Helen Morales
In Antigone Rising: The Subversive Power of the Ancient Myths, Helen Morales, a classics professor, interrogates classical myths through a feminist lens.
Using a variety of Greek and Roman myths, Morales contests traditional interpretations of myths to glean their current relevance and to show their continuing influence on our culture. She argues some myths reinforce a patriarchal agenda, while others can be reclaimed to challenge the dominant ideology by unveiling their subversive power. Her insights are fascinating. For example, she argues that the killing of girls and women by men can be seen as continuing the legacy of Greek heroes lauded for killing Amazons since they rejected male domination. She claims the words of Hippocrates have been misappropriated by the diet industry “to promote misery and sickness” and to enforce gender and racial norms. She traces the policing of dress codes for girls and women back to the gunaikonomoi, the women controllers of ancient Greece who enforced women’s dress and behavior as a means of control. And Euripides’ The Bacchae is interpreted as a cautionary tale of the dangers and futility of trying to control women.
Morales deconstructs several rape narratives and shows how they inform our perspectives on sexual violence. The myth of Procne and Philomela demonstrates the refusal of rape victims to be silenced and the importance of women’s collaboration to effect retaliation against abusive men. Antigone is faulted for acting alone. The myth of Erysichton is interpreted as an allegory for climate change. Abuse of the environment is connected to the abuse of women. Myths are explored for their gender fluidity. And Morales celebrates Beyonce for casting herself as a pregnant Venus in photographs and for her APESHIT music video with Jay-Z at the Louvre. By dressing as African goddesses in her stage performances, Beyonce makes visible black women’s pasts.
Some of Morales’ insights and connections are intriguing. Some have barely a tenuous link with the myth. But all are interesting. Morales peppers her discussion with personal anecdotes about her herself and her daughter. Prior familiarization with the myths is unnecessary since she provides brief summaries. She comments on modern interpretations and iterations of the myths. By shifting the focus and changing the lens, Morales opens up the myths to new interpretations, thereby demonstrating their power and continued relevance. Her writing is engaging, accessible, and witty. Her contribution to feminist critiques of Greek and Roman myths is both refreshing and welcome.
Highly recommended.