Family
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5.Adultery, jealousy and marital betrayal
Blaise Pascal, Minor WorksVol. 48
- p. 395–396He preserves marital fidelity for fear of penalty.read · scan
5a.Unfaithful wives and revenge
See also: Justice 9b
Homer, The OdysseyVol. 22
- p. 38–39Wooers press Telemachus' mother; Agamemnon slain by his own wife and Aegisthus.read · scan
- p. 39Aegisthus seduces Clytemnestra, Agamemnon's wife, and slays him; marital betrayal in the house of Atreus.read · scan
- p. 48His brother was murdered by his wife's guile; Odysseus's father, wife and son grieve.read · scan
- p. 106Ares dishonours the marriage bed of Hephaestus by adultery.read · scan
- p. 106–107Hephaestus laments his wife's adultery and demands return of the bride-gifts from her father.read · scan
- p. 107–108Ares's adultery is treated as a wrong against the husband requiring compensation.read · scan
- p. 154–155Agamemnon recounts murder by his wife Clytemnestra and Aegisthus, betrayal of a wedded lord, and the lost homecoming to children.read · scan
- p. 155–156Agamemnon warns Odysseus against trusting wives fully, contrasting faithless Clytemnestra with prudent Penelope, and asks after his son Orestes.read · scan
- p. 321–323Agamemnon bitter at his wife's betrayal; Penelope's suitors woo the absent Odysseus' wife.read · scan
- p. 323–325Contrast of a faithful wife with one who slew her wedded lord.read · scan
Aeschylus, AgamemnonVol. 8
- p. 8–9Bereaved vultures wailing for their lost brood parallel the wronged husband and the troubled house.read · scan
- p. 30–33Helen's flight violates marriage and household hospitality.read · scan
- p. 62–63A wife proudly stands over her slain husband; the Chorus sees the curses of the land upon her.read · scan
- p. 64–65A mother avenges her sacrificed daughter, while denouncing her husband's infidelity and relying on Aegisthus.read · scan
Aeschylus, The Libation-BearersVol. 8
- p. 100–101The chorus laments woman's passion that rends the link of wedded life.read · scan
- p. 116–117Orestes condemns his mother's betrayal of the husband and the children she bore.read · scan
Aeschylus, The FuriesVol. 8
- p. 147–148Clytemnestra's treacherous killing of her husband returning from war is set against a mother's claim of kinship.read · scan
The Book of JobVol. 44
- p. 119Adultery with a neighbor's wife is a heinous crime; Job's wife would be forfeit if he were guilty.read · scan
Virgil, The AeneidVol. 13
- p. 210Deiphobus tells how his wife Helen betrayed him, removing his sword and admitting the Greeks to murder him.read · scan
- p. 355Agamemnon killed by his adulterous wife; Diomedes mourns exile from his country and beloved wife.read · scan
Plutarch, AlcibiadesVol. 12
- p. 126–127Timaea bears Alcibiades's child, publicly called Leotychides, in adultery with the absent king's wife.read · scan
Pliny the Younger, Letters of PlinyVol. 9
- p. 294A husband's affection makes him reluctant to prosecute his adulterous wife.read · scan
Chapters from the KoranVol. 45
- p. 993Parables of wives of Noah and Lot who betrayed righteous husbands, and of Pharaoh's wife, illustrate faith within marriage.read · scan
Stories from the Thousand and One NightsVol. 16
- p. 6–7Wife's adultery with a slave; husband kills both, and betrayal in marriage shapes the story.read · scan
- p. 7The queen's public unfaithfulness with slaves reveals marital betrayal; Shah-Zeman finds his own wrong lighter than his brother's.read · scan
- p. 8Queen's infidelity drives the king to renounce his throne.read · scan
- p. 24An unfaithful wife enchants her husband into a dog and is in turn transformed into a mule.read · scan
- p. 34Adultery and jealousy destroy the marriage; the merchant kills his wife and her paramour.read · scan
- p. 46The king marries his uncle's daughter; his wife is unfaithful and drugs his wine, betraying the marriage.read · scan
- p. 47The king discovers his wife's infidelity, follows her at night, and sees her visit a black slave.read · scan
- p. 48The wife abases herself before the slave, declaring she abhors her husband, her cousin, while the king watches.read · scan
