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Compare and contrast Odyssey and Iliad
Compare and contrast Odyssey and Iliad
Compare and contrast Odyssey and Iliad
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Though not the focus of epic poetry, the female characters of this ancient genre play a central role, as they have a great influence on the male heroes they encounter. In a genre which idealizes manliness and heroism—that is, acts of courage, strength, and cunning— women are set in opposition to these ideals and therefore less respected. At the same time, women who attempt to take on more “masculine” roles are vilified. Here, antagonist is defined as anyone in opposition to the hero’s goals. Female agency—their free will and ability to wield power—is directly related to their role in epic poetry; that is, the more agency a female character has, the more antagonistic of a role she plays. This agency is often enacted through sexuality or supernatural …show more content…
Just as this genre exemplifies the masculine ideal, it also promotes the feminine ideal, largely by casting female characters who do not meet this ideal in an antagonistic light, and thus maintains the male-dominant system of the societies which produced these works. This paper therefore argues that female characters in epic poetry, namely The Epic of Gilgamesh, Homer’s Odyssey, and Vergil’s Aeneid, play the role of an antagonistic “Other” group by employing their agency to act beyond the established gender roles of their societies, thereby disrupting the social order and creating obstacles for the male protagonists. Epic poems outline an ideal heroic male archetype; the female ideal found in epics is the antithesis of this male standard, and as a result, establishes the female as an “Other” group. Here, the “Other” can be defined as those who are different and considered less than the ideal. Humbaba and Polyphemus are blatant examples of “Other” in the Epic of Gilgamesh and the Odyssey respectively; they contrast the ideal and as a result are antagonistic monsters. The female “Other” is less obvious; they are an “Other” group within the culture of the idealized people, because each of these epics is …show more content…
Female characters who take on more active and independent roles frequently do so through their sexuality, one of the few instruments of agency at their disposal. These women are portrayed as temptresses who are obstacles to be overcome by the male heroes; hence, an antagonistic role. An example of this is the Aeneid’s Dido, the powerful independent queen who exerts power over Aeneas through seduction, tempting him to remain in Carthage rather than follow his fate, and so making her an (inadvertent) antagonist. Describing her suicide, Vergil states “Dido was dying a death that was neither deserved nor predestined, but premature: a poor woman, swept up by the quick fire of madness,” (4.696-697). Here Dido displays great agency by controlling her own fate, but this agency is self-destructive, suggesting that women cannot use agency for good ends. The Odyssey also shows the vilification of powerful women using their sexuality, when Agamemnon says of his wife “But now, in the depth of her villainy, she has branded with infamy not herself alone but the whole of her sex, even the
Some women are known for the deeds of their sons or husbands, but never for a heroic deed of their own, their personalities, and what they do themselves. It seems the only accomplishment women could achieve was being beautiful. Theseus "had no joy of"(195) the princess Ariadne because she died before this was possible. Homer makes it sound as if Ariadne's life was useless because she did not give Theseus pleasure. The only woman we hear of for a different reason is Klymene, and we only hear of her because she "betrayed her lord for gold."(195) This is the only time we hear of a woman for something she did, and once we do, it is a negative remark. Penelope, Odysseus' queen, is paid attention to only because of her position. Because she has a kingdom, she has suitors crowding around her day and night. Being a woman, Penelope has no control over what the suitors do and cannot get rid of them. The suitors want her wealth and her kingdom. They do not respect her enough to stop feeding on Odysseus' wealth; they feel she owes them something because she won't marry one of them. One of the suitors, Antinoos, tells Telemakhos "...but you should know the suitors are not to blame- it is your own incomparably cunning mother."(21) Even Telemakhos doesn't respect his mother as he should. When the song of a minstrel makes her sad and Penelope requests him to stop playing, Telemakhos interrupts and says to her, "Mother, why do you grudge our own dear minstrel joy of song, wherever his thought may lead.
Yet, despite the fact that no two women in this epic are alike, each—through her vices or virtues—helps to delineate the role of the ideal woman. Below, we will show the importance of Circe, Calypso, Nausicaa, Clytaemestra, and Penelope in terms of the movement of the narrative and in defining social roles for the Ancient Greeks. Before we delve into the traits of individual characters, it is important to understand certain assumptions about women that prevailed in the Homeric Age. By modern standards, the Ancient Greeks would be considered a rabidly misogynistic culture. Indeed, the notoriously sour Boetian playwright Hesiod-- who wrote about fifty years before Homer-- proclaimed "Zeus who thunders on high made women to be evil to mortal men, with a nature to do evil (Theogony 600).
The epic poem Gilgamesh is the first heroic epic of world literature. The role of the primary mortal woman mentioned in it is only to benefit and please men, and with little or no consideration as to how she feels...
All in all, Homer’s The Odyssey has delivered an overall picture which portrays women holding inferior roles, in terms of domestic duties and social status. Men are free to roam and stay with strange women for a long period of time; however, women are expected to obey the strict social codes of conduct that the cruel ancient Greek culture had created for thousands of years. The female character development in The Odyssey obligates the readers to reevaluate the societal status of women in a patriarchal society which leads to having sympathy for their limited role compared to the dominant role of men in the society.
Throughout The Odyssey by Homer, many women, if not servant girls or deities, are assigned to the powerless role of mothers or seductresses. In most instances, the women are in need of support and guidance as they are weak and fragile. Without a steady male hand to guide them, these women appear to be lost and heartbroken. Women serve little function aside from mourning their men and urging them to remain safe. In many ways, the value placed on fathers and sons in The Odyssey is far greater than the bonds with mothers or daughters. Anticleia, Odysseus’ mother, cannot even exist without her son as she dies after waiting for years for him to come home. For Anticleia and other women, the entire purpose for existence is to look after, nurture, and protect their sons and husbands. However, no female character in The Odyssey is quite as complex as the grief-stricken Penelope. Some women are known for the deeds of their sons or husbands, but never for a heroic deed of their own, their personalities, and what they do them...
