Aretaphila of Cyrene: “Women’s Weapons” as Instruments for Political Action

Abstract

divAretaphila is one of the most outstanding and complex characters in Plutarchrsquo;s emWomenrsquo;s Virtues/em, where he presents a series of womenrsquo;s deeds deserving memory as examples for feminine virtue. Throughout the account, Aretaphila lives constantly on the borders ofnbsp;transgression, immersing in the masculine sphere of politics, and using typical ldquo;womenrsquo;s weaponsrdquo; that are deemed disturbing by classical thought. Nevertheless, the storyrsquo;s end signals the ldquo;happyrdquo; return to political and gender order, and serves to ldquo;domesticaterdquo; the up till thennbsp;transgressor, Aretaphila, who thus can be seen as an example of virtue. This story also invites us to reflect on the mechanisms of construction and transmission of historical and legendary memory when a woman is a main character./div