Introduction
The reading “Deianira’s Guilt” by Edwin Carawan tries to reinterpret the story of Trachiniae by Sophocles to prove that the main protagonist was guilty as she unwillingly killed Heracles. Deianira, daughter of King Oeneus, was Heracles’ wife in Greek mythology. Being afraid of leaving alone due to Heracles’ new passion for Iole, Deianira decided to use the love potion she took from centaur Nessus. As it turned out, the love potion was a poison that killed Heracles. Feeling despair, she committed suicide after the death of her husband.
The story represented here managed to provide the common opinion of scholars that Deianira was not guilty of the murder. Still, the paper tries to provide a new opinion on this question. This topic of difference in the perception of guilt by ancient Greek audiences and modern audiences helps to understand that the representation of women during that period can differ from what scholars commonly agree with nowadays.
Ancient vs. Modern Interpretation of Mythological Characters
One of the interesting notes this reading leaves is that the perception of certain characters and mythologies differs between modern and ancient times. For modern audiences, Deianira can be seen as an innocent character who fell under the lies of Nesus and had no intention of killing her husband. Here, she is the archetype for the suffering housewife with troubling relationships with her husband.
However, as noted by the author, ancient Greece can have a different picture of this woman (Carawan, 191). As she knew that her actions could put her husband in danger, the act and acknowledgment were enough to prove her guilty in the Greek audience of that time. As suggested by Carawan (191), even her name emphasizes this idea, translated to be “manslayer.”
Perception of Women
This piece’s importance lies in the perception that the woman characters in modern and ancient standards can differ significantly depending on the values and principles they adhere to. In this sense, it helps to understand the representation of women in ancient Greece from the perspective of different modern values (Carawan, 191). Through this representation, it is essential to review other female characters critically, as the modern perception of their action might not fit the perception of that period. The given picture of Deianira can also represent the complexities and issues that so-called homemakers face when encountering their relationships with men. Heracle’s decision to marry another woman represents the struggles women of that period faced trying to hold on to marriage and maintain a household.
The main difference, however, is that the modern audience justifies Deianira’s falling into the traps of lies and tricks. In contrast, the ancient Greek audience will not defend her attitude. Although the women of that period were trying to protect their marriage status, as they mainly depended on men of that period, who were usually warriors or other types of city workers, their actions were still regarded as guilty for the damage they might bring.
As described by the Catalogue (Carawan, 201), her reckless action led her husband to fall into danger. It means that she acknowledged the presence of danger, although disregarding the lethal effect. This forces us to look into other characters critically, too. Although there are common perceptions of certain female characters among scholars, there can be a place for reinterpretation, as it was with Deianira. Other topics, such as women’s roles in the household or at war, can be viewed differently, considering the differences in values in different periods of history.
For Sophocles, this character can be guilty or innocent since it can be complicated to evaluate his point of view directly from literary sources. This puts into question the perception of writers of that period regarding their protagonists and antagonists.
Women’s Influence on Men
Another standpoint can be seen from the influence a woman has on a man in ancient Greek literature. However, Heracles was partly a god figure; his presence and power impacted different armies and enemies. Still, he was highly influenced by Deianira, who was able to control the different events described in the story.
As Heracles understood the “womanly weakness” provided to him, he immediately recovered patriarchal control (Carawan, 225). This is also one of the representations of the difference between homemakers who suffer from many relationship troubles. As this type of female character tries to change the household matters, the man’s duty is to reassert control and domination. The change in the system itself was represented as a sin, and thus, the woman’s actions stood guilty.
Conclusion
In conclusion, the reading “Deianira’s Guilt” by Edwin Carawan highlights the difference in how ancient and modern audiences viewed the female figures of ancient Greece. Modern interpretations frequently view Deianira as a victim, although in ancient Greek society, her actions would have been viewed as deserving of guilt. This contrast emphasizes how crucial it is to comprehend ancient Greece’s historical setting and philosophical ideals while examining female characters. It also emphasizes the difficulties women confront in societal roles and romantic relationships. By exploring these variations, we can better understand how women were portrayed in classical Greek culture and put our own modern presumptions to the test.
Works Cited
Carawan, Edwin. Deianira’s guilt. The John Hopkins University Press. 2000.