Oppian Law Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Oppian Law - Essay Example ing to discuss Livy’s account of Roman women demonstrating against Oppian law and Baldson’s view of the Roman women in relevance to the Oppian law (Bauman 30). According to Schroeder (80), women’s demonstration and persistence enabled them to obtain repeal against the Oppian law despite facing opposition from various consuls who supported the law. Such consuls included Marcus, Publius, among others. The matrons blockaded every entrance to forums, as well as streets in the city. They neither cared about the orders from the counsel and husbands nor the shame since Roman women were prohibited from participating in forums and politics. The women wanted to have their luxurious lives back arguing that the state was thriving. They also wanted to take part in forums. The number of demonstrating women grew in numbers from towns to villages. They tried to solicit magistrates, consuls and praetors to join them in their course. Consul Cato did a marvellous representation that encouraged more women crowds on the streets, and this led to their victory with the repealing of the law. In Livy’s writing, we see that women have evolved from being submissive to fearless and bold individuals. They dared to go against their men’s wishes and came out in large numbers to fight for what they wanted. According to Bauman’s (53), women have changed since the 1960s. In the ancient Rome, women were assigned specific roles, such as giving birth, spinning, weaving, managing domestic arrangements, and not wondering in the streets or attending festivals. They were not allowed to uncover their heads, unless in the presence of their husbands alone. They often got married when young; thus, they had little time to have a good time to enjoy life. They were not exposed to contraceptives, and so they underwent crude and unclean ways of abortion. The rich women were overtaxed with the aim of taming them. The modern Roman woman is more confident and aggressive in fighting for liberty through