Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
skip to main |
skip to sidebar
This blog is intended to serve as a online journal for the Step-Ahead class of World Literature.
16 comments:
Homer portrays women as objects. To men, women are their prizes and are just there for their convenience. Women are also judged for their beauty. The reasons behind the Trojan war were women. First, Paris, a mortal Trojan was asked to pick the most beautiful goddess between Hera, Athena, and Aphrodite. To try and sway Paris’ decision, each goddess offered him a gift. Hera offered him power, Athena offered him wisdom, but Aphrodite offered him the most beautiful mortal women. To Paris, a beautiful women was more important than power and wisdom, so he picked Aphrodite as the most beautiful goddess and was rewarded Helen. The fact that Helen was already married meant nothing to Paris, so he “stole” Helen from her husband, King of Mycenaean Sparta. The king, Menelaus, was infuriated by the loss of his wife so he called on his brother, the mighty warrior Agamemnon. Agamemnon vowed to help his brother get revenge and eventually incited the Trojan War. Helen is known as the “face who launched a thousand ships”. Again, women are referred to for their beauty. Later on in the Iliad, Achilles speaks about how he was awarded Briseis after he conquered a city. He was proud of his “prize” because he felt it brought him honor. Agamemnon was also awarded a woman for the same battle. Agamemnon was forced to return his woman to her father to lift a plague off of his army. He was infuriated over the loss of his women so he demanded Achilles turn over Briseis to him. Achilles felt that he had been stripped of his honor and refused to fight in the Trojan war. Both Achilles and Agamemnon viewed their women as prizes and possessions. Neither woman had any power or any say in these decisions. Often in the Iliad the men would have children with multiple women. The men were allowed to go to as many women as they pleased, but the women had to stay loyal to their husbands. Homer not only addresses mortal women, but also the goddesses. The goddesses were often portrayed as rash and immature. When Hera saw Zeus making plans behind her back, she became irate and verbally attacked him. Zeus’ response also tells us a lot about how women were seen. He tells her that what he does is non of her business and that she needs to watch out or else he will throw her from Mt. Olympus. Although women are portrayed as second-hand status and prizes, they are very important to the story. There would be no Iliad with out the goddesses and Paris’ decision, or without Helen and her beauty. Achilles refused to fight because he lost his woman/prize. If he had continued to fight, the Trojans would not have hd the opportunity to push the Greeks back and the war could have possibly ended earlier.
-Caroline
Women in the Iliad are portrayed as objects. To men, they are seen as prizes and “second-hand status.” They are seen as things that help men earn favor in different situations and with other men. Women are useful in different ways to men that are not respectful to the woman herself. Another word that could be used to describe women in the Iliad would be distractions. They were sent by other men to distract a particular man or men so the man who sent her could succeed and gain the upper hand in a situation or war strategy. Beauty was something a woman must contain in order to be considered valuable. Men were very judgmental when it came to any woman’s looks and figure. But the men in the Iliad could not have done much of anything without the work and skill of women. Ultimately the war that was being fought had resulted because of women. A few of the most important woman that played major roles in the Iliad were the goddess Athena, Aphrodite, and Hera. Athena was the goddess of wisdom. She was very valuable in any way or even on a daily basis. Athena could take away any man’s wisdom in the blink of an eye; she could also give men wisdom when she wanted. Any smart man wanted to be on Athena’s good side in war so they would have a better chance at succeeding. Aphrodite was the goddess of beauty. Every man thought she was one of, if not the most, beautiful women they had ever seen. Aphrodite was a woman that most men lusted after. Her favor was important to men. Her favor was also considered an advantage during war because of the distraction aspect. Hera was the goddess of power. Power was something that was very valuable to any man in the Iliad. An important aspect in war was power. If a man or soldier had power, they were considered important and that is where every man wanted to be. Men of power were feared. Being a woman with power, Hera, would have been greatly feared as well. These three women all have something in common: they are goddesses and have the potential to be greatly used by men throughout the whole story of the Iliad. Women in general were used as items and objects to better the life of man. They were also used to give men leverage in different situations. They were dangled in men’s faces as prizes. Most women were not treated with respect. If a woman did not meet the specific criteria of a man, then she was basically considered useless.
