LIVES OF YOUNG WOMEN IN ANCIENT ROME VS. NOW
In the BCE era, the daily lives of young women were shaped by strict cultural expectations and limited freedom. Most were married off in their teenage years, sometimes as young as twelve or thirteen, and women were expected to become wives and mothers rather than pursue personal ambitions. Education for girls was minimal, focused mainly on household tasks such as weaving, cooking, or childrearing. At the same time, opportunities for intellectual pursuits or public life were rare and usually reserved for elite women in exceptional circumstances. Social systems placed women under the authority of fathers, husbands, or male guardians, which meant that they had little legal independence. Wealthier young women might spend their days managing large households and servants, while poorer girls worked alongside their families in fields, markets, or workshops. Life expectancy was also far shorter than today, with the dangers of childbirth, disease, and limited medical knowledge weighing heavily on young women’s futures.
In contrast, the lives of young women today are characterized by far greater independence, opportunities, and choices. Across much of the world, women are encouraged to pursue education, develop careers, and make decisions about marriage and family later in life. Legal rights to vote, own property, work, and access healthcare give young women levels of freedom unimaginable to women in the ancient world. Modern medicine, better nutrition, and advances in technology have significantly increased life expectancy, reduced maternal mortality, and improved overall quality of life. Rather than being defined primarily by domestic responsibilities, young women now often balance education, careers, personal ambitions, and relationships on their own terms. While challenges such as inequality and cultural restrictions still exist, the shift in life opportunities marks one of the most drastic social transformations in human history.
SIMILARITIES OF ROMAN GOVERNMENT TO NOW
The Roman government, first organized as a republic, was a complex system that balanced power between elected officials, the Senate, and the assemblies. The governmental structure implemented in ancient Rome continues to serve as a model for modern democracies. Much like the United States’ use of checks and balances between executive, legislative, and judicial branches, Rome divided authority to prevent abuse of power. The Senate, made up of elites, strongly influenced policy in ways similar to modern parliaments or senates, while elections allowed citizens to choose magistrates. While each citizen was given a vote, factors like wealth, status, and persuasive speech often determined the outcome. Populist leaders such as Julius Caesar appealed directly to the masses to gain support, a strategy still common in modern politics. Roman law, beginning with the Twelve Tables, laid the foundations for property rights, contracts, and citizenship, thus shaping European legal traditions and influencing systems still in use today. At the same time, corruption, bribery, and the eventual concentration of power in emperors mirrored challenges faced by governments now, where democratic ideals can weaken under personal ambition and political manipulation. In this way, Rome’s political system not only resembled patterns still
present in today’s world but also directly influenced the structure and functioning
of many governments present in today’s world and additionally influenced
structured governments which led them to continue to function.
Milleminums of Mental Madness
Human suffering,emotional breakdown, rage, despair, and grief are neither modern nor ancient; it is simply human. Yet the frameworks used to interpret that suffering have changed drastically across time. Ancient Greek tragedy and mental-health discourse represent two distinct but resonant ways of understanding psychological collapse. While Greek dramatists framed madness within myth, morality, and the will of the gods, modern psychiatrists interpret mental illness through a biopsychosocial lens that recognizes conditions, identifiable causes, and treatable symptoms. Examining these two worlds side by side reveals deep continuity in the human experience of mental distress and desire to cope.
In Greek tragedy, madness typically emerges from forces that feel outside the individual’s control. This includes fate, divine intervention, overwhelming emotion, or moral pollution. When Herakles descends into a murderous frenzy in Euripides’ Herakles, the cause is not his internal pathology, but the goddess Lyss sent by Hera to torment him. Ajax’s psychological collapse in Sophocles’ Ajax likewise stems from wounded honor; humiliated and denied his rightful recognition, he falls into a hallucinatory rage in which he mistakes livestock for his enemies. Once he regains clarity and recognizes what he has done, he is swallowed by shame so profound that he takes his own life. Medea’s violence in Euripides’ Medea is fueled by intense emotional forces including betrayal, grief, and humiliation, which drive her toward actions that seem both extreme and morally transgressive.
Modern society interprets mental health through an opposite framework. Instead of seeing psychological collapse as the work of gods or the product of fate, modern medicine frames mental disorders as complex conditions shaped by genetics, the environment, trauma, and social factors. According to the World Health Organization, more than one billion people worldwide are currently living with a mental disorder, with depression and anxiety representing the most common conditions. Approximately, 4-5% of adults conflict with depressive and anxiety disorders globally. These numbers underscore the enormous global burden of mental illness and the need for comprehensive care. Treatments such as psychotherapy, medication, and community support all acknowledge the links between mental and physical health.
Reading Greek tragedy with a modern mental-health lens is both revealing and challenging. On one hand, it humanizes tragic characters, making it possible to understand Ajax’s despair, Herakles’ frenzy, or Medea’s emotional devastation in ways that resonate with contemporary discussions of trauma, rage, depression, and psychosis. Tragedy portrays the shattering of the self with remarkable psychological precision. It dramatizes disorientation, altered perception, dissociation, suicidal despair, and the collapse of identity — experiences that modern psychology recognizes, names, and studies. On the other hand, interpreting ancient works through modern categories risks oversimplifying their cultural meaning.
