What role did the women play in The Iliad ? Most of the women that are featured in this book are very strong and courageous. Though the spotlight may not always be featured on them, they take up a good portion of the book and somewhat centered around them. Most events that occur are because of them which result in some people dying. Take Helen for example, she is kidnapped, raped by Paris, and put into hardship; after all the whole war is caused by her. Having the reputation of being the most beautiful women in the world and having such a nice husband, Menalaus, how could such a thing happen to her? After leaving her hometown and being taken to Troy by Paris, she realizes she doesn’t have such a liking for him but more so toward Hector. Helen believes he is more of a gentleman and has a better fondness of her feelings than Paris does. It’s shocking but also while all of that is still happening she blames some of these series of events on Aphrodite, a beautiful goddess, who is known for being the goddess of love, relationships, and is very supportive of Paris. She also helps out the Trojans while the war is happening. Being that she is the goddess of love, Helen believes she might have planned out for all this to happen. Now as we see but Helen does not know yet that Ahphrodite is the official cause of all this caus. Early on in the beginning, a series of some events occur that happen, may have been a serious issue, but weren’t quite realized while they decided to plot out this rocky idea. So focused on love, Paris has now fulfilled his prophesy of being the downfall of Troy. This all began a while back when a wedding was planned upon Mount Ida, whe... ... middle of paper ... ...hat she would just return home already, especially Menalaus. So going back to the topic question: What role did the women play in The Iliad? They each hold onto their own powerful meanings and they each have their own way of doing things. Some of these women can relate if you would group them into categories. In this case they would fall into property, prized possessions, goddesses, wives, and some might say even mother figures or guidance counselors. Through all of this happening, they all remain strong, and put up a good fight. At times the men might have put a sort of fear into these women heart’s but sometimes came back sharp-tongued. They stand out all for both good and bad purposes and some things could have been better or completely avoided. In all this confusion, nothing was completely resolved but all these women greatly affected someone’s life.
In The Iliad, the gods and goddesses have completely different roles. The females are usually the ones in the battle fighting, while the male gods are putting courage into hearts, but that isn’t to say that is all that they do. This is a completely different role than the mortals have. While the men are out in battle, the women are knitting and cooking. The women are also described so that it seems like they are property and not humans, and that they don’t have any feeling. Where the female gods act and are treated as if they are equal, if not ranked higher.
One trait that stands out multiple times in this story is Paris’ selfishness. One example of his selfishness is when Paris goes to Sparta and takes Helen away from her husband and baby. This is selfish because even though Helen goes willingly, Paris knows Menelaus will be angry, but he chooses to take her back to Troy anyways. This is also selfish because the people of Sparta were upset about Helen leaving,“…With the maidens
Like in Gilgamesh and the Iliad, women help encourage and influence the protagonists to be the heroes and protectors they are meant to be. Adventures and wars
Helen feels apprehensive about leaving Menelaus for Paris, she says “it would be too shameful.” (Iliad, 3.410) and in doing so, she would lose her well maintained reputation in the eyes of all Trojan women. Since Aphrodite is the goddess of love and since Paris fulfills her desire, she must return the favour and unite Helen and Paris. So she further arouses Helen by threatening to“forsake [her] and grow to hate [her] as much as now [she] terribly [loves her]”(Iliad, 3.414-415). This not only frightens Helen, but also instigates her to follow Aphrodite to the bed of Paris and in the process of doing she successfully leaves unseen by the Trojan women. Infuriated that his wife has deserted him for another man, Menelaus and his brother Agamemnon alongside many other greek warriors, decide to take action against all of Troy. The Trojan war between the Greeks and the citizens of Troy escalate quite rapidly, leading to the death of superior figures of Troy and great Greek
Both the Women of Troy and the Iliad are great works of Greek literature that emphasize different aspects of war. While both these works deal with the Trojan War, their perspectives and emphasis are very different. Whereas in the Iliad, the focus is the war and the glory of the warriors, the Woman of Troy highlights the aftermath of the war. While the Iliad projects the women in the highest reverence, the Women of Troy dehumanizes them. The Iliad is about bravery and higher virtues of mankind, the Women of Troy is about the lecherous nature of mankind who preys upon the helpless and the weak.
The women in The Odyssey are a fair representation of women in ancient Greek culture. In his work, Homer brings forth women of different prestige. First there are the goddesses, then Penelope, and lastly the servant girls. Each of the three factions forms an important part of The Odyssey and helps us look into what women were like in ancient Greece.