-Abigail
Women in the The Iliad are portrayed, more often than not, as less than men and as a prize to be won. The first two women the reader sees are Briseis and Chryseis, both two women taken as prizes from the Trojans for the Greeks. Chryseis is Agamemnon’s war prize and Briseis is the one given to Achilles’. However, Homer writes The Iliad in such a way that, without the women, the story cannot move forward. For example, without Athena, Thetis, and Hera; Achilles would have never been able to fight in the war and avenge Patroclus’ death by killing Hector. If the reader were to focus on the idea of destiny portrayed within the story, like Achilles’ choice to remain mortal and be a warrior and die a soldier's death, then certain women throughout the story are the catalyst which ignites the destinies of others. Briseis and Chryseis are captured by the Greeks and it’s Agamemnon’s taking of Briseis from Achilles’ that leads to him to take himself and his men and retreat from battle. Even within the gods and goddesses, the women are to be taken as seriously as men. When Hera begins to attack her husband for siding with the Trojans, he threatens her with physical harm. He has to make it known that he is stronger than she. However, despite his mistreatment of his wife, the readers are able to see Zeus listen to women with some respect. When he is talking to Thetis about her son or Athena about the war itself. Zeus himself also seems to fear Hera’s wrath as when Thetis comes to Zeus the first time, he is wary to side with the Trojans because his wife hates them and then he asks Thetis to leave so Hera will not find out about the meeting. Women are shown as being far more empathetic than men, particularly about battle. Hector’s wife begs him not to go to war, as does his mother, but he chooses to go anyway in order to protect his home. Hecuba begs her husband not to go talk to Achilles in fear that it is a trap. Thetis begs Achilles many times to reconsider going into war and fighting because it will mean his death. However, despite being portrayed as sensitive and empathetic, women are also shown to be manipulative and cunning. Athena pretends to be Hector’s favorite brother, Deiphobus, during his run from Achilles. Hera tells Zeus that nothing will stop her from dooming the city of Troy and she even plots with Athena to bring ruin to it. While the Hera and Athena are able to be perceived as strong female characters, they are also goddesses. In terms of mortal women, none of them are strong or significant characters by their own right. Helen is used as a way to understand the start of the war, and the cowardice of Paris. Andromache is used to help the readers see Hector as sympathetic character.
In the Iliad, women are often viewed as objects or prizes to be won. The war starts primarily because Menelaus believes that his wife, Helen was stolen from him by Paris. There is an ongoing underlying question of whether or not Helen was truly captured by Paris’ men or if she went with them willingly. As the war continues Homer continues to display the Greek and Trojan cultures and reiterating the idea that women are prizes and objects to men. In the culture during this time men were rewarded for a valiant effort of fighting in the war by receiving gifts, money, and women, which in this culture was considered how they obtained honor and glory as well. As the war continues on; Achilles the great Greek warrior is stripped of his honor when Agamemnon takes his war prize Briseis, then Agamemnon is in turn stripped of his honor when he is forced by a plague set on the Greeks by the prophet of Apollo, Chrysies to give Chryses his daughter, Chryseis back to stop the plague. Women are viewed as less than men in this epic, but to contrast the theme of this social norm in the Greek and Trojan culture the story could not in many ways continue without the actions of key women in the epic, for example Achilles’ mother Thetis often acts as the messenger between Achilles and Zeus when He asks her to ask Zeus to side with the Trojans because he wanted the Greeks to fall as revenge for Agamemnon stripping Achilles of his honor by taking his war prize Briseis. Also, she asks the god Hephaestus to build Achilles the best armor he can for when he goes into battle to face Hector to avenge the death of Patroclus Achilles’ closest friend and war comrade. Hector’s mother and wife also play a key role in the sense that they play a part in showcasing how much Hector cares about and wants to protect his family, which is why he wants to help fight in the war. The goddesses are also examples of the opposite of Homer's portrayal of mortal women as objects, the goddesses show that they are strong women that can hold their own in arguments with the other gods and will advocate for their opinions. An example of this is how Hera and Athena plot a way to bring ruin to the city in spite of Zeus’s involvement in fighting on the side of the Trojans. While women are seen as objects, prizes to be won they do also play a significant part in creating illustrations of the growth of their male counter parts.
