I do not blame Aphrodite for cheating on Hephaestus. She was forced into that marriage and barely even said the vows. Hephaestus did not truly love her and did not respect her. In other versions of their story, I felt bad for Hephaestus but in this book I did not. Aphrodite and Ares’s punishment was not fair. All of the gods were cheating on their spouses. Taking away Aphrodite’s child was really cruel.
I did not blame her for cheating. Her life was controlled and decided upon for her by others. She was a goddess, but still she had no real say in her own life. She was treated like a thing, and cheating was her way of exercising some control over her own happiness.
The punishment was harsh and indicative of how she and her daughter were both treated as things. Harmonia became just a tool for Hephaestus to use to hurt Aphrodite.
I believe each person is responsible for their own actions and cannot blame others for what they do. Aphrodite was wrong in cheating on her husband and being in the marital bed takes it an even further step of betrayal. I acknowledge why she did it, but it was wrong. There is no way that what Hephaestus did in response was fair, it was cruel, revengeful and vile. The meanest part was the involvement of her daughter.
I think the person who was wrong was Hephaestus. He knew she did not want him, His selfish behavoir made it all happen.
I wouldn’t say justified, but the affair was understandable given the circumstances. They loved each other and were forced apart by Zeus. I do think that scene is where Aphrodite begins to grow in her role as a goddess. She takes the first hit of many and begins to break away and define herself. It was a pivotal moment in the story, but hard to read and imagine.