Ayah Righi, Period 1, 12/13/23

Ayah Righi
Period 1
12/13/23
Modern Mythology 2024

Research Paper: Looking at Greek Mythology’s portrayal of women through the lens of feminist criticism

After looking at and dissecting a plethora of Greek myths through various literary pieces, interviews with experts and well-known authors, and clashing perspectives of different cultural mythology creation stories, evidence of misogyny and harmful gender stereotypes can be traced back to many Greek myths through the abundance of male and female deities, specifically entailing of their actions, backgrounds, life stories, and/or identifying physical traits. As a result, reading and analyzing Greek Mythology through the lens of feminist criticism helped broaden my knowledge as a folklorist and bridge connections between numerous significant ideas in literature, whether it allows us to accurately utilize the scope of critical theories, draw connections between thematic messages in literature and historical context of society, or examine societal change through the use of modern events.

Starting from the very beginning, regarding the origins of our universe, it is very apparent that Greek Mythology creation stories were rooted in an inherently patriarchal society in which women were met with horrible treatment in efforts to “preserve their feminine sensitivity, innocence, and naivety.” This misrepresentation of women is emphasized in Edith Hamilton’s Mythology through the creation myth of Prometheus. In this example, Prometheus notoriously steals fire from the gods, awarding this precious gift to man. In response, an irrevocably outraged Zeus seeks to punish men. However, this punishment happens to take the form of a woman, the creation of Pandora. The gods give Pandora a box and she is instructed not to open it. In the end, she foolishly gives into her temptation, allowing all the evils of the universe to come out, and thus inflicting suffering upon mankind. Pandora’s story can be connected to certain aspects of biblical Eve, in which both women take the blame for bringing misery upon humanity through their dangerous curiosity. In this way, the origin of women is orchestrated and described in a way that perpetuates a false narrative that women are weak, gullible, and tend to give into harmful temptations. As an origin story, this element of Greek Mythology sets the tone for the limited power women possess in most stories to come.

Through further research women’s defining quality of weakness persists in Mary Beard’s Women and Power. Beard discusses the story of Odysseus’ wife Penelope, who spoke out against singing she heard and was then subsequently told to be quiet by her son Telemachus. Once Penelope complained, Telemachus ordered her to be silent, stating that singing was important for telling significant stories, which were tailor-made for men. After this, Telemachus banished Penelope to her chambers. This demonstration of an imbalance of power between men and women highlights how women were deemed inferior as Penelope ruled Ithaca in Odysseus’ place but still had to submit to the power of men, specifically her son in this instance due to the unjust traditional gender roles of society.

The recurring gender inequality in Greek Mythology can be reinforced through its lingering effects on modern society. This can be illuminated by 21st-century interpretations of Medusa, more specifically my various experiences with Medusa in the media over the last few years. When I was younger, my passion for mythology soared through nightly bedtime stories of Greek Mythology. As a child, my initial experience of Medusa was filled with a mixture of emotions: terror, disgust, and consternation. I would always tug at my blanket even tighter after hearing of her monstrous qualities, whether this encompassed her snake hair or horrifying gaze. Whenever Medusa was mentioned I perceived her as an antagonist, hoping whoever was at odds with her would emerge victorious. From these bedtime stories, the only thing about Medusa that stuck with me was her haunting demeanor, pushing forth an ill feeling at the thought of her. However, after reconnecting with her character in the present through my recent reading of Natalie Haynes’ Stone Blind it was almost as if the lack of distorted rhetoric and defaming images allowed Medusa to go through a transformation of metamorphosis, shifting into a more humanized character that emulated qualities of kindness, selflessness, and an overall sense of good in her that felt seemingly impossible from past stories. It was through Haynes’ beautiful retelling that I was able to gather how deeply misunderstood Medusa’s story tends to be. In Stone Blind, Medusa is a beautiful young girl, traumatized by a heinous act of sexual assault by Poseidon, leading her to be cursed by Athena and thus transformed into the monster society widely accepts her as. Even in interviews down the line, Haynes reiterates that during her research she found Medusa to be wrongly villainized after undergoing trauma and therefore believes that she is an innocent victim who deserves empathy. The widely misconstrued story of Medusa represents another key example that aligns with patriarchy by highlighting issues of sexual assault and how it’s overlooked, the sexualization and objectification of women, and the overall treatment women receive.

Although misogyny is prevalently woven in various Greek myths, the modernization of beloved well-known characters allows for a flipping of the script through the resurgence of a powerful survivor-led movement opposed to sexual violence against women. This is illustrated in the crafting of a Medusa Sculpture, depicting Medusa holding the severed head of Perseus, acting as a symbol of triumph for victims of sexual assault and empowering the #MeToo movement through art. Although the sculpture wasn’t created to fuel the influential movement, it represented a prized social symbol that communicated to other women, as well as victims of sexual assault in general, that if they are raped it’s not their fault. Through this sense Medusa was able to embody an everlasting symbol of empowerment, truly causing a shift in her portrayal from society. As someone who aided in the installation of the sculpture stated “Destabilizing the narrative as told through a patriarchal lens is really where the power of the work lies. It causes a person to pause.”

Sources:

Jacobs, Julia. “How a Medusa Sculpture from a Decade Ago Became #MeToo Art.” The New York Times, The New York Times, 13 Oct. 2020, www.nytimes.com/2020/10/13/arts/design/medusa-statue-manhattan.html. 

 

Hamilton, Edith. Mythology. Plume, 1989.

 

Haynes, Natalie. Stone Blind. HarperCollins Exports, 7 Feb. 2023.

 

Beard, Mary. Women & Power : A Manifesto. New York, N.Y. ; London, Liveright Publishing Corporation, A Division Of W.W. Norton & Company, 2017.