The Iliad is an epic poem filled with brave heroes, powerful God's, and women. Women serve a key role in old Epics. Without women the story would not move forward. The Iliad is set in the time of the Trojan War and although the characters are primarily male, women have key roles as well.
Women in that time were often treated as objects or a temptation. In the first document we read, Gilgamesh uses a woman to tempt Enkidu to make him go to civilization. His plan is a sucess. In the Iliad we see this same theme repeated when Chryseis is given to Agamemnon as a prize. By calling her a price it shows the reader that women are treated as objects. This scene is crucial to the flow of the story, if I Agamemnon had never had Chryseis as a prize the story would not be able to follow the same story as it did. Women are crucial to the progression of the story. Without the exchange of Chryseis and Briseis between Achilles and Agamemnon we would never be introduced to one of the main themes in the Iliad. When Achilles is forced to give up Chryseis because of her father Chryses and the God Apollo, he takes Briseis as compensation. Achilles is angered by all that occurs which is our first glimpse of the rage of Achilles. This is a key theme that is present throughout the Iliad. This theme is crucial to the understanding of the epic poem. It would never have been presented if it were not for the women in the story. Thetis is another crucial women in the epic poem. She is the mother of Achilles and also the one who gets Zeus to support the Trojan side of the war. The encouragement of Zeus is an important force for the Trojan army. Thetis is also the woman who comforts Achilles after the death of Patroclus. As his mother she offers to return with new amour for Achilles. While Thetis is gone, Achilles is visited by Iris, the messenger of the gods, sent by Hera. She tells him to rejoin the fighting. Hera and Iris are also key women in the poem. Hera is Zeus’s wife, who goes behind her husbands back and supports the Greeks in the war. Iris is Zeus’s massager throughout the epic and share key information throughout the stories progression. They are crucial for Homer's poem to profess. Even though the women are treated like objects they are need and because that reason Homer writes of many women in his Epic poem.
In the Iliad mortal women were portrayed as objects and used as prizes but the women were key aspects of the story. Certain events in the Iliad would not have taken place if it were not for the women. In the beginning, the plague that killed many of the Greeks was caused because the father Agamemnon’s “prize,” chrysies, was not happy that his daughter was taken from him so he asked Apollo to curse the Greeks so he could get his daughter back. This led to the fight between Agamemnon and Achilles, which was a result of Agamemnon asking for Achilles “prize,” Brises. This led to the rage of Achilles and the argument between him and Agamemnon, causing Achilles and his men to abandon the Greeks during the war. However even though the mortal women in the story were crucial points in essential issues throughout the story, they were normally the source of conflict and were not looked upon with respect; they were just viewed as objects or material possessions that the men used for their enjoyment and pleasure. Another example of women being mistreated and viewed in this way is with Helen, Menelaus’ wife, who was taken from him, by Paris, as a prize. Also, because women are objects in the story they are heavily judged based on their beauty and age; the basis for the Trojan war, in fact, was started because a competition between some of the goddesses to see who was the most beautiful. However, while the mortal women were not respected, the goddesses were held with much higher regard. All of the goddesses were smart, cunning, strong and powerful and many of the goddesses were even higher than some of the gods. The goddesses were also present throughout the battle, helping both the Trojans and the Greeks during the war. Aphrodite saved Paris, Athena aided the Greeks many times, and Hera even manipulated Zeus, the most powerful God, to send his son Apollo to help hector in battle. Thetis, Achilles mother, also helps Achilles when his honor was betrayed by Agamemnon. While this is more of an act of motherly love, Thetis still appeals to Zeus and asks for his support for the Trojans and he obliged even though it went against his wife, Hera, who was a Greek, and caused a small argument between the two. this shows the power that she as a goddess had and that Zeus respected her. Therefore, the story would not be the same without the mortal women and the goddesses. The goddesses repeatedly demonstrated their power and knowledge by helping the mortals. And while the few mortal women that were talked about in the Iliad were not respected or viewed in high regard, they were still very important to to the plot of the story.