Ancient Greek and Roman stories were created to explain the world, teach moral lessons, and entertain audiences through the journeys of epic heroes and dramatic gods. Today, those same myths appear in popular culture, especially in popular book series like Percy Jackson and the Olympians and in films such as Gladiator (2000). These modern adaptations borrow characters, themes, and settings from classical sources, but they often change them significantly. While this sometimes leads to historical and mythological inaccuracies, it also keeps ancient stories applicable and relatable for new generations.
Classics in Pop Culture: When Ancient Myths Meet Modern Media
Rick Riordan’s Percy Jackson series is one of the most famous modern uses of Greek myth. The books follow a modern teenager who discovers that he is the son of Poseidon and must navigate a world where the Olympian gods still exist. Although the series introduces many real mythological figures Medusa, Hades, and Zeus, their personalities and roles are often altered to fit the storyline. For example, Hades is portrayed as misunderstood rather than purely fearsome, and the gods behave like flawed modern celebrities. This contrasts traditional myths, where the gods are distant, powerful, and often cruel, not awkward parents struggling with family problems. Percy himself is also very different from classical hero archetypes like Achilles or Heracles; instead of being nearly invincible or superhuman, he relies on humor, teamwork, and emotional growth.
Because of these changes, some classicists argue that Percy Jackson “gets the myth wrong.” However, Riordan’s goal was never strict accuracy. He wanted to make ancient stories accessible to young readers by placing them in familiar settings and giving them relatable characters. In that sense, he follows the tradition of ancient storytellers, who also changed myths depending on their audience and time period. Gladiator movies take similar liberties when retelling history. The film Gladiator depicts Roman arenas as constant death matches and portrays Emperor Commodus as an exaggerated villain. In reality, most gladiators were trained professionals, and not every fight ended in death. The movie focuses on themes common in classical literature—honor, revenge, fate, and the corruption of power—but reshapes events to create a dramatic narrative. Roman writers like Tacitus or Suetonius might recognize the moral themes, but they would likely be shocked by the inaccuracies in politics, combat, and daily life.
CROSSOVERS!
1) Romance
In Ancient Rome, poets like Catullus wrote intensely about love, obsessing over Lesbia with a mix of devotion and chaos. By the time of William Shakespeare, romance becomes dramatic and idealized in Romeo and Juliet, where love is passionate but doomed. Today, influencers like Alix Earle turn romance into something public and curated—relationships unfold in real time online, but the emotional highs feel just as intense.
→ The portrayal of love shifts in form, but the obsession and intensity stay the same.
2) Heartbreak
Ancient poets like Ovid in his Amores turned heartbreak into something almost performative—dramatic suffering as a form of art. Shakespeare deepens that pain through characters like Juliet or Ophelia, where heartbreak becomes tragic and consuming. Now, creators like Jake Shane transform heartbreak into humor and relatability, sharing exaggerated reactions that still reflect real emotion
→ The expression changes (poetry → tragedy → memes), but heartbreak remains universally recognizable.
3) Power & Image
In Rome, figures like Julius Caesar carefully crafted public image to maintain power, and reputation was everything. Shakespeare explores this theme in plays like Macbeth, where ambition and image spiral into destruction. Today, power often comes from visibility—social media figures curate their identity just as carefully, building influence through perception.
→ Across time, power depends not just on reality, but on how others see you.
4) Reinvention & Identity
In Ancient Rome, figures like Augustus carefully reinvented themselves—transforming from Octavian into a calm, universal ruler to secure power and loyalty. In Shakespeare’s world, characters constantly reshape their identity (disguises, hidden motives, shifting roles) to survive or gain control. Today, influencers like Emma Chamberlain build entire careers on evolving their identity—rebranding from casual YouTuber to fashion icon while staying “authentic.”
→ Across time, success often depends on the ability to adapt and reshape how others perceive identity.
WHAT WOULD SOCRATES THINKS OF SOCIAL MEDIA?
If the ancient Greek philosopher Socrates were suddenly transported into the modern world, he would probably be shocked by social media. A man who spent his life asking difficult questions in the streets of Athens would find it strange that millions of people now share their opinions instantly with the tap of a screen. He would likely be concerned by the spread of misinformation, viral rumors, and the constant search for likes and followers. To Socrates, scrolling through social media might feel like walking through a marketplace where everyone is shouting at once and very few people are listening.
Socrates would probably be especially confused by influencers. He might ask why someone becomes famous for filming a morning routine or reviewing a sandwich, and then spend hours questioning their followers about the meaning of expertise. The pursuit of likes would remind him of the sophists of ancient Greece, who valued persuasion more than truth. He would likely wonder why people spend so much time trying to look wise online instead of actually becoming wise. After watching a few TikTok trends, he might conclude that Athens had made some mistakes, but perhaps not this many.
Artificial intelligence would fascinate and worry him at the same time. Socrates believed that true wisdom begins with recognizing one's own ignorance. Seeing a machine confidently answer almost any question might make him suspicious. He would probably spend hours interrogating an AI, asking, “Do you actually know this, or do you merely sound like you do?” The conversation would likely continue until either Socrates or the computer ran out of patience.
Despite his criticisms, Socrates might also see the potential of modern technology. Social media can connect people across the world and create opportunities for meaningful discussion. Instead of posting selfies or dance videos, he might upload short clips asking questions such as, “What is justice?” or “What does it mean to live a good life?” His account would probably have very few sponsors, but it would certainly have the most interesting comment section on the internet.