath beautiful appearance is the ability/ desire to trick men
  • wilful = acts on impulse/ emotion, willfully disobedient
  • justifies men controlling women
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19
Q

quote for hope in works and days

A

“hope alone stayed in its unbreakable home”

20
Q

analysis of “hope alone stayed in its unbreakable home”

Hesiod, works and days

A
  • hope = redeeming, positive. gives mankind something to help them bear suffering
    OR
  • false hope (cruel trick) that men’s suffering will end, adds to despair (illusion)
21
Q

analysis for “received the gift” & “accepted a curse”

A
  • “receive” + “accept” = objectifies women, something to be owned
  • property of men
22
Q

quote for Pandora’s appearance

Hesiod, Theogony

A

“likeness of a shy maiden”

23
Q

analysis of “likeness of a shy maiden”

Hesiod, Theogony

A
  • “likeness” = only looks the part
  • hides their decietful intentions under the “likeness of a shy maiden”
24
Q

Quotes that describe women in the Theogony

A
  • “not to be withstood by men”
  • “reap the toil of others into their own bellies”
  • “without anyone to tend to his years”
  • “his kinsfolk divide his possessions amongst them”
25
Q

analysis for “not to be withstood by men”

Hesiod, Theogony

A
  • justifies men losing all control around women
  • women are meant to be irresistable, to appeal to men as much as possible
26
Q

analysis for “reap the toil of others into their own bellies”

Hesiod, Theogony

A
  • critisizes women for staying at home while men go out and work/ trade (lazy)
  • hypocritical, virtuous women needs to be doing domestic tasks
  • women are inferior to men
27
Q

analysis of “without anyone to tend to his years” & “his kinsfolk divide his possessions amongst them”

Hesiod, Theogony

A
  • stay away from women = nobody to look after you in old age, no children/ wife
  • no children/ heirs to inherit your possessions, will be split to family instead
  • importance of producing heirs for the family to inherit business and possessions
28
Q

What did Homer’s version of Helen’s story in the Illiad entail?

A
  • helen of sparta was stolen from her husband menelaus
  • taken to troy by paris
  • greeks gathered army lead by Argamemnon (brother of m) to fight for her return
29
Q

Quotes about Helen in the Illiad by Homer

A
  • “weaving a great double width purple cloth, showing the many battles on her behalf”
  • “the winner will claim you as his wife”
  • “veiled herself in white linen”
  • “weeping large tears”
  • “so like an immortal goddess”
  • “let her sail home, not stay to be a bane to us and our children”
  • “surely the gods must be to blame”
  • “I wish I had chosen death”
  • “shameless creature”
30
Q

analysis of helen “weaving” and “showing the many battles on her behalf”

A
  • weaving = virtuous activity for women
  • sign of faithful wives, keeps them occupied, no time to be sinful
  • shows commitment to family life
  • shame on helen’s part for starting war with her beauty
31
Q

analysis of “the winner will claim you as his wife”

A
  • “claim”- prize to be fought for, dehumanizing
  • fate is not in her own hands, always dictated by men
32
Q

analysis of “veiled herself in white linen”

A
  • veil- sign of respectable, modest woman
  • white symbolising innocence?
  • virtuous
33
Q

analysis of “weeping large tears”

A
  • didactic text
  • disobedience brings sorrow
  • justifies men controlling women
  • blaming self for war - self sacrificing, inferior to men
34
Q

analysis of “like an immortal goddess”

A
  • places blame on helen for being too beautiful
  • “like” may suggest her not being actually as pure as goddess, only has the image of one but still sins/ is disobedient
35
Q

“let her sail, not to stay to be a bane to us and our children”

A
  • similar to “curse” from pandora
  • all women are a burden/ temptation to men
  • won’t let her drive their citizens crazy
36
Q

analysis of “surely the gods must be to blame”

A
  • Helen is a pawn to the gods
  • no agency
  • an object to be manipulated with and used as gods/men wish
  • unconventional approach
37
Q

analysis of “I wish I had chosen death”

A
  • regretful for her wilful attitude
  • gives women example
  • do not leave husband or you would be like her
  • emotional, hysterical, no control over emotions/ actions
38
Q

analysis of “shameless creature”

A
  • helen refers to herself as this, places blame on herself
  • remorse
39
Q

What are the main ideas of Homer’s Illiad version of Helen?

A

- women have no agency over themselves
- aphrodite giving her away, pawn of the gods
- a woman’s beauty is idealised and dangerous
- expected to veil her own beauty + be modest + hide away her beauty expect for husband
- women were expected to do domestic tasks
- breaking rules will lead to sorrow and remorse
- stay faithful to husband

40
Q

quotes from Euripides’ version of Helen

A
  • “spear-prize for the greeks”
  • “suffered”
  • “apppear to have betrayed my husband and joined great war to the greeks”
  • “my body at least may not bring shame upon itself here”
41
Q

What happens in Euripides’ version of Helen?

A
  • father is either Zeus or Tyndareus
  • zeus visited her mother in the form of a swan
  • aphrodite, hera, athena arguing about beauty contest
  • Paris chosen to judge
  • Paris chose aphrodite who offered him the most beautiful woman’s hand in marraige
  • hera sends phantom helen to troy with paris
  • Hermes whisped real Helen to Egypt where she “married” the king Proteus
  • Proteus dies and and his son lustfully pursing Helen for himself
  • takes refuge at the tomb of her dead husband to stay faithful to Menelaus
42
Q

analysis of “spear-prize for the Greeks”

A
  • treated as an object, prize to be competed for
43
Q

analysis of “appear to have betrayed my husband and joined great war to the Greeks”

A
  • reputation was everything to women
  • people thought that she wasn’t chaste
  • knows deep down that she didn’t do anything wrong
44
Q

analysis of “suffered”

A
  • shifts blame, places blame on the gods instead
  • doesn’t blame herself
  • contrasts to Homer’s Helen where she blames herself
45
Q

analysis of “my body at least may not bring shame upon itself here”

A
  • still is upholding her fidelity to her husband
  • although reputation is damaged already she must not worsen it for her and her husband
  • if she is raped she is to blame, so she must hide