Plutarch describes in great detail the essential qualities each member of this union will need to bring into the marriage, or learn, in order to make the marriage a successful one. However, we will examine only those qualities that I believe are most important. First, married couples should enter a marriage with the understanding that, at times, there will be differences and arguments. It is the responsibility of both members to talk these differences out, in order to have a successful marriage. If couples are going to argue, it should not take place in public, and the opposite is also true, that couples should not hide their affection towar

Plutarch and Xenophon’s purposes and ideals of marriage agree in some ways and differ in others. They both agree that the husband plays the dominant role in the marriage and is responsible for educating the wife. Also, they believe it is most important that the wife behaves herself at all times and conducts herself in a modest fashion. According to both men, a wife is responsible for raising the children. A wife must obey her husband and please him at will. The union between husband and wife is necessary for the continuation of the human race. Last but not least, everything brought into the marriage and or accumulated during marriage shall be the common property of both members, this including friends, property, and children.

These ideals of Greek marriage are a good way to explain how a marriage should work. However, the realities of Greek marriage do not exactly coincide with these ideals. In an ideal marriage, partners should be faithful. This is not the case in “ A husband’s defence.” This is an excerpt from the defense of a man who murdered his wife’s lover wife. If marriages held true to Plutarch and Xenophon’s ideals, then this man’s wife would not have cheated on him. Next, we will look at “The case for the prosecution in a poisoning trial.” Here a wife is on trial for masterminding the death of her husband, by poisoning. The ideal wife is to accept mistreatment with a smile, not to break up a household by revenge. Another example of the reality of Greek marriage is found in “A petition from a wife requesting restitution of a dowry.” Plutarch and Xenophon’s ideal is that a woman brings a dowry into a marriage with the understanding that the dowry itself will not make a successful marriage. However, this excerpt explains a wife’s request for the return of a dowry, with interest, because her husband was not responsible with it. Finally, in the passage, “A petition from a husband claiming that his wife stole his property,” it will be shown that realities of marriage do not always fit the ideals. According to both Plutarch and Xenophon, the property should be shared equally. Furthermore, Xenophon states that the wife should be trusted to manage the estate to the best of her ability. However, in this passage, a husband is requesting that his wife be punished for her wrongdoings and that his property be returned. It is obvious in these passages that the ideals of marriage conflict with the realities. Although the ideals of marriage spelled out by Plutarch and Xenophon do serve as a good guideline on how a marriage should be, apparently, these

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