-Laina
Woman in the Iliad are portrayed merely as objects owned by men. Woman throughout ancient Greek history were passed off to whatever man won them in battle. Aphrodite gave the most beautiful woman as a prize to Paris merely to when a beauty contest between her, Athena, and Hera. Helen, the prize given to Paris, wasn’t given a choice in the matter, but was rather a pawn in a selfish game between the goddesses. As we talked about during our lecture, men were known for their gifts and prize the won from battles and war. Thus, when Agamemnon was forced to give back his trophy girl from war, the priest’s daughter, he stole a woman from Achilles in order in keep his honor. Achilles lost his prized possession and his reputation was ruined among the soldiers in the army. Ultimately, this leads to Achilles pulling out of the war, so the army will beg him to come back. When the Greek army and Agamemnon beg Achilles to come back, he offers a choice between his daughters, and the woman he stole to begin with. Men didn’t even look at the daughters as if they were human. They were just game pieces and trade options for men between other men. In fact the entire Trojan War is built on a woman being treated as an object. The Greek’s feel as though Helen is their possession and that she was stolen from her husband by Paris. While the Trojans believe that Aphrodite saying Paris may have Helen is the transfer of ownership from Helen’s original husband to Paris. The pride of possessions leads to numerous deaths over the span of ten years. The only women that get any sort of respect and authority are the goddesses in Olympus. Athena and Hera are the most mentioned throughout the Iliad and are most respected of any women. Mortal men make sacrifices and pray to them. If a goddess likes you and walks with and guides you, it is considered a high honor among the mortal men. If a man is not a good terms with a goddess then he is more likely to have trouble come his way no matter how any male god feels about them. These goddesses aren’t just respected by the mortal men but also by the male gods themselves. Zeus in the beginning knows not to anger Hera, Athena, and Aphrodite by picking one to be fairer than the other in the contest to start the whole war, but rather send them to another judge to stay on good terms with all three of the goddesses. Homer presents women this way because that is how women were treated back in Ancient Greece. Times have changed since Ancient Greece though. Today were Women have more rights and for the most part in life are not treated as possessions but human beings. In fact, nowadays it is shamed upon in society if one gender is not being treated equally like the other. - Reagan
Women in the Iliad were seen as prizes and objects to the soldiers that fought in the war. The whole war started because during the wedding of Thetis and Peleus, everyone was invited except Eris. She threw an apple into the middle of the party saying “to the fairest.” Which caused a fight between three specific goddesses: Hera, Athena, and Aphrodite. They go to Zeus to ask him what he thought, but he knew better than to mess with it. He then sends them to Priam at Mount Ida, where he gets his son Paris to decide. Hera offers him power, Athena offers him wisdom, and Aphrodite offers him the most beautiful girl in the world, Helen. He of course picks Helen because she is beautiful. This causes the war because Helen is Greek and Paris is Trojan. Helen was also married to Agamemnon’s brother; therefore, they went to go get Helen back from Paris. Helen is seen as a trophy to the men, something that can be traded and given away. Her beauty is what defined her to these men, nothing else was known about her. Women were also given as battle prizes and gifts to the soldiers who succeeded. Their honor and fame was known by how many “prizes” they received, and how people talked about them. An example would be when Agamemnon took away Achilles’s girl, which was his battle trophy. Agamemnon was forced to return Achilles’s girl in order to remove the curse upon his people. Therefore, he lost his honor. He felt ashamed because he had to give back the most prized possession. Key word in that sentence is possession. The women were not seen as humans, they were seen as things. There were goddesses such as Athena, who were important figures in Greek society. She carried an abundance of wisdom for the war, and always was level-headed. While some female characters, such as Hera, were fired up with jealousy of the other women. Mortal female characters, like Hector’s mom, were concerned for their loved ones. Hector’s mom would plea with him to not fight. She also was worried when Priam, Hector’s father, went to meet Achilles for Hector’s body. She genuinely cared for those around her. Not all the female characters are fierce and quick witted. There are some who are gentle and soft spoken, who are just as important as the strong goddesses. The women are apart of the story, and give it flow. They carry the story, and serve a major role in supporting the men who are at war. They kept the men on their toes, and gave another perspective. Keep in mind that they were also seen as objects, but they still were a key part in the story.
