Satisfaction the Sexual Pleasures of Men in Homers Iliad: the Role of Women in the Poem - Research Paper Example

1. Examine the role of women in the epic. How are the women treated? How do they effect the action? Is the role of the goddesses different from that of the mortals? Homer’s Iliad was written during a period when men were considered to be more superior to women and in Iliad too women play a more suppressive role. The women are depicted as more passive and men are seen as the controlling sex as they dominate the women. Mortal women like Chryseis and Briesis are treated as mere objects and are given as prizes to men who win battles. Men who have bravely fought a war spend time with women in their camps after the war Women are also seen as powerless and seek men for both protection and pleasure. They are by and large treated as mere objects who satisfy the sexual pleasures of men and are taken or given like any other material object. Women even sleep with the men who have killed their loved ones and so is the glory of women depicted in this poem. Men ans women lead two completely parallel lives with the former engaging in war, drinking and strutting and the women confined to household choruses and both the sexes have a point of contact only when they share the bed. Their feelings, virtues or strengths have not been acknowledged to the extent that it should be. One exception to the above mortal women is Andromache, the wife of Hector who comes across as a more responsible women and both she and Helen, the beautiful goddess recognize the faults in men but however obey them. The goddesses in Iliad also need the support of men and do not show their individuality. Hera, Athena and Aphrodite only offer their support to Agamemnon and Trojans respectively. However compared to the mortals the goddesses are projected more positively in Iliad and they are more successful. 2. Discuss the various ways that the gods accomplish their purposes with men in the epic. Are these methods always successful? What does this say about the ultimate power of the gods in this culture? Gods play a vital role in the epic as every action committed by the men is governed by the gods and they could not have accomplished any deed without their help. The role of Achilles is a good example. Thetis the mother of Achilles who is a goddess appeals to Zeus to favor her son in the battle against the Greeks. Even while Zeus agrees, Achilles succumbs in the battle as he never fully realized the consequences of his wrong actions and everything that happened in Troy was the in accordance with the will of Zeus. This appears to be the case with Hector, the Trojan prince who believed that it was he who had killed Achilles comrade Patroclus, while it actually was the work of the gods Apollo and Zeus. And it is only because the gods Apollo and Athena abandon and trick him, Hector is easily defeated by Achilles. In all these instances the mortals are never aware of what will happen in response to their actions. They merely perform what they feel like which is actually what the gods what them too and face the consequences. This is because gods appear in disguise as in the form of Athena, the goddess, or also directly come to one’s rescue as in the case of Aphrodite who comes to the rescue of Paris. Gods also at times sent messages through natural happenings such as dreams, thunder storms, or a flight of birds which have to be interpreted by the mortals. While these signals bring good tidings at times, they might also mislead the mortals. It is also important that mortals get the approval from the gods before they embark on any mission. These messages are not conveyed directly by the gods but though their messengers such as the priests. According to the ancient Greek writers, gods did not show unconditional care towards the mortals as they sometimes helped to kill people of mislead their believers. Thus while the gods were extremely powerful they could not be completely counted upon by the mortals. Nevertheless the lives of the mortals were under the control of the gods and no one could completely neglect them. 3. Explain how study of THE Iliad helps develop a greater appreciation of the ancient Greeks and the lasting influence of their literature. Iliad is definitely the best depiction of the culture, religions and mythology of the ancient Greek period even though it is only a combination of episodes that occur within the last few days and in the last year of the Trojan War. Within this small timeframe, Homer has explored the relationship between mortals and god as well as that between men and women in that period. The invisible work of the gods and daily life of the mortal men and women are dramatically explained in the story. It is definitely an adventurous story that takes us into a time which is relatively unknown and unthinkable as in the present day. The distinct culture and behavior of people and the various ways by which the gods accomplished their will has been written with great fascination and appreciation. While the role of the womenfolk has been sadly reduced to mere objects the men and the gods are depicted as strong and powerful through out the poem. However, all the men and the women meet their fates as designed by the gods. Thus Iliad is a great read not only as an adventure story but also as a masterpiece that tells tot eh world the various exploits of the gods and men in ancient Greek. Scholars till date find the story extremely interesting as it take the reader to an altogether different world where masculinity and power reined supreme and where gods themselves indulged in passionate behavior as they had the power to bend the happenings to their own will and hence were hardly models of ideal behavior. While the content of the story may be hard to believe, the ancients considered it to be a credible tale. Read More