(no subject)
A interesting point raised in my history class:
So in the Myth/History of Lucretia (whose name I completely love. I just love saying it) she is boasted of being the most chaste of all women by her husband when they are camping away at war. Anyway as the story goes, all the men come to see what is happening with their wives in this contest, surprising them. Most of the women are having a party together, Lucretia, when they come to find her however, is spinning wool to make her husband a cloak, thus proving that she is the most virtuous of women. One of the men, the son of the King of Rome, sees her and falls either in lust/love/seeks to destroy her.
So they all leave, but later (next week or something such) the son comes back under the pretense of a friend, so Lucretia lets him into the house . So she goes to her bed to sleep, etc, etc and then he comes for her, with a sword saying if she doesn't sleep with him, he'll kill her. She refuses. He keeps threatening her, still she refuses. Until last, he says that he will call a slave, and kill them together, so it looks like she was sleeping with the slave and he had found them and killed them both out of honor, thus ruining her reputation after death. Not being able to stand this, she submits to him and they go about their *ahem* business.
Anyway after he leaves, Lucretia calls her husband, uncle and asks them to bring her closest friend/advisor, tell them of what happens and says that she cannot live with herself with this shame, and kills herself.
Thoughts f-list? Also be aware this is a Myth that comes from a culture that sees suicide as right of man and rank, an incredibly noble way to die. How do you take this story? I am very much undecided but mostly I just want to talk about it.
So in the Myth/History of Lucretia (whose name I completely love. I just love saying it) she is boasted of being the most chaste of all women by her husband when they are camping away at war. Anyway as the story goes, all the men come to see what is happening with their wives in this contest, surprising them. Most of the women are having a party together, Lucretia, when they come to find her however, is spinning wool to make her husband a cloak, thus proving that she is the most virtuous of women. One of the men, the son of the King of Rome, sees her and falls either in lust/love/seeks to destroy her.
So they all leave, but later (next week or something such) the son comes back under the pretense of a friend, so Lucretia lets him into the house . So she goes to her bed to sleep, etc, etc and then he comes for her, with a sword saying if she doesn't sleep with him, he'll kill her. She refuses. He keeps threatening her, still she refuses. Until last, he says that he will call a slave, and kill them together, so it looks like she was sleeping with the slave and he had found them and killed them both out of honor, thus ruining her reputation after death. Not being able to stand this, she submits to him and they go about their *ahem* business.
Anyway after he leaves, Lucretia calls her husband, uncle and asks them to bring her closest friend/advisor, tell them of what happens and says that she cannot live with herself with this shame, and kills herself.
Thoughts f-list? Also be aware this is a Myth that comes from a culture that sees suicide as right of man and rank, an incredibly noble way to die. How do you take this story? I am very much undecided but mostly I just want to talk about it.