Essay On Pygmalion And Galatea

Ever since the beginning of time, men and women have been treated differently from each other. Due to a male’s physical traits and attributes, historically speaking, he has been treated far better than his female counterpart. Though the issue of discrimination towards women has indisputably improved over the last century, the same moral values that the Ancient Greeks held true concerning women are still prevalent in certain ways in today’s society. The actions of the respected characters Pygmalion and Jason in Greek Mythology have influenced how women are degraded through the avenue of the advertisement industry in the media.

Though the Greeks evidently did not have access to televisions, computers, radios, and other venues that are commonly associated with the spreading of information, they still utilized a form of media. The

The artist, Pygmalion has such a raging hatred for women that he resolves never to marry (Hamilton 147), which is quite uncommon at the time. His train of thought harshly changes directions once he sculpts a perfect woman who, “No women born, no statue ever made, could approach…” (Hamilton 147) It can be inferred that Pygmalion has absolutely no interest in a women’s attributes and abilities, but only their bodies. With that said, it is important to note that the feature’s that the Greek was looking for were merely impossible to achieve, truly showing his expectations of women. In addition, the fact that the well-respected goddess of love sees no faults in his behavior, and even goes as far as to eventually grant their marriage (Hamilton 150) teaches Greek society that it is acceptable to admire a woman for solely her appearance. This mentally has not changed vastly over the