Gender Roles

Gender roles continue to be an ongoing issue throughout not only Medea, however, in the present day society.  Throughout the time period of  431 BC males are the superior human.  Simonides (a poet during the time period) describes woman, “Yet, this is the worst plague Zeus has made, and he has bound us to them with a fetter that cannot be broken. Because of this some have gone to Hades fighting for a woman." Simonides like many other people of that time period compare woman to a dark plague that has taken over the world. Simonides thinks woman do not have good intentions and are a nuisances to society. In Medea’s first long speech to the chorus she exclaims. “For a woman and it is not possible to say no to one’s husband”( 236).  During 431 BC woman are not valued enough to form their own opinions. If the wife disagrees with the husband she must learn to agree and never say no to her husband. In Medea there is an obvious double standard between men and woman. “But the man, when he is bored with things at home he can go out to ease the weariness of his heart”( 243-244). Medea states that even though some woman may be unhappy in their marriage they will have to find a way to deal with it and live their life to the presence of the husband. However, if a husband is unhappy in a marriage he will not be looked down upon among his peers and most likely will be able to cheat on his wife freely.


http://phys.org/news/2016-03-gender-stereotypes-years.html