History is a huge puzzle. As time goes on, the pieces get smaller and smaller and each individual piece has certain significance. The roles that men and women play have a tendency to differ in different works of literature but eventually come together to complete the grand puzzle of how it all began. The roles depend on not only the culture but as well as the context of a particular work of literature, and even the time that work was written. Throughout history, there is a common moment of man being created alongside a woman. From the beginning of time, men and women were not thought to be as equals, however in certain moments they both have their own strengths and weaknesses as a gender. With reading Hesiod’s Theogony, I came to the realization that there are many instances where woman are inferior to men. In most Greek mythology there is a common aggression toward females, which made me think, if these poets and writers are actually sexist.
Throughout Hesiod’s Theogony, women are depicted in a very passive manner, showing how they are seen at a lower standard than that of men. However, on more than one occasion, exploitation, which is thought to be women’s true power, is shown. Women are continually described as stunning beings, which can be seen as a weakness for men. In Theogony, the creation of women all began as a punishment to man because Prometheus, who was the son of Iapetos. He tried to trick Zeus into eating bones and with the tube of a fennel; he stole fire to give to mankind. Zeus then asserted that, “To set against the fire I shall give them an affliction in which they will all delight as they embrace their own misfortune”. Zeus became so angry that he created Pandora, the first woman.
When Theogony is viewed as a whole, it is obvious that Hesiod’s outlook on women is that they are inferior or lesser to men. Don’t get me wrong, some goddesses are credited for having mental and physical strength but on the other hand many are thought of as devices for carrying the next of kin for the gods. This is presented while Hesiod is describing Zeus’ wives, other lovers and children. It seems that Zeus continues to sleep with several goddesses because he trying to overpopulate the heavens with his kin or to secure his legacy in future generations.
