The Impact of the Women in the Illiad - Research Paper Example

? Running head: IMPACT OF THE WOMEN IN THE ILIAD The Impact of the Women in the Iliad ‘The Iliad and The Odyssey’ is the great masterpiece of a Greek writer named Homer. This epic poem was later translated in English by the great poet Alexander Pope. Homer was born during the 8th or 9th century B.C. The Greek writers were extremely influence by the gods and incorporated the myths in their poems. Homer was an ancient Greek poet whose vivid imagination and his use of strong and beautiful imagery has influenced many writers down the ages. Homers ‘The Iliad and The Odyssey’ is a tragic epic. The epic, ‘The Iliad’ narrates the story of the concluding years of the Trojan War that took place between Greece and Troy. This epic describes the strength and bravery of the utmost Greek warrior called Achilles who successfully defeats Troy. Olympian gods conspires and take sides to influence the consequence of the war. The battle of Troy continued for ten years. This war took place because Helen, the wife of Menelaus who was the king of Sparta, was taken away by Trojan price Paris. Greece announced war on Trojan to get back the prettiest woman in the world. Homers epic reflects the condition of women that was prevalent during the later Greek times. Women’s situation largely deteriorated during the invasion of Greek. Society of that period of time was patriarchal. Slavery existed and most of the women used to be the victims of slavery. In ‘The Iliad’, Briseis and Chryseis, the two beautiful female were enslaved by the warriors Achilles and Agamemnon. Women of this epic ‘The Iliad’ had a great impact on the formation, causes and consequences of the tale. Analysis of the women characters in Iliad ‘The Iliad’ of Homer narrates the causes and the consequences of the Trojan War. The women characters sited in the epic had a great impact in the formation of the epic tale. Women were very beautiful in the Greek history. The main reason behind this war was that Helen the beautiful queen of Sparta abandons her husband Menelaus and runs away to Troy with her beloved Paris, the prince of Troy. Menelaus honor was harmed by the betrayal of his wife and to seek her back he declares war against Troy. The reason of argument between two men was a woman, the beautiful Helen. Marriage at that time had a great impact on the society and in lives of people. Patrilocal and Matrilocal were two methods of marriage. Helens marriage with Menelaus was Matrilocal which means that Menelaus a warrior got married to the princess and became the king of Sparta. Abandonment of Helen threatened her husband that he might lose his throne according to the matrilineal marriage law. Menelaus took help of many kings to fight against Troy especially Agamemnon who was a great warrior. Before the beginning of the war, Agamemnon disappoints Artemis the god of wind. Agamemnon had to sacrifice his daughter to please Artemis so that the army can move to troy. This shows the importance of the role of women who can transform the course of war. Briseis was another female character who played a very important role in ‘The Iliad’. The poem begins with the conflict between two warriors over a woman. Agamemnon due to his bravery wins a gift in return of an attack. The gift is the daughter of Chryses. Agamemnon initially refused to return Chryseis who is the daughter of Chryses but when Apollo the god punished Agamemnon he agreed to return Chryseis, but in return demanded Achilles female captive Briseis. This caused a huge dispute between Achilles in Agamemnon. Agamemnon high position in the feudal rule forced Achilles to give away Briseis. The plot of the epic revolves around the rage of Achilles on Agamemnon. Women as a war prize at that period of time reflect the degrading condition of women of that era. Women were believed to be just a mere object that can be misused by men. Agamemnon laments over the loss of Chryseis and states, “Indeed I prefer her by far, the girl herself/ I want her mine in my own house! I rank her higher than Clytemnestra, my wedded wife she is nothing less/ in build or breeding, in mind or works of hand.” (Homer, 2006, Book 1) Agamemnon possesses no true affection for his wife and wants to replace his wife with Chryseis who was just a sign of his victory. Andromache In ‘The Iliad’, Andromache is presented as a wife of Hector who is the heir to the throne of Troy. Andromache was a daughter of Eetion the king of Thebe. Andromache father and all her brothers were killed by Achilles in the Trojan War. Andromache was a tragic character who had great affection towards her child and husband. The departure scene between Andromache and Hector before Hector was killed in the Trojan War touched the hearts of the readers. Andromache was completely devastated by the death of her husband. In ‘The Iliad’, the women laments over the death of the male members of their family who have died in the Trojan War. Women who are wailing over the death provide a deep viewpoint on death and on specific traits of the deceased. For example, after