A modern connection: This is Taylor Swift's song “Mad Woman”, which debuted as the twelfth track on her seventh studio album, Folklore, released on August 18, 2020. Written during the COVID-19 pandemic, the song addresses the criticism and societal backlash that women often face when expressing anger. I include this song as an annotation because it resonates strongly with Xantippe. Centuries of being villainized, described as “shrewd” or “crazy,” mirror the way society punished women for emotions that were deemed inappropriate. Swift’s lyrics capture this societal double standard: "And there's nothin' like a mad woman What a shame she went mad No one likes a mad woman You made her like that" These lines directly reflect the way Xantippe’s anger is treated, not as a natural or justified response, but as evidence of moral or personal failing. Swift continues: "And you'll poke that bear 'til her claws come out And you find something to wrap your noose around" This imagery parallels the way Xantippe is provoked and restricted by the expectations of her husband and society, until she finally lashes out, a physical and emotional release mirrored in Levy’s poem. Later lines, such as: "The master of spin has a couple of well-placed friends They'll tell you you're insane" highlight how women’s reputations and emotions are manipulated and controlled by societal judgment, reinforcing the same marginalization that Levy talks about. By including “Mad Woman”, we can see a direct line from Xantippe’s historical and literary treatment to modern discussions about women, anger, and the consequences of breaking imposed emotional boundaries.[]https://youtu.be/6DP4q_1EgQQ?si=e7ol3EKrAAWfHwSR

At this point in the poem, Xantippe has lost the mask she worked so hard to hold on to. Socrates has angered her, and in a sudden fit of rage, her body responds with a faster heartbeat as she flings the wine onto the floor. Xantippe seems to rarely allow herself to feel or express anger; she might often feel slighted or sad, but these emotions are usually restrained, like a quietly glowing ember. Here, however, a “sudden flame” erupts: the heat rises, and she finally releases it. The description of the red wine spilling onto the white marble serves as a powerful metaphor for the loss of innocence or purity. What was once clean and controlled is now marked and transformed. Xantippe crosses the threshold changed, “hair unbound, white garment stained to redness," no longer the restrained, composed figure she once was. Levy’s depiction of this moment reflects her interest in women’s emotional and intellectual repression. Just as Xantippe’s fury has been contained by societal expectations in ancient Athens, Victorian women like Levy faced pressures to restrain their feelings and intellect. By giving Xantippe a dramatic, physical release of her anger, Levy depicts the costs of suppression and illuminates the intense, hidden emotional lives of women. The poem becomes not only a historical reflection on Xantippe’s experience but also a nuanced critique of the constraints placed on women in Levy’s world by showing how powerful and transformative the acknowledgment of one’s own emotions can be.

Oh awesome can I CITE this? It an online Blog okay because this is great.

Hameleers, M. (2020). Prospect Theory in Times of a Pandemic: The Effects of Gain versus Loss Framing on Policy Preferences and Emotional Responses During the 2020 Coronavirus Outbreak [Preprint]. SocArXiv. https://doi.org/10.31235/osf.io/7pykj

Communicating statistics, risk and uncertainty in the age of Covid—Prof. David Spiegelhalter. (2020, June 30). https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Dq7W1l7RptQ&feature=youtu.be

Bischetti, L., Canal, P., & Bambini, V. (2020). Funny but aversive: A large-scale survey on the emotional response to Covid-19 humor in the Italian population during the lockdown [Preprint]. PsyArXiv. https://doi.org/10.31234/osf.io/efk93

Lades, L., Laffan, K., Daly, M., & Delaney, L. (2020, April 22). Daily emotional well-being during the COVID-19 pandemic. https://doi.org/10.31234/osf.io/pg6bw

This is pretty difficult for me sometimes: the more people know me, the easier it is for them to hurt me.