The famed author Homer often portrays women in the Iliad to be second-rate citizens and lesser then men in many cases. The entire story of the Iliad is actually begins when a goddess by the name of Eris, after not being invited to a wedding she causes an uproar eventually leading to the supposed kidnapping of Helen, a beautiful Greek girl, by the Trojan army. This event marked a ten-year conflict between the two armies. Despite the fact that the war was fought over a woman, women are not praised equally to men throughout the story. Homer begins his book by discussing a dispute between to men, Achilles and Agamemnon, and whether or not they should return a lady named Chrysies to her rightful father. In the society Homer illustrates women did not have a choice in this matter, they were simply prizes of war for warriors when they captured cities. They were considered “property” to the soldiers. Another aspect of women in the ancient Greek societies was that it was considered honorable for a man to have a women by his side, both honor and pride were incredibly important in that time. Men rarely listened to their fellow mortal women in the epic; this is shown in Hector’s own family. This begins when Hector’s wife urges him not to go to war because she is afraid he will be killed, while Hector responds respectfully and compassionately, the reader can imply that there was little actual consideration on Hector’s part. This piece concludes when Hector goes to battle against his wife’s wishes and is soon killed by Achilles. When Achilles fails to return the body to Hector’s family his father, Priam speaks to the gods and goes to ransom his son’s body, however his wife protests saying Achilles will kill him to, like Hector he pays little attention to her pleas. A differing point of view concerning of this epic concerns the Greek goddess, Thetis who is Achilles mother, throughout the epic Thetis stayed close to Zeus, the supreme god, this would require trust and respect from the most powerful immortal in the world. Thetis is also on of Zeus’ most trusted messengers and she often relays messages from Achilles to Zeus or Zeus to Achilles. The goddesses in Homer’s novel have a stark contrast to the mortal women. The goddesses are both powerful and respected among the mortal men, Athena, for example, accompanies Achilles multiple times through out the Iliad, she even helps him win the fight against Hector and take his life. Overall Homer painted a negative portrait of women in the Iliad.
-Jack Brunton
Women are portrayed, for the most part, as objects in the Iliad. The story of the Iliad starts with an argument between who's the most desired. Hera, Athena, and Aphrodite all travel to Troy so Paris can judge them. Aphrodite offers him the most beautiful mortal women and he picked Aphrodite. He chose a women over power and wisdom. Women are prizes in the Iliad but they also cause a lot of main events in the story. The start of the quarrel between Achilles and Agamemnon begin when Chryses comes to the Greek camp to ask Agamemnon for his daughter back. Agamemnon took his daughter and would not give her up. She was only a prize to him pg (231). The men in this story all seem to have many wives with several "side chicks". This is why hector stands out among all the characters. Hector is very loyal to his own wife and he even turns to the women in times of need to ask them to pray for Troy.Hector is never lusting after Goddess or mortal women but is thinking of his wife and family in Troy. However his father is not at all like him. He had multiple wives pg(324) they were just property. Achilles women was also won in battle. Achilles spiraled into rage because Agamemnon took his women, which took him to a point where he thought that everything he posest had been taken from him and he withdrew from the war altogether. Women were judged based on looks and youth, which is why the whole war started. Three Goddess wanted to know who was most beautiful. The mortal women were not very well respected but played a large part in the story without them the story would have no story line most of the major events in the Iliad involve a women. The immortal women are treated a little different. Goddesses receive more respect then mortal women but Goddesses are still viewed as property. The Gods "loan" out Goddesses to mortals and lets them have kids with them, like Achilles father Peleus. Homer uses women, who in ancient time had no rights and were treated with no respect and turns the tables and makes them the center point of major events in the Iliad. In our culture this seems unacceptable but in all reality this was normal for the greeks. These were all good men, for their time these practices were acceptable among all Greek men.
In Homer’s Illiad, women are completely seen as prizes. That are objectified, and in as sense awarded to men for things. The Greek and Trojan War even has its roots in women being portrayed negatively. Eres is seen as a very petty woman and is not invited to Priam and Hecuba’s wedding and therefore, decided to cause an altercation. She drops a golden apple into the wedding dresses to “the fairest.” This causes a great argument amongst three goddesses, Aphrodite, Athena, and Hera. The three argue over who is truly the fairest and do their best to be chosen. This suggests that Homer sees women as vain and troublesome. Each goddess offers Paris, who was ultimately appointed to choose who among then was the fairest, a bribe to be chosen. The fact that a man had to made the decision shows that in Homer’s mind, as well as the culture of the time, the opinions and decisions of men held much more weight and were seen as the ultimate authority. Athena offers Paris the gift of wisdom, Hera offers power, but Aphrodite offers him the Greek woman Helen, who is the most beautiful woman in the world. As it can be predicted, Paris choses Aphrodite as the fairest in order to receive Helen as his prize. This entire issue of how the war began has women represented as petty and as objects.
