Pandora's Jar: Women in the Greek Myths

One of the most significant cultural pillars of the contemporary era is the Greek mythology.

Epic poetry and Greek tragedy, from Homer to Virgil to Aeschylus to Sophocles and Euripides, are mostly composed of tales of gods and monsters. Even now, a plethora of plays, movies, and books are inspired by tales that were originally recounted about 3,000 years ago. However, males have traditionally told Greek myths in modern times, and they frequently exhibit little interest in narrating tales about women.

Presently, presenter, author, and ardent classicist Natalie Haynes corrects this imbalance in Pandora's Jar. She places the female protagonists on an equal footing with their male counterparts by starting with the Greek creation myths and repeating the four great epic sagas: the Trojan War, the Royal House of Thebes, Jason and the Argonauts, and Heracles. The outcome is a striking and dramatic narrative of the exploits – as well as transgressions – of Hera, Aphrodite, Athene, and Circe. And rather than Paris, Agamemnon, Orestes, or Jason, the goddesses of Mount Olympus are not the ones singing from these pages; rather, it is Helen, Clytemnestra, Jocasta, Antigone, and Medea.