2020 IB Extended Essays

INTRODUCTION

The Ancient Greeks have left a remarkable impact on the world with their highly-developed society and all its facets. One of the most notable aspects of Greek society, and more specifically Athenian society, which has been preserved throughout the years is their art, which includes both visual arts as well as literary pieces such as plays. Their art often depicts or mimics the Athenian mythology, which is both detailed and expansive. Much Athenian mythology is patriarchal in nature; however, it does represent powerful women and goddesses. Thus, Ancient Greek art represents women quite progressively, having a political stance and a strong place in the domestic household. However, within Greek mythology, the women, despite having strong roles, are often shown to repeatedly deceive and lie to men, ruining their lives and setting a stereotype. Because of this, women were realistically oppressed in society, being mistreated and restricted from having any political or social power. Therefore, it can be concluded that the Greek literature mimicked the occupations and power of women in mythology, however their real social status was a result of backlash due to the portrayal of female personality and character traits. It can thus be stated that Ancient Athenian art portrayed the fame role in society only partially accurately. In order to understand whether Athenian art accurately portrayed the reality of Athenian society, it is important to separate the essay into the extent of the accuracy of women’s portrayal in the Okios and Polis.