Greek poem ‘censored’ to avoid upset for students

Trigger warnings have been used to ensure that students are not upset by references to violence against women in an ancient Greek poem. The work, Types of Women, which is more than 2,500 years old, is taught to first-year Classics students at Reading, writes Nicola Woolcock for The Times.

The university is one of several institutions to issue warnings about potentially distressing content. The Globe Theatre in London warned audiences last year that its production of Romeo and Juliet showed suicide and fake blood, and shared the Samaritans’ phone number before performances.

Reading removed the trigger warning after the professor running the course decided to change the extract taught, removing the most upsetting references. This was partly to avoid distressing students and partly because the new extract was more relevant, the university said. The poem by Semonides of Amorgos, written in the 7th century BCE, refers to smashing out the teeth of an uncontrollable wife. It says the Greek god Zeus created 10 types of women, only one of whom is virtuous.
Full report on The Times site