Women in the ancient world did not have the rights or status as we do today. They were looked upon as possessions or property.
For a woman to be strong or be allowed to hold a position of power was something that was unheard of. Medea and Dido were two very strong and powerful women, however each lived in slightly different cultures. Their choices in how they chose to wield their power gives us a small insight on the differences in cultural lifestyles between the two women and the worlds they lived in. Medea was not the typical woman that we would see in Greek society.
She was a master of the art of manipulation, shrewd, and possessed a bit of masculinity in her actions. These were qualities that we would usually see in a Greek warrior, such as Odysseus. Typical Greeks seemed to always rely on the gods or goddesses for guidance or help, even the males. Medea relied on herself.
She was a known sorceress or priestess. Medea used her potions and incantations to help her obtain whatever she wanted. This sets her apart from even the men. In the play, we as readers are never really told what Medea looks like; we are only told of her capabilities.Kreon tells her that he is afraid of her.
This says a great deal of how Medea is viewed in Greek society. Women were treated like an object, nothing more than someone to cook, clean, and bear children. Medea striking fear in a male character, especially a king shows us as readers that she stands out in Greek society. She is not a meek and quiet woman.
She is strong, independent, and will do what ever it takes to stay true to who she is. She refuses to conform to the typical Greek woman status.She wants to be known as someone who is to be respected and is very powerful, not something that would be associated with your average Greek woman. Roman society was very similar to Greek society. Both were primarily patriarchal. Dido, the Queen of Carthage, was not a typical Roman woman.
She founded the city of Carthage, made political decisions and was generally respected by her followers as well as the leaders of the surrounding territories. Many of these rulers wished to marry Dido, however she chose to remain loyal to her late husband’s memory and refused to remarry.This gave her a good reputation among the other leaders as well as her people. When she chose to pursue a relationship with Aeneas, she lost her stature. The other leaders were angry that she chose Aeneas over them. Her people were angry that she would engage in such an inappropriate act.
She gave up everything for Aeneas, who in the end chose to leave her behind. Overcome with emotion, Dido committed suicide. She shows weakness in this decision. She fell into the typical stereotypical view of a Roman woman, weak and unable to make decisions.
Both characters stood out from their typical social stereotypes. Medea was strong, which was not common for the standard Greek woman. Dido started out as a great Queen, a rarity in Roman culture. Both women made decisions that ultimately affected how they were viewed.
In my opinion Dido was the weaker of the two women. She chose to end her life instead of trying to regain what she had lost. Medea was determined not to lose who she was even though she had been horribly wronged. The two characters were created to be standout in both Greek and Roman cultures.
