2020 IB Extended Essays

However, women’s position in society was also inaccurately portrayed in Athenian art through Hesiod’s myths and literary text Theogony. Outlining their blatant bias towards dominant patriarchal ideologies and their worship and appreciation of Zeus’s establishment of the patriarchal system. The myth of Pandora’s box told by Hesiod is a depiction of the start of male’s distrust and towards women and the near accurate representation of female oppression in Athenian society (Dessa Meehan, 2017). Hesiod’s bias and views towards women were seen through his depiction of Pandora. Pandora, was portrayed as weak, deceptive and was said to be the cause of men’s downfall. Whereas Hesiod’s bias towards men created doubt and distrust concerning women. Thereby, educating men that the seclusion of elite and the general women in society, will benefit Athens and allow men to keep their superiority. Moreover, the myth, vilified women as being the reason of society’s destruction to reinforce misogyny, and domestic oppression. Pandora’s Box emphasises the ideology created by Aristotle that a “man should rule and a woman should be ruled”. Hesiod’s blatant bias towards women influences male ideology that a woman should be tamed and kept in seclusion otherwise she will inflict more destruction (Dessa Meehan, 2017). His personal bias can also have been seen in his literary piece Theogony. Where Hesiod gives of the impression that women were solely created for the role to serve, which is reiterated in Pandora’s Box. Whereas, women were not always tamed and kept secluded as mythology and literary may have suggested. For example, according to Vincent Hannity (2019), women held a strand of power over dominant male ideology and were the cause of patriarchal anxieties. The reality of Pandora’s box and the Goddess Gaia’s myths, demonstrate males fear of becoming inferior to women and thus the reasoning behind the seclusion of women to ensure men always reign superior. Hesiod’s text Theogony, depicts the reason behind female seclusion due to male anxiety. Thus, suggesting Athenian art did not always portray an accurate depiction of females position within society.