Throughout history, men have traditionally been perceived as superior and dominant over women. Although women have held many different roles in society, women have always been considered inferior both physically and intellectually. Pericles, general of Athens, expresses his opinion on the role of women in society in his famous funeral speech. First he shows that he considers women as the weaker sex by stating: “… for those of you who will now be widows, everything will be included in this short exhortation. Great will be your glory in not failing in your natural character." She believes that by nature women are weak and vulnerable and should never be anything more. He continues to give his opinion on women, finally saying "...the greatest will be the one who is talked about least among men, both for better and for worse". It clearly lets us know that women are not to be seen, heard, or talked about, no matter what they have done or who they are. Pericles tries to make us understand that a non-existent woman is the one who deserves the most glory. Pericles' ideal of Athenian femininity leads us to understand that in his opinion women were weak, non-existent and vulnerable people in a society strongly guided by male wisdom. Although many women behaved just as Pericles had described them, others refused to let men oppress or control them. Hera, Jocasta, and Antigone are perfect examples of women who contradicted Pericles' ideals of Athenian femininity. In the Iliad, one of Homer's greatest works, women are often depicted not only as inferior to men but as objects of possession. The story begins with a dispute over Chryseis, daughter of a follower of Apollo, taken prisoner by Agamemnon as a war trophy. Agamemenno......middle of paper......attacks the king but without success turns and kills himself saddened by the loss of his beloved Antigone. Haemon's death shows Antigone's control over the men around her. Throughout Greek literature it is strongly evident how women are inferior to men but through Hera, Jocasta and Antigone it is shown how women can develop their own character and be strong enough to try to challenge their destiny. All three of these women showed defiance to powers supposedly greater than their own, be it a king, a prophecy, or even the leader of the gods Zeus himself. The stories even go so far as to show how everything falls apart once they are gone, as in the case of Jocasta and Antigone. This shows that women can not only be seen as a driving force in their society, but can also lead to the destruction of the people around them if they were to disappear..