- p. 49The king wounds the slave; his wife deceives him with feigned mourning and builds a tomb to tend her lover.read · scan
- p. 49–50A wife's faithlessness to her husband-cousin; she weeps for her slave lover and punishes the husband with daily lashes.read · scan
- p. 77The 'Efrit claims his law permits killing an unfaithful wife, taken on her wedding night.read · scan
Dante Alighieri, PurgatoryVol. 20
- p. 162–165Pia, killed by the husband who had wed her with ring.read · scan
Miguel de Cervantes, The History of Don Quixote of the Mancha, Part IVol. 14
- p. 317A husband is dishonoured by his wife's lewdness though innocent.read · scan
- p. 351Anselmo, blind to his wife's infidelity, is deceived by Camilla and Lothario, and dishonour comes to the marriage.read · scan
- p. 351Camilla flees her husband with Lothario after fearing Leonela will reveal her disloyalty.read · scan
- p. 352The marriage collapses, leaving an empty house without wife or servants.read · scan
William Shakespeare, Songs and SonnetsVol. 40
- p. 264–266The cuckoo mocks married men, cuckoldry as a fear of marriage.read · scan
Christopher Marlowe, Edward the SecondVol. 46
- p. 66–68Edward complains that his unnatural queen spots his nuptial bed with infamy.read · scan
John Webster, The Duchess of MalfiVol. 47
- p. 781–783Julia's deceit of her husband, the adulterous liaison.read · scan
John Milton, Samson AgonistesVol. 4
- p. 415Dalila arrives, called wife by the Chorus; Samson calls her traitress.read · scan
- p. 415Dalila pleads conjugal affection; Samson denounces wives' betrayal of husbands.read · scan
- p. 415Dalila offers nursing care as wife; Samson rejects her and scorns her as faithless wife.read · scan
Voltaire, Letters on the EnglishVol. 34
- p. 136–138Adultery and betrayal in marriage, and the captain marries his page.read · scan
- p. 138Horner's ruse lets him cuckold City husbands; the innocent wife deceives her husband.read · scan
Jean-Jacques Rousseau, A Discourse upon the Origin and the Foundation of the Inequality among MankindVol. 34
- p. 192Marriage, fidelity and husbands' vengeance produce adultery and abortions in society.read · scan
Robert Burns, Poems and SongsVol. 6
- p. 120–122Lament for Johnie ironically suggests he fathered the village children and neglected husbands' wives.read · scan
- p. 224–226Marriage jest about horns; the bard multiplies mankind.read · scan
- p. 526–528Comic scenes of marital infidelity: the gudewife hides the cooper and the husband is cuckolded.read · scan
- p. 528–530A brutal husband beats his wife, which excuses her unfaithfulness in the speaker's view.read · scan
5b.Husbands' infidelity and neglect
Plutarch, AlcibiadesVol. 12
- p. 111–112Alcibiades marries Hipparete, who leaves over his courtesans; he drags her home from the archon's court and she stays until death.read · scan
Plutarch, AntonyVol. 12
- p. 362–363Octavia, wronged wife, refuses to leave Antony's house and nobly raises his children including Fulvia's; Antony divides realms among his sons.read · scan
Miguel de Cervantes, The History of Don Quixote of the Mancha, Part IVol. 14
- p. 359She presents herself as Fernando's wife by promise, abandoned for another woman.read · scan
- p. 360She claims to be his true lawful wife by his words and writing, and pleads for her aging parents.read · scan
Christopher Marlowe, Edward the SecondVol. 46
- p. 15–16Isabella grieves that her husband neglects her for Gaveston yet will endure it rather than see civil strife.read · scan
- p. 20–22Isabella laments her husband's abandonment for Gaveston and the wreck of her marriage.read · scan
- p. 22Isabella, rejected by her husband, seeks Mortimer's help to be readmitted to the king's presence.read · scan
- p. 39–41Marriage strained: Edward taunts the queen with Mortimer while Isabella professes love for her husband.read · scan
- p. 41A neglected queen threatens to take her son to France and complain to her brother the king.read · scan
William Shakespeare, The Tragedy of King LearVol. 46
- p. 285–286Edmund informed against his father; Goneril's widowhood-dreams of marrying Edmund.read · scan
- p. 298Goneril proposes murdering her husband, her marriage betrayed.read · scan
