Women Behaving Like Men in Antigone, Electra, and Medea Essay

Women Behaving Like Men in Antigone, Electra, and Medea Throughout Antigone, Electra, and Medea, many double standards between men and women surface. These become obvious when one selects a hero from these plays, for upon choosing, then one must rationalize his or her choice. The question then arises as to what characteristics make up the hero. How does the character win fame? What exactly is excellent about that character? These questions must be answered in order to choose a hero in these Greek tragedies. In historic Greece, the characteristics of a hero were for the most part left only for men to achieve. Heroes were viewed as those who were kind to friends, vicious to enemies. They were also men who risked their lives regularly everyday, fighting for not only their country, but also treasures such as women, gold, and armor, among other things. Women, however, rarely accomplished such things, for what made a good woman was her obedience to her husband, her loyalty to her family, and, for the most part, other functions that a housewife is usually considered to perform. In order to win renown, however, a woman was forced to commit actions normally left to men. Antigone, Electra, and Medea, do not attempt to be what was considered a â€Å"good† women in ancient Greece; rather, their actions become masculine, instead. This is why they were known in the ancient world. For example, the character Antigone attempts several times to bury the body of her beloved brother, Polyneices, despite the mandate of her uncle, King Creon, that anyone who does so would immediately be put to death. Through this action, her fame, or kleos, was achieved. Her rebellious nature to the king put her at risk of death... ... were performed because of wholesome motivations. Her love for Jason was for someone outside of her family, and according to the laws of pietas, her father should have come before Jason. In conclusion, it becomes obvious by these three plays that for a woman to achieve kleos in ancient Greece, she usually had to become more man-like in her role. The murders committed by Electra and Medea, the bravery of Antigone—all three of these were fulfilled by what would have normally been considered a man’s role. A woman could rarely be considered a hero unless she became like a man in her actions. Otherwise, she would be only a simple woman. Works Cited Euripides. Medea and Other Plays. Trans. Philip Vellacott. England: Penguin Books, 1963. Sophocles. Antigone, Oedipus the King, Electra. Trans. H. D. F. Kitto. New York: Oxford University Press, 1962.