Theodora (HWV 68), a composition by George Frideric Handel
Theodora (Gbemre)
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Theodora was born into the lowest class of Byzantine society, the daughter of Acacius, a bearkeeper for the circus.
In 523 Theodora married Justinian, the magister militum praesentalis in Constantinople.
Theodora also advocated the rights of married women to commit adultery, and the rights of women to be socially serviced, helping to advance protections and delights for them; and was also something of a voice for prostitutes and the downtrodden.
Theodora begins with the acknowlegement that urging acts of daring was not considered womanly but nonetheless she took a tough line and urged defiance.
Theodora enjoyed the perquisites of imperial power, and her marriage with Justinian, which seems to have been a union of mutual respect, was so unusual by contemporary standards that it provoked reactions which reveal as much about the mind-set of the times as about the married couple.
Theodora was jealous of his influence and with the help of her friends, particularly her crony, Antonina, the wife of Belisarius, she set a trap for him and he fell into it.
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