Women play an influential role in The Odyssey. Women appear throughout the story, as goddesses, wives, princesses, or servants. The nymph Calypso enslaves Odysseus for many years. Odysseus desires to reach home and his wife Penelope. It is the goddess Athena who sets the action of The Odyssey rolling; she also guides and orchestrates everything to Odysseus’ good. Women in The Odyssey are divided into two classes: seductresses and helpmeets. By doing so, Homer demonstrates that women have the power to either hinder of help men. Only one woman is able to successfully combine elements of both classes: Penelope. She serves as a role model of virtue and craftiness. All the other women are compared to and contrasted with Penelope.
To most Achaean and Trojan soldiers, the question, “What are you fighting for?”, is an easy one to answer. Aside from glory of course, they are fighting for Helen. Helen was taken from the Achaeans by Paris of Sparta, this in turn sparked the start of the Trojan war, but was it really Helen’s fault? It’s easy to see how Helen acts as a very strong catalyst to the start of the war however, she never intended to start a war, and furthermore, she wasn’t the one who caused the original conflict to arise.
One does not need to go into deep, critical analysis to see that women are portrayed as very weak and servile in the Iliad. We have seen them being humiliated by their husbands, brothers, and even owners. They are often charged with tasks others would find demeaning if left to someone else. The chauvinism is everywhere and it is very clear that the role of women in the Iliad was that of a woman who needs a man to take care of her and keep her lying, twisted heart in check.
In The Odyssey, the poem seems to be a man world and have women portrayed as a muse or siren that lures men “When Calypso, that lovely Goddess, tried to keep me with her in hollow caves, longing for me to be her husband, or when, in the same way, the cunning witch Aeaean Circe held me in her home filled with keen desire I’d marry her, they never won the heart here in my chest” (Bauschatz, 22). In the Iliad, it has similar connections when it comes to portraying women compared to the Odyssey, but not quite. The Iliad has women like trophies or prizes. Agamemnon was threatening Achilles of taking Briseus from him “but I shall take the fair-cheeked Briseis, your prize, I myself going to your shelter, that you may learn well how much greater I am than you, and another man may shrink back from likening himself to me and contending against me” (Bauschatz, 6). In Works and Days, the Women have a duty in the household and getting married “Don’t put things off to tomorrow and then to the next day; no sluggish worker f ills up his barn, and neither does a man who delays. It is care that prospers the work; Do-it-tomorrow wrestles with ruin (Bauschatz,
Paris’ brother, Hector, told him: "Paris, appalling Paris! Our prince of beauty-mad for woman, you lure them all to ruin." (Book III) Women are not the only ones drawn to ruin by Paris. The whole Trojan army, not to mention the whole city of Troy, was endangered by Paris’ selfishness. Paris is very likely the cause of the Trojan War. His story was told by prophecies before he was born: The prophecies said that he would be the cause of the destruction of Troy. His parents, Priam and Hecuba, left him to die on a mountain when he was a baby, but he was rescued and returned to Troy as a young man. Paris abducted prince Menelaos’ (of Mycenae) wife, Helen, who was said to be the
Paris betraying the Trojans because he would not give up Helen which made the Trojans keep fighting is an example of love causing betrayal. Many say that Paris is just being selfish for doing this because he incited a war. Helen was Menelaus’ wife so that made him extremely mad and that is what started the war. Some people even believe that was his strategy. If that is true, it was not very smart and made him look like a dolt.
The movie shows Helen trapped in a loveless marriage with a man twice her age. Paris, the beautiful prince of Troy, suddenly shows up in her bedroom and convinces her to leave her husband and go to Troy with him. The movie does not let the viewer know that Helen was a reward to Paris for choosing to give a golden apple to the Goddess Aphrodite instead of the Goddess Hera or Athena. However, the basics are the same. Helen went with Paris, her husband, Menelaus then went to his brother, King Agamemnon to ask him to go to battle with the Trojans so that Menelaus could win his wife back and King Agamemnon agrees.... ...
The poem “Iliad,” by Homer, is known for its violence between men during a war, but under that violence, is the different type of women who play a significant role in the poem (Homer 189). This poem’s narrative seems to show a male dominated world between the Greek commanders. This male dominated world cannot happen on its own, thus the different background roles of women are needed in order to make sense of all this rage. As the University of Michigan article How Do Women Make Their Way Into This Cycle states, “They are seen as the objects of both lust and domesticity, yet they are also used to excuse war, cause conflict, and display the power of men” (www.umich.edu). The focus in this poem steers towards the rage between the men, but this rage most of the time is inspired and initiated by a woman. The women of Iliad play a significant role in the poem such as war prizes, male hero partners, and women gods.