CULTURAL CONTEXT
  • Written by women around the same time with a similar 21stC point of view

THE PENELOPIAD / BOMBSHELLS / REFLECTION
Level and availability of education /
  • Men were educated in Ancient Greece, first at home, then at school
  • Spartan women had more freedom and could read/write
/
  • Equal/compulsory education
  • Now education can determine social standing, previously your family.
/ Penelope is not given credit for any education she has.
Social norms and customs /
  • Arranged/prize – marriage
  • Business deal – determines standard
  • Girls often married around puberty
  • Only men were considered citizens
  • Women were property of husband
/
  • Choose who you can marry
  • 18+, typically 20s/30s
  • Still a pressure to marry
  • Women and men are legally equal
/ Societal pressure on women to marry.
Women in contemporary society have more freedom and rights.
Political views /
  • Democratic
  • Only men could vote
  • Sparta - monarchy
  • Patriarchy
/
  • Democratic
  • Monarchy
  • All citizens over 18 can vote
/ Penelope has privilege and power as she is a princess/queen.
Nationality /
  • Greek, alliance moves with her husband
/
  • British/Australian
/ Prejudice and sexism exist regardless of race/culture.
Social justice /
  • Erinyes/Hades
  • Crime was punishable by death
  • If someone has wronged you, you could punish them
  • Justice is decided by Gods
  • Crimes against unmarried women/servants weren’t considered crimes
/
  • Justice is decided by the courts

Family traditions and values /
  • Normally moved to the woman’s land, but Penelope moves
  • Dowry
  • Women remarried if husband had been gone for a while
  • Women were prizes in the Trojan War
  • Women’s role – raise family
/
  • Women free to choose partners/divorce etc.
  • Choose where to live
  • Can chose to stay at home or work
/ There are expectations and pressures placed on mothers.
Rights and responsibilities imposed by society /
  • P attempts to protect her marriage from the suitors
  • In The Odyssey, Odysseus has Zeus’ blessing to kill the maids for their involvement
/ There are customs or laws that (are meant to) protect the vulnerable and the weak.
Ideas about art, purpose and forms /
  • Men wrote stories using stereotypes and archetypes
  • Home wrote The Odyssey to give meaning to the lives of Ancient Greeks
  • Atwood’s modern feminist viewpoint on an ancient text shows a woman’s perspective on events that have been mostly dominated by the male point of view
/
  • Production of a play is used as a vehicle to explore and expose ideas, in this case about the role of women in middle-class society.
/
  • Storytelling plays an essential role in exploring ideas central to a culture, customs and heritage.
  • Storytelling in both societies follows predictable patterns
  • Being able to tell a story is a valuable way for the marginalised in society to present their point of view.

Social class /
  • Patriarchal society
  • Women compete with each other to find the right suitor
  • Slaves serve/are the property of their master
/
  • Unrealistic views/expectations placed on women
  • More equal
  • Men are paid more, men are in more leadership
/ Women compare themselves
Women are competitive
Men have more power, status & authority.
Religious beliefs /
  • Greek mythology
  • Gods/goddesses
  • Stoicism
  • Atwood is critical/dismissive
/
  • Once Christian, becoming more secular
  • Freedom of religion
/ One society is more bound by religious views than the other
Prevailing views about gender /
  • Women belong to father/husband (damsel)
  • Women are expected to fill role dutiful housewife
  • Children are assets/pawns
  • Male = protector/hero
  • Advantageous marriages
  • Women are highly critical of each other
/
  • Women still have an expected role – unrealistic stereotypes
  • Legally equal
  • Men portrayed as fighter, absent fathers, philandering husbands,
/ Double standards still exist
Women are still competitive
Still a battle between genders