Women Of The Ancient Greek Work, The Iliad And The...

Roles of women in the ancient times have been generally been limited to household, childbearing, childrearing, performing domestic chores like cooking, weaving and providing comforts to their husbands and families. Many of the primitive societies were male dominated and women were considered inferior creature dependent on their male guardians throughout life. Historic accounts and epics of specific periods describe the role assigned to genders in those societies. This paper talks about the role of women presented in the ancient Greek work, the Iliad by Homer and the Mesopotamian Epic of Gilgamesh by anonymous author. Women role in the Iliad Homer’s Iliad contains an array of female characters that are both supernatural and human. The†¦show more content†¦Women, either wives or slaves, were to live with their husbands or masters even if it was against their wishes. The Iliad presents a patriarchal Greek society in which human women are viewed as inferior objects meant to serve and entertain men. Men are superior to women and can use them whichever way they want. Apart from women’s role as mother, wives, and daughters, they are used by men as prizes and rewards in battles or fights as well as for taking revenge or degrading other men. In particular, beautiful women are portrayed to be the source of enmity and discord among men and even states pushing them into fights and battles. Men are found fighting for possession of women in order to establish their power and honor. Most of the conflicts and wars among men, described in the Iliad, have women as the root cause. Whether it is the long battle of Troy or the internal conflict between the Greek warriors, the main reason is usually the possession of woman/women; â€Å"Let him who shall be victorious and prove to be the better man take the woman and all she has†¦Ã¢â‚¬  (Iliad Book 3) . Helen, Chryseis and Briseis are the main human female characters in the Trojan War who are used as prizes that supplement male’s ego and pride. Helen is the reason for the main conflict between Menelaus and Paris. The abduction of Helen by Paris and Menelaus’ revenge and to get his wife back thus becomes the prime motive behind the