The society in which classical myths took place, the Greco-Roman society was a very patriarchal one. By taking a careful gander at female characters in Greco-Roman mythology one can see that the roles women played differ greatly from the roles they play today. The light that is cast upon females in classical myths shows us the views that society had about women at the time. In classical mythology women almost always play a certain type of character, that is to say the usual type of role that was always traditionally played by women in the past, the role of the domestic housewife who is in need of a man’s protection, women in myth also tended to have some unpleasant character traits such as vanity, a tendency to be deceitful, and a volatile personality. If one compares the type of roles that ladies played in the myths with the ones they play in today’s society the differences become glaringly obvious whilst the similarities seem to dwindle down. Clearly, and certainly fortunately, society’s views on women today have greatly changed.
In “The Miller’s Tale”, Medea, and Boccaccio’s tale, readers see how stereotypes and gender roles are reinforced, challenged or subverted. The stereotype of women during the medieval time were the house keepers and focused on the home life, second to the men in society, they had no power. During literature, readers see how some women challenged and stood up to dominant men. Some other women stood behind their husbands no matter what and stayed strong through whatever trials they were put through.
Though easier to consider The Aeneid as a work which clearly defines the roles of man and woman, with men upholding traits of stability, rationality, and containment of oneself, with the women acting irrational and without jurisdiction, this is not quite the case. Gender is not quite the cookie cutter structure one is accustomed to, instead it acts as a much more complicated force within the interactions of the characters. The masculine and feminine become combined within individuals, blended to the point where perhaps sometimes understanding a character is far more complicated than knowing whether it is a 'he' or 'she'.
Women in ancient Greek times did not have equal or political rights. Athena and Antigone, who were both very heroic women went above and beyond the stereotypical woman. In society today, women are still not looked as an equivalent to men. Athena and Antigone share the Greek heroic traits of honor, perseverance, and of living in a higher class. In Sophocles’ Greek tragedy, Antigone, and Homer’s epic, The Odyssey, the female characters, Antigone and Athena are not solely traditional female characters, instead, they embody the heroic characteristics, honor, perseverance, and high social standing.
In the Homer's epic poem the Odyssey, there are many themes that serve to make a comment about the meanings of the story. The theme of women in the poem serves to make these comments but also establishes a point of view on women in the reader. From this point of view, a perspective is developed into the "best" and "worst" in women. Achievement of this is through the characterization of many women with single notable evil qualities. Similar to the biblical story of Adam and Eve, Eve like the many women in the Odyssey brings about pain and suffering for mankind. Contrary to the depicting of women as roots of evil, the reader sees the other traits of women that are most desirable. The roles of these women are achieved by their portrayal throughout the poem. This in return has a significant affect on how the poem and the message that is conveyed.
In the 'Odyssey' women can easily play the role of a wife, a mother, caretaker and a loyal lover. These roles do not show many positive implications than the roles that men play in society, yet it is proved that women and their roles in society contributed a bigger picture. The power and authority of women lies within her at the same time using the combination of wit and incline attributes, they seem to fulfill their feminine roles. Even though the role of a man might be to lead, women seem to fulfill the roles of a leader.
Throughout studies of ancient civilizations Woman's place seems to be similar, but through a large spectrum of roles; as in the tales of Medea and Gilgamesh. Both tales tell their own views on Women, but also show each woman in their best and worst: The common, the priestess, the harlot, the wise, or just an evil witch. By analyzing and contrasting each woman one can see the view of women in ancient societies through the way stories detail them and their defining actions.
The role of women, relative to Greek drama and epic poetry and the importance given to them can be understood most clearly as literary devices. The women in the play serve to take the action forward and by showing them as weak willed and subservient, men are automatically rendered the stronger gender. These women may be powerless, but they have an invisible control over men, in terms of being coveted by them and also as partners on whom men rely on for support and counsel.
Women have held many different roles in society throughout human history. Since the beginning of time men have always been viewed as superior. In Homer’s Iliad, a perfect example of the suppressive role of women is shown. Women are treated as property and are used for the mere purpose of reproduction within the household. Paralyzed by their unfortunate circumstances, they were taken and given as if they were material belongings. In Homer's Iliad, women are seen and introduce as rewards to the male heroines and usually the greatest fighters. They are depicted as being inferior to men both physically and intellectually. Throughout the epic poem, women play an important role that symbolizes their relative significance and the impact they have on the different interactions that take place. The action and drama that over whelms The Iliad belongs to that of a masculine world. The interaction between man and women in this epic is similar to that of child and a toy. The females, being, the toys of the poem are either praised and taken care of, as a prized toy would be, or just kept for the sake of enjoyment. There are not many mortal females in this epic, but very few do play important roles in the plot. The female gods, such as Helen, however, seem to be in more control than the males of the story. By comparing and contrasting the female mortals and divine female’s interactions in The Iliad, we can expand an initiative of what Homer considers the proper place for the females during the time of this Trojan War. Although Homer’s ideas seem antiquated today, they are entirely philosophical of his own historical era.
Epic literature, with close bearing on the moral values, ethos and beliefs of society is of paramount significance. Epic stories have always been an integral part of any culture and as such are capable of generating interest of the learned as well as of the illiterate. In the recent past there has been a revival of the mythological themes in literature, theatre and television serials inculcating a new interest in the epics and its characters.