Essay on Women in Iliad, Odyssey, and the Bible - 1544 Words

Role of Women in Iliad, Odyssey, and the Bible Much is known of men in ancient civilizations, from the famous philosophers and mathematicians of Greece to the patriarchs and subsequent kings of the nation of Israel. It would seem, however, that history has forgotten the women of these times. What of the famous female thinkers of Ancient Greece, the distinguished stateswomen of Rome? What power did they hold? What was their position in societies of the distant past? A glimpse into the roles and influence of women in antiquity can be discovered in such ancient masterpieces as the Iliad, the Odyssey, and the Hebrew Bible. In the Iliad, women are barely mentioned, and then only as spoils of war or treacherous creatures not worthy of a†¦show more content†¦The myth of how the war between the Greeks and the Trojans began, itself, shows women, in this case goddesses, in an unflattering light, fighting like vain beauty queens over which one is more beautiful. In fact, the very character of these three goddesses is at the least reprehensible and mirrors the conception of many ancient, male-driven societies of women being fickle, disloyal temptresses. Hera is the paranoid, jealous wife who viciously strikes out at her husbands lovers, Aphrodite is a kind of divine harlot, and Athena, although the most admirable of the group, nevertheless gives in to petty emotions and is an odd choice to be guardian of wisdom, since no women were allowed in the academies or thought of by men as being particularly wise. Thetis intentions are the exception to the trivial designs of her immortal counterparts, for she i s always the devoted mother of Achilles, trying to do what is best for her son. Athena may give aid to the Greek cause, but only because she was not picked by Paris as the most fair. The only mortal woman in the Iliad who seems to have any redeeming qualities, and to whom we are not introduced for any real amount of time, in contrast to Hecuba, is Andromache, who makes a brief, yet lasting appearance as Hectors wife. For the most part, however, women in the Iliad are placed decidedly in the background, at best shown as accessories to their male spouses. Expanding on the Iliad, the OdysseyShow MoreRelatedTrojan War2196 Words   |  9 Pagesmake Helen, the most beautiful of all women, fall in love with him. She then proceeded to take Helen from Menelaus, with Paris’s help and give her to him, thus causing the Trojan War. Throughout this struggle up through The Odyssey and The Iliad, the two armies of Greeks and Trojans battle along with the gods for Helen. And the question that must be asked in light of this great mythological struggle is, was the war just? Was the bloodshed of thousands of men, women, and children, the struggle of manyRead MoreHistory of Theatre Lesson Notes Essay5401 Words   |  22 Pagesorigins of Greek tragedy: Early Aegean civilizations had little to do directly with the development of theatre, but their indirect influence was enormous, for their gods, heroes, and history supplied the material for Homer’s (8th century BCE) Iliad and Odyssey and therefore for most Greek drama. Greek civilization t hat was to produce 1st great era of theatre-8-6th centuries. The Parian Marble, in the Ashmolean museum at Oxford, credits Thespis with the invention of tragedy, the first form of dramaRead MoreChildrens Literature13219 Words   |  53 Pageshad nothing that could be considered a children’s book in the sense of a book written to give pleasure to a child. Because there were very few works composed for children, children borrowed from stories they enjoyed listening to such as the Iliad, the Odyssey, and Aesop’s Fables. Plato specifically mentions children’s education in Book VI of The Republic. Though he holds rather liberal views on education and directly states that children’s lessons should â€Å"take the form of play,† Plato held less liberalRead MoreAmerican Literature11652 Words   |  47 Pages errand into the wilderness be a city upon a hill Christian utopia Genre/Style: ï‚ · ï‚ · ï‚ · ï‚ · ï‚ · sermons, diaries personal narratives captivity narratives jeremiads written in plain style Effect: ï‚ · ï‚ · instructive reinforces authority of the Bible and church Historical Context: ï‚ · ï‚ · a person s fate is determined by God all people are corrupt and must be saved by Christ Rationalism / Age of Enlightenment period of American Literature - 1750-1800 Content: ï‚ · ï‚ · ï‚ · ï‚ · national mission