The Ancient Greeks and Romans wove fascinating interconnected tales of witches, wives, prophetesses, and temptresses, which have inspired artists and writers from antiquity until today. Greco-Roman societies were all patriarchies, and their myths often reflect patriarchal systems of control and anxieties, and at the same time we will see examples of women rebelling against patriarchy and asserting their own agency. We will examine how constructions of gender and sexuality functioned in ancient societies as a method of control for female behavior. We will first meet the key goddesses in the Greco-Roman pantheon, and explore famous myths from the Trojan War and Greek tragedy. All throughout the course, we will highlight connections to classic female archetypes in modern culture and see how recent adaptations continue the evolution of these foundational myths.
