Create a new account

It's simple, and free.

Details

  • 8 Pages
  • 1894 Words

The Role of Women in Homer's The Iliad

ive Khryseis up to escape her father's wrath, but he takes Briseis from Akhilleus in revenge. In anger, Akhilleus deserts the Greek forces and takes Patroklos with him. Only when Patroklos, who cannot stand by and watch the Greek forces be defeated, is killed does Akhilleus return to fight for Greece. The Iliad, therefore, tells the story of the manly heroic ideal but demonstrates that such ideal relies heavily on the role of the woman as a motivating force. Interestingly enough, the woman who serves as motivation herself has very little, if any, power over the role that she must play.

Helen serves as a demonstration of a woman whose beauty and seduction could lead a nation into war. In her book, Helen: The Evolution from Divine to Heroic in Greek Epic Tradition, Linda Lee Clader states that Helen represents the heroic quest for possession of Helen the woman (11). Throughout the poem, Helen is described as "lovely" (III. 56), "the great beauty" (III. 204), "shaped by heaven" (III. 504) and "enticing" (IV. 400). She is a prize for any Greek man but also a prize for Greek's enemies, the Trojans. She is first married to Menelaos but during his absence from Greece, she flees to Troy with Paris (Alexandros). When Menelaos discovers what has happened, he calls on t

...

< Prev Page 2 of 8 Next >

More on The Role of Women in Homer's The Iliad...

Loading...
APA     MLA     Chicago
The Role of Women in Homer's The Iliad. (1969, December 31). In LotsofEssays.com. Retrieved 10:32, March 28, 2024, from https://www.lotsofessays.com/viewpaper/1692883.html