If a man take a wife and she give a maidservant to her husband…”, which shows the class difference between women as mistress and maidservant. However, the line between wife and maidservant can be blurred if the maidservant becomes pregnant with the husband’s child. Law 141 details the happenings when a woman neglects her wifely duties, instead going out around town. In this instance, “If her husband do not announce her divorce, her husband may take another woman. That woman [the first wife] shall dwell in the house of her husband as a maidservant.” We can tell from law 141 that the line between wife and maidservant can be crossed or switched, giving us further insight into the social class of
If a man take a wife and she give a maidservant to her husband…”, which shows the class difference between women as mistress and maidservant. However, the line between wife and maidservant can be blurred if the maidservant becomes pregnant with the husband’s child. Law 141 details the happenings when a woman neglects her wifely duties, instead going out around town. In this instance, “If her husband do not announce her divorce, her husband may take another woman. That woman [the first wife] shall dwell in the house of her husband as a maidservant.” We can tell from law 141 that the line between wife and maidservant can be crossed or switched, giving us further insight into the social class of