John Dryden, All for Love; or, The World Well LostVol. 18
- p. 39Cleopatra contrasts a wife's dull respect with her own desire, dismissing Octavia.read · scan
- p. 57–61Octavia arrives with Antony's daughters, claiming him as wife and asserting a wife's virtue and duty.read · scan
- p. 61Antony feels bought by his wife's tears; Octavia offers freedom, keeping only the name of wife, and Antony resists being obliged to her duty.read · scan
- p. 61–65Octavia sends the children to win Antony back; he embraces wife and children and promises amendment.read · scan
- p. 67Octavia asserts her standing as lawful wife, made widow and orphaning of children by Cleopatra; Cleopatra claims his love made him hers.read · scan
- p. 77Octavia, wronged wife, will keep duty to her children and depart rather than take half her husband.read · scan
- p. 77–81Octavia, the wronged wife, upbraids Antony, and departs, promising care to their children.read · scan
Henry Fielding, PoemsVol. 41
- p. 501–502Wife begs her husband to stay home from the hunt, but he goes anyway.read · scan
Johann Wolfgang von Goethe, The Tragedy of Faust, Part IVol. 19
- p. 127–129Martha's dead husband's neglect of wife and children, his roaming, foreign women and dice; marital complaint.read · scan
Robert Browning, PoemsVol. 42
- p. 1087–1094Marriage to unfaithful Lucrezia; his parents' poverty and death.read · scan
Robert Louis Stevenson, Samuel PepysVol. 28
- p. 303Pepys's marriage: his infidelity discovered, his wife's anger, his past abuse, and his abject submission.read · scan
5c.Jealous husbands and tests of fidelity
Herodotus, An Account of EgyptVol. 33
- p. 53Only the one faithful woman is spared and married; the others are burned, so marital fidelity is tested.read · scan
Stories from the Thousand and One NightsVol. 16
- p. 8–10Marital fidelity is mistrusted; women deceive their captors and husbands.read · scan
- p. 32A jealous merchant, unable to trust his beautiful wife, buys a parrot to spy on her.read · scan
- p. 32–33A jealous merchant suspects his beautiful wife of adultery, confines her, and beats her on the parrot's report of a lover.read · scan
- p. 188–189The Bedouin's jealous suspicion of his wife and the barber's care for his six brothers.read · scan
Songs from the Elder EddaVol. 49
- p. 436–438Atli learns of her love and Gudrun is kept unaware, connecting kin betrayals.read · scan
Miguel de Cervantes, The History of Don Quixote of the Mancha, Part IVol. 14
- p. 307–308Marriage requires caution about the friends and women visitors a husband admits to his house.read · scan
- p. 310Anselmo wants to test his wife Camilla's fidelity, an ill-founded trial of marriage.read · scan
- p. 355Marriage between man and wife is judged implausible for such a test.read · scan
John Milton, Samson AgonistesVol. 4
- p. 415His birth was foretold in sight of both parents; he betrayed his secret to a woman.read · scan
- p. 415Marital betrayal, jealousy and fear of abandonment between husband and wife.read · scan
Molière, Tartuffe, or The HypocriteVol. 26
- p. 269–271A wife proves her word to her husband, who has doubted her.read · scan
- p. 275–277Tartuffe would marry Orgon's daughter and seduce his wife, whom he scorns Orgon as duped husband.read · scan
William Penn, More Fruits of SolitudeVol. 1
- p. 388Jealousy breaks wedlock, betrays friends and neighbors, dissolving society.read · scan
Richard Brinsley Sheridan, The School for ScandalVol. 18
- p. 164–165Lady Teazle complains of her jealous husband Sir Peter's ill temper and suspicions.read · scan
- p. 165–166Joseph argues that a husband's groundless suspicion breaks the marital compact and justifies deceiving him.read · scan
- p. 167–169Sir Peter confides his unhappy marriage to a young wife, suspected of infidelity, and the shame of an old husband.read · scan
- p. 171–172Brothers discuss Sir Peter's suspicion that Charles seeks Lady Teazle's affections, and the old husband and young wife.read · scan
Alessandro Manzoni, I Promessi Sposi (The Betrothed)Vol. 21
- p. 529–530Domestic bonds, the board and the nuptial bed, become dreaded as lurking-places of poison.read · scan
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