Women in Greek Theatre

Women in Greek Theatre:

Women were sometimes seen but definitely not heard. Women were discarded and were treated appallingly compared to the way  men were treated. Yet, Greek plays featured a lot of strong female characters who commanded power and respect. It showed then fighting back and resisting the rules that were in place for them. However, they did recognise how important women were. Women were given credit for the fact they gave birth and organised many of the religious festivals. Tragedies show the tension between the women's importance and the fact they dominate male must keep they under control and subdued. The

Antigone by Roy Williams

character of Medea represents this tension in the greek society. 
Issues in greek society were often raised in theatre as a safe way of discussing and bringing attention to these issues. 
Writer recognised that the storyline of somebody striking back against power created a griping and emotional story. Women participated heavily in religion so it is possible they participated fully in the theater, but they were excluded from the festival where the dramas that have come down to us were performed. Greece valued a womens submission, yet most greek tragedies show the opposite to this trait. Plays like Antigone present women who will fight for what they believe in and even die as long as their voice is heard. This makes me believe that a lot of these plays were done to push and go against these views as a political statment.