Jealousy in Ancient Greek Society :: Greek History Studies

Jealousy in ancient classic social club Jealousy is one of the harsher and much passionate faces of revel in Ancient Greek Society. Societal norms for love and relationships dictate that older men be the lovers who pursue women and young boys. Love infects the pursuer and causes him to have intense feelings roughly the object of his desire, plainly not always vice versa. Consequently green-eyed monster is seen more as the active partners disease and is ordinarily associated as a virile emotion. Women also experience jealousy but they are not supposed to be the pursuers in relationships according to societal norms. Since society only excuses the pursuer in the relationship acting on jealous impulses, a women doing so was improper because she was not supposed to be the active partner in the relationship. Hence jealousy was much more wide accepted as a mans disease. By examining the views of society in The Women of Trachis and the Legal Text VIII, Wounding with Intent to eradicate Quarrel over a boy, on love as a sickness, controlling jealousy, and how to win back a lost love, we can shut that Loves face of jealousy in Ancient Greek society appears to only be accepted as a predominately male emotion. Society excuses many of mens jealous and irrational actions because of the widely held belief that Love effects men like a sickness. In The Women of Trachis, Deianira continu everyy excuses her husbands actions, blaming his outrageous deeds on him being poisoned by Love. When Heracles attacked a city so that he could win his mistress, Deianira blames Love for rousing him to such violence. She thinks that it is love alone which bewitched him into this violence(355). She has also justified all his past affairs with this same theory. Deianira mentions that Heracles is sick as he so often is with this same sickness(543) of love. Society has allowed men to use Love as an excuse for their outrageous actions as well as t he legitimize reasoning behind their deeds. Deianira also expresses societys view on Loves power when she says, For Love rules even the gods as he pleases(443).