The altercation that occurs, and has lasting effects, between Agamemnon and Achilles has to do with their women, their prizes, being taken from them. King Agamemnon’s woman that he has taken captive is Cryseis. Achilles’ woman is Bryseis. When Agamemnon must return Cryseis home to her father in order to end the plague placed on Greece, he takes Bryseis from Achilles. Since women were sees as such prizes, this angers Achilles greatly. He feels as if his honor and reputation have been greatly damaged and he feels as if he has been disrespected by Agamemnon. 326
Many of the key issues and altercations in Homer’s Illiad occur, in some sense, because of women. Not because of women them selves doing anything necessarily, but in the sense of ones prize being taken. The altercations occur over the issues of women being taken. Helen being taken from Greece, or perhaps leaving on her own will, and Bryseis being taken away Achilles.
Homer portrays women as objects in his epic. However, this may not be a reflection of Homer himself having bad values as these were the values in mainly all of civilization and culture at the time that the Illiad was written.
~Karli Haws
In the context of Greek culture, Homer portrayed women as having a crucial importance in the story. Women in this culture were subservient to men, and throughout the epic of the Iliad, Homer portrays women as objects of status. Beauty was of the utmost importance to the Greeks. Therefore, in the epic women are presented as prizes, often in the context of war. Helen is the entire reason the war started between the Trojans and the Greeks. She was taken from her homeland and brought to Troy to be Paris’ wife. Some of the other key women that are also objectified are Chryses and Briseis. These women were also taken from their homes as prizes of war and are objectified in every sense of the word. In fact, the word, “prize” is often used to describe these two women as Achilles and Agamemnon argue. Though both men become upset when they give up their women, it is just as a child would get upset when he was required to give up a toy. This idea can be found not just in portrayal of the mortal women, but in the representation of the immortal women as well. Hera is respected by Zeus but only to an extent. When she speaks out of place, he quickly places her back where she belongs with the usage of threats. Even still, Hera is not someone the reader is fond of. She is displayed as conniving and a nuisance to her husband. This can be gathered in the subtleties of how Homer describes her when she spots Thetis and Zeus talking. Despite these facts, women do play crucial roles in the epic. Thetis is seen at Achilles’ side on multiple occasions and can be seen petitioning on his behalf in front of Zeus and Hephaestus. Achilles clearly loved, admired, and respected his mother, obeying her when she told him to wait to go into battle. This is just one example of how crucial women were to the structure of the plotline. Without Thetis and Athena, Achilles would not have made it very far in quest to recover his honor and glory. Without Chryses and Briseis, there would not have been a fight between Agamemnon and Achilles. And without Helen, there would have not been a Trojan War. Many would consider there to be a negative view of women throughout the epic, however this would be looking at the story through a contemporary lens. Homer’s original audience was the Ancient Greeks, of who would have thought nothing different of women being traded as prizes in war. Culturally Homer used women in his epic in a way no less expected of someone for his time. He gave women a paramount role in his epic. It just was not in the way a twenty-first century writer would have.
-Sterling
Homer's "Iliad" is a classic example of how women were seen in this time. Throughout the poem, women are portrayed as less important than men, yet they still play a part in the poem. Women are characterized by Homer as extremely submissive to men. For example, the disputed cause of the war was a women, Helen, either being stolen or going with the Trojan, Paris. The very language of this exchange shows how Homer portrays women as objects being "stolen." Furthermore, women are awarded to men as prizes and possessions when one has been victorious in battle. These examples show how homer portrays women as completely submissive to men. They do not make the decisions for whom they want to be with. Women are merely at the mercies of men for where and who they will be with in life.
