Let’s Talk About the Ancient Feminist
Sophia Robinson
Classics
1st
1st
Abstract
The privilege of equality is more foreign to the modern woman than studying ancient history. Clytemnestra, a woman caught in the tangle of the infamous Trojan War, can be argued to be the first ancient feminist, although controversial, since she murdered her husband. Clytemnestra’s blood thirst against her husband, whilst ostracising her as a barbarian to ancient Greek standards, acts as a symbol of martyrdom that has rippled into the 21st century. How do we fight back against a cyclical oppression when our figurehead is a murderer? Within my research, I plan to prove Clytemnestra’s motives were not murderous but can be taken as an example of what women today can do to battle their own fights against misogyny. By evaluating a plethora of ancient material, I aim to prove that Clytemnestra was not blood-thirsty, but desperate for freedom that all women strive for. Clytemnestra was the first ancient feminist. Clytemnestra was THE ancient feminist.
Bio
My name is Sophia Robinson, and I am a first-year student studying Classics at the University of Glasgow. I am from a very small village in Lancashire (where the Pendle Witches were trialled!) and so my contact with ancient history was limited, until I entered adulthood, since I was not close to any large museums like in London. In spite of not having access to ancient history at my doorstep, my love for the world before us blossomed greatly, and so the rare occasions I would be able to go explore remnants of ancient history in bigger cities, it made me appreciate it more and yearn to learn more. A particular area I took particular interest in was women whose names had been remembered for 2000 years, combining my love for the ancient world, and feminism, incredibly important considering the political climate of the 21st century. Studying ancient history has enhanced my fierceness for equality within our current age, especially considering how classics as a subject is consistently diminished, and ridiculed. It is more important now than ever to study ancient history.