Student Research Projects

Finding Women's Place: Plato and Cicero on the Status of Women

Student Name(s)	Lauren Stroyeck
Faculty Mentor(s)	Dr. David Lorenzo
Department	Political Science

Abstract

This paper compares, contrasts and evaluates Plato's and Cicero's treatment of women. It focuses on the portrait of the "ideal woman" each provides. For Plato the ideal was the Spartan woman as portrayed in Greek culture, while for Cicero it was the Roman and particularly Stoic portrait of Lucretia. Which is the more attractive portrayal considered from a 20th century, feminist point of view? Is either desirable?