This theme of submissiveness continues even into the gods. For example, Thetis did not even choose her husband, the gods merely arranged the marriage. Also, Athena is constantly asking Zeus for things and Zeus is obviously the authority. One might argue that Athena is a poor example because she would obviously submit to her father, but Hera disproves this point. Hera is the wife of Zeus, yet she always acquiesces to Zeus' will.
Another example of women's submissiveness is the fundamental cause of the war. The war started because, ultimately, the goddess are at the mercies of even moral men for approval. Yet, the men never need the women's approval, but only the approval of other men.
Women, despite being seen as less than men, still play a role in Homer's "Iliad." Women in the Iliad serve as the time' of men. They are seen as gifts and trophies that affirm the honor of a man. These gifts ultimately bleed into how others see and talk about a man. In this culture, this thought of kleos was of the utmost importance. The only reason people even cared about having honor was so that their reputation would be honorable.
Therefore, in conclusion, women did not have anywhere near the authority of men in the "Iliad." However, their role as prizes still helped develop major themes in the poem. Without women as prizes, the war would have never even started and men would have no affirmation or basis for personal kleos. Women are almost seen as inanimate objects that are traded and displayed by men in order to prove one's honor. This theme shown in the "Epic of Gilgamesh" and the "Iliad" help give modern readers and clues into what ancient society looked like. Obviously, a logical extension of the themes found in the poems show how women were seen as remarkably less valuable than men in the ancient world. After all, Homer uses women to merely establish male characters as honorable and not to carry out the major duties of characters in his epics.
A common theme in ancient literature is the 2nd class value of women. Women in the Epic of Gilgamesh, particularly unmarried women or goddesses, are seen as conniving, slippery creatures that are waiting to trap a helpless male. Much like the author of Gilgamesh, Homer portrays his goddesses as petty backstabbers. The Trojan War was ultimately started because of some goddesses’ vanity. A bitter Eris tricks Hera, Athena (ironically the goddess of wisdom), and Aphrodite by appealing to their prideful nature. After offering Paris many gifts, the mortal man eventually settles on Aphrodite, who has promised him the most beautiful woman in the world. The only problem is that she is already married to Agamemnon’s brother. Naturally, the Greeks are pretty mad about this. Hera and Athena most likely side against Paris and Troy in favor of the Greeks because Paris chose Aphrodite over them in the contest. This further demonstrates the petty and prideful nature of the goddesses. Hera is constantly manipulating her husband Zeus and indirectly disobeying him to avoid his wrath. Athena, however, directly influences the war and helps Achilles throughout the course of the epic. Mortal women in these ancient epics were seen as prizes and objects. Specifically in the Illiad, Helen is just a prized object to both Agamemnon’s brother and Paris. There is much speculation about whether or Helen came willingly or if she was taken. No one ever asked Helen herself, further illustrating her and other women’s value in Ancient Greek and Trojan culture. Another example of the dehumanization of women in the Iliad is how Achilles reacted to Agamemnon taking away his favorite woman. The Greeks measured honor and fame by the recognition they received for their deeds. Two ways they could be honored were the quantity and quality of the gifts received and to have a good reputation. Many times, these gifts to soldiers were women. Achilles took Bresies while he was raiding her city. He had no regard for her own feelings. Neither did Agamemnon when he took her. In fact, he only took her because he was angry at Achilles for making him give up one of his prizes. She was like a tennis ball being hit back and forth between two players, neither even considering how she felt. Why would one ask a tennis ball how it feels about being hit? were to they received, and how people talked about them. An example would be when Agamemnon took. Married women in these epics tend to be family oriented. Hector’s mom showed empathy and love towards her family. She would beg Hector to not fight. When Priam went to bargain with Achilles for Hector’s body, she thought it would be a trap and begged him not to go. She broke the mold of the typical women by caring for those around her rather than always plotting and deceiving. However, she was still portrayed as having no real power because neither Hector not Priam obeyed her. Women in these epics have little sway among men and are seen as objects, but they are smart, deceitful, and shifty. The goddesses play a major role in the movement of the Iliad by going behind the other gods backs and helping or hindering the mortals in their path. Without women, the story would be dramatically different. They cause the war, set up the war, and help the Greeks win the war.
