Examples Of Masculinity In The Iliad

652 Words2 Pages
bulb-icon

Recommended: Women's roles in greek society

The Greek epics largely reflect the cultural values and norms that characterized the ancient civilization. These accounts reveal several essential aspects of society, such as religion, politics, social hierarchy, and gender roles that serve to explain the culture they are rooted in, as well as to establish a context in which to understand the events of the epic narrative. The Iliad follows this same general formula. Homer includes many symbols and anecdotes throughout The Iliad that serve to establish a sense of cultural awareness. Perhaps the most notable of which is Achilles himself; Homer’s depiction of the godlike soldier is largely revealing of what was considered to be the ideal image of man in Greek society. Furthermore, this characterization serves as a clear example of the hyper-masculinization of the Greek warrior, particularly as it is influenced by kleos. Throughout The Iliad, Achilles is depicted as a fearless hero, possessing superhuman strength and speed. This characterization is evident in the epithets Homer assigns to Achilles: “the great runner,” and “strong, swift, and godlike,” reveal the desirability …show more content…

Guiding principles for battle are centered on generally masculine traits such as honor and courage. In fact, any man who is not willing to fight is seen as weak and not worthy of respect, as Diomedes told his army: “I know only cowards depart from battle. A real warrior stands his ground,” (11.432-435). Additionally, an obvious detail, but one that is important to note, is the fact that all of the warriors in The Iliad are men, and all of the women are portrayed as secondary characters that exist either to support or to enable the men as they go off to fight. Not only is the strong and fearless warrior-like image important in times of war, it is in fact the distinguishing factor between masculinity and

Show More
Related

  • Gender Roles among Gods and Mortals in The Iliad

    971 Words  | 2 Pages

    In The Iliad, the gods and goddesses have completely different roles. The females are usually the ones in the battle fighting, while the male gods are putting courage into hearts, but that isn’t to say that is all that they do. This is a completely different role than the mortals have. While the men are out in battle, the women are knitting and cooking. The women are also described so that it seems like they are property and not humans, and that they don’t have any feeling. Where the female gods act and are treated as if they are equal, if not ranked higher.

    Read More

  • Gender in the Odyssey

    993 Words  | 2 Pages

    It is interesting to analyze the gender problematic in the Odyssey through the lens of the roles of women in this epic. This epic is dependant on the role of women. It is difficult to completely judge the beliefs about the gender roles in Greek culture based solely on the Odyssey. At times, the roles and actions of women in this poem show the male chauvinist view, that they are objects of beauty and have to succumb to manipulation and trickery to accomplish a goal. There are other times when a woman's strength and intelligence come through. Homer uses this interplay to make the epic more interesting and develops an underlying theme of a battle of the sexes.

    Read More

  • Achilles' Hero Behavior Cycle in the Iliad

    1038 Words  | 3 Pages

    The Ancient Greeks admired their heroes and tried to learn from both their achievements and their mistakes. They believed that most great leaders and warriors followed a predictable behavior cycle, which often ended tragically. In Homer’s epic poem, The Iliad, Achilles is a great warrior who traces the stages of the behavior cycle twice, from arete to hubris to ate and then to nemesis. Achilles is a highly skilled warrior and a great leader who becomes a narcissist and an arrogant person, which leads to selfish and childish behavior resulting in the death of his best friend. Following Patroclus’ death, Achilles repeats the behavior cycle by regaining his courage and motivation, and goes back to battle against Hector. The pride he feels in killing Hector and his overpowering hatred for him, leads Achilles to another bad decision: disrespecting the body of his enemy. This foolish choice leads directly to Achilles death. Although The Iliad is mainly known as a story about the Trojan War, it is understood as a story about Achilles and his struggle to be a hero.

    Read More

  • Achilles Vs Odysseus

    3801 Words  | 8 Pages

    Homer's two central heroes, Odysseus and Achilles, are in many ways differing manifestations of the same themes. While Achilles' character is almost utterly consistent in his rage, pride, and near divinity, Odysseus' character is difficult to pin down to a single moral; though perhaps more human than Achilles, he remains more difficult to understand. Nevertheless, both heroes are defined not by their appearances, nor by the impressions they leave upon the minds of those around them, nor even so much by the words they speak, but almost entirely by their actions. Action is what drives the plot of both the Iliad and the Odyssey, and action is what holds the characters together. In this respect, the theme of humanity is revealed in both Odysseus and Achilles: man is a combination of his will, his actions, and his relationship to the divine. This blend allows Homer to divulge all that is human in his characters, and all that is a vehicle for the idyllic aspects of ancient Greek society. Accordingly, the apparent inconsistencies in the characterization of Odysseus can be accounted for by his spiritual distance from the god-like Achilles; Achilles is more coherent because he is the son of a god. This is not to say that Achilles is not at times petty or unimaginative, but that his standards of action are merely more continuous through time. Nevertheless, both of Homer's heroes embody important and admirable facets of ancient Greek culture, though they fracture in the ways they are represented.

    Read More

  • Hector And Achilles's Core Values In The Iliad

    969 Words  | 2 Pages

    The Greek civilization has brought a wide-range of intellect and visionary philosophies over time. Over a long period, new theories and arts began to embellish. One great art that came about and flourished is Homer’s novel, The Iliad. Throughout this classic novel, Homer emphasized the Greek God’s values through their actions and morals which contributed to their courageous and prideful attributes. In Greek literature, the heroes Hector and Achilles reflect the core values of honor, warfare dexterity, and pride.

    Read More

  • Achilles' Heroism in 'The Iliad'

    1004 Words  | 3 Pages

    In the introduction of the Essential Illiad given by Sheila Murnaghan, Achilles is labeled as “the greatest of the Greek heroes”. In classic mythology a hero is a person of great strength and courage celebrated for bold exploits and is often the offspring of a mortal and a god. Achilles was the greatest fighter among the Greeks or Trojans and feared no man in battle. He was also the offspring of a mortal and a god so by classic mythology definition, Achilles was indeed a hero. A hero is defined by the present day Websters Dictionary as: “one who inspires through manners and actions; an individual who leads through personal example and accomplishments requiring bravery, skill, determination, and other admirable qualities.” Achilles, in no manner, fits this definition. By contemporary standards, he is instead a pathetic villain. Aside from being a kidnapper, rapist and murderer, Achilles proves to be emotionally weak, selfish, and malicious. Many times throughout the Illiad, Achilles is also referred to as “godlike”. The gods of Greek mythology were subject to the same emotions and character flaws as humans, and though privileged to some foresight, the gods had similar mental capacities as humans. What really set the gods apart were their powers (controlling the elements, changing their appearance, etc.), great strength, and immortality. Because of his great strength and apparent invincibility, it is easy to see why Achilles would...

    Read More

  • Masculinity In The Iliad

    1422 Words  | 3 Pages

    Beyond empowering them to rise above their station, the inordinate pride of Achilles and Lancelot in particular lends itself to bolstering the widely held perception that heroism within the heteropatriarchal canon naturally entitles heroes to women. The entire impetus for the Trojan War hinges upon the assumption that the most virile man deserves Helen the most, entirely independent of her wishes. Within the specific scope of the Iliad, Helen is multiple times used as a bargaining chip, notably when Paris and Menelaus duel individually for the outcome of the war, agreeing that “if redhaired Menelaus [wins], the Trojans surrender Helen and all her treasures” (138). This pact has the dual effect of placing Helen’s fate strictly in the hands of men—specifically, whichever man proves himself manliest in direct battle—and valuing her as on par with material objects and treasures. Helen’s lack of agency is not an isolated