the death of Hector, his wife Andromache stated that, “rather than praising him for his heroic deeds, she emphasizes her sense of loss and abandonment”. (Greene, 2005, p. 143-144) After the death of Hector, Andromache was taken as a mistress of Neoptolemus the son of Achilles and her son Astyanax was thrown away from Greek city. After Neoptolemus died, Andromache married Helenus, the brother of hector and became the ruler of Epirus. Andromache lived with her son Pergamus and died in old age. Homer depicted the character of Andromache as a perfect wife and mother who became the victim of the Trojan War and lived a tragic life. Helen Helen the most beautiful women in the world played a very important role in ‘The Iliad’. Helen was the reason behind the great Trojan War. Helen was the wife of Menelaus who was the king of Sparta. The battle of Troy took place because Helen ran away will Paris the prince of Troy abandoning her husband. This betrayal of Helen threatened the honor of her husband and so to bring back Helen from Troy, Menelaus declared war against Troy. Helen had a huge impact behind the war because it changed the lives of several people involved in the war. Helen was perceived as a problem in the eyes of the people of Troy. In the course of the poem, Helen realizes the suffering that people were facing due to the war. Helen suffers from mixed feelings and regrets for her act. Helen was depicted as, “object of desire and its subject, the source of desire and its goal. To fulfill this function she must not only appear equivocal; she must also equivocate, of she is to appear credible.” (Bloom, 2007, p. 38) Helen was controlled and influenced by the mythological goddesses like Aphrodite and Iris. Aphrodite ruled the psychology of Helen to set up a relationship with Paris. Helen was portrayed as a complex character who after realizing her mistake behind the war despises Paris but was reluctant to let go of him. Hecuba Hecuba was the queen of Troy and wife of King Priam. Hecuba had nineteen children and her elder son was Hector who was killed in the Trojan War by Achilles. Hecuba was the daughter of Phrygian king and queen Dymas and Eunoe. Hecuba plays the role of a perfect mother who advices Hector not to engage in a duel with Achilles. She along with the other women prays to Athena the goddess for help. Hecuba was also a tragic figure who lamented the death of Hector her first son. After the fall of Troy, Hecuba was enslaved by Odysseus a Greek hero. Hecuba also punished King Polymestor by killing his sons because Polymestor killed Hecuba’s son Polydorus. The Greek Goddesses Along with the female characters of ‘The Iliad’ mythological goddesses also play an important role in this poem. They rule and influence the characters of this epic and determine their activities in the growth of the tale. Achilles meets his mother goddess Thetis before leaving for Troy and requests her to convince Zeus the most powerful god to provide support to the Trojans. Achilles asks his mother to remind Zeus of his favors that he had once done by saving Zeus from the Olympians, “remind him of that/ now, go and sit beside him, grasp his knees/ persuade him, somehow, to help the Trojans cause”. (Homer, 2006, Book 1) Thetis is a powerful god but still she is a puppet in the hands of her son. Her love for her son forces her to beg for help from Zeus. Hera the wife of Zeus shows the negative side of the women power. Zeus agrees to support the Trojans but Hera manipulates him by her charm and lust so that Zeus may fall asleep during the war and hence result in the defeat of Troy. Hera demeans the power of women with the help of lust thus marks herself as an important character in the poem. Aphrodite is the daughter of Zeus and is the goddess of love and beauty. She bestows Helen with great beauty and helps her to run away with Paris by deserting her husband Menelaus. Women including goddesses plays a great role in the Trojan War and effects the decision and course of the war. Conclusion Homer’s ‘The Iliad and The Odyssey’ is the greatest work of that period of time. In ‘The Iliad’ Homer crafts the women characters vividly and beautifully. This epic reflects the role of women and their effects and actions in the men’s world. Sometimes the power of women rules the male members of that time like Helen and Hera and sometimes women are depicted as a helpless character and victims of the patriarchal society like Hecuba, Andromache, Chryseis and Briseis. Female gods also hold a very influential role in this poem. They control the characters and influence their mind to perform some activities which shapes the course of the tale. In History Greek women at the time of Homer were personified as the most beautiful creation of God than any other women of different era. References Bloom, H. (2007). Homer’s The Iliad, New York: Infobase Publishing Greene, E. (2005). Women poets in ancient Greece and Rome. United States: University of Oklahoma Press Homer. (2006). The Iliad of Homer, Retrieved on July 20, 2011 from: http://www.gutenberg.org/files/6130/6130-pdf.pdf Read More