In the Iliad, women are portrayed as objects and prizes. Honor was one of the most important motivations for a Homeric warrior, and soldiers would receive honor through gifts and prizes. These gifts and prizes were usually women, and a woman was the whole reason why the Trojan War started in the first place. Helen, who is Greek and the most beautiful girl in the world, leaves with Paris, the king of Troy’s son, to go to Troy. The Greeks say that Paris captured Helen with force, while the Trojans say that she wanted to go to Troy. When Agamemnon’s brother Menelaus comes home and finds Helen, he calls Agamemnon to invade Troy and recapture his prize. When the war starts, Agamemnon’s pride is revealed when he and Achilles argue about what to do with Chryses’s daughter. Apollo plagues the Greeks because of Agamemnon’s refusal to give back the daughter of his good friend. When Agamemnon gives Chryses his daughter back, he is forced to give up his honor. This angers Agamemnon, so he decides to make up for it by capturing the prize of Achilles. Achilles becomes so angry and upset that he refuses to fight for his country. He was tired of fighting for his glory and fame, and he now cares more about his honor. When Achilles pulled out of the war, the Greeks suffered, and the tide of the war completely changed all because of two women. This shows that even though women were portrayed as having second-hand status, they were necessary and important in some ways. Just like in the Epic of Gilgamesh, if the women did not play a role, then there would not be a story. If Helen never got captured, then there would be no Trojan War. If Chryses’s daughter and Breseis were not involved in the epic, then the story would be completely different. If Agamemnon and Achilles had not cared so much about their honor, the Greeks probably would have destroyed Troy quickly. The only reason why the rage of Achilles happened was because of two women. Women were mainly viewed as prizes, but there is one example of where a women was viewed as more than just a prize. Hector actually had a true relationship with his wife and deeply cared for her. He also cared for his son and was a family man. Homer seems to want the reader to favor Hector over Achilles and Agamemnon because he fights for his family and community over personal pride, honor, and fame. Even though Hector does some stupid things during the story, he seems to embrace his mortality more than Achilles or Agamemnon. He appears to know his place in the world and respect the gods more than Achilles or Agamemnon, and this is why Zeus favors him. One of the main themes that plays out through this story is that men who do not embrace their own mortality treat women as prizes, and mortal men who know their place in the world treat women with more respect and value them more.
The Illiad captures a society that portrays women as prize rather than as equal to a man. The society Homer describes is highly centered around honor. This honor they are focused on is obtained through gifts and prizes and it would have effected one's reputation. This is what started Achilles' wrath and what controlled the plot of the story. Multiple examples are presented throughout the Illiad contrasting women from men. One such scene is when Agamemnon is forced to give up his woman prize in order to please Apollo but dishonors Achilles by taking his woman prize. The women go along with this without any plea because this is normal to them, had these events taken place in today's world, this would be considered a federal crime. Another glimpse into the role of women in Ancient Greek society that the Illiad offers the reader is when Agamemnon offers many more women back to Achilles along with the woman he stole swearing that he never laid with her in bed. Achilles refuses the offer, showing the reader that it was never about the woman at all but the fact that Agamemnon did it publicly. This lowers women from prize to object of worth. Agamemnon would have been better stealing a prized sword or shield had Achilles won it in battle for it would have been valued just as much and returned easier. This event between Agamemnon and Achilles could be related to the entire Trojan war itself and the "theft" of Helen by the Trojans. The Trojans stole Helen from the Greeks (according to the Greeks, the Trojans claim that she went willingly) and Helen is described as the face that launched 1,000 ships. The role of women in the Illiad is a paradox of itself. Women are treated as nothing more than objects but they are what drive key events throughout the entire plot. The War of Troy, the loss of the Greeks, the death of Patroclus, the loss of the Trojans, and the death of Hector all happened because of women and the dishonoring of one by taking his woman. Hector seems to be the only character in the story who treats his woman with respect because he knows his place as a mortal. Hector shows respect and love towards his wife but he is still a bit commanding towards both her and his mother whom he asks to make a sacrifice at the temple for him so he would be favored by the gods. Nevertheless, Hector meets his end because he angered Achilles by killing Patroclus who was there as a result of Achilles' anger for having his honor taken from him. The only question one might have after reading the Illiad is what would have changed had women had a better place in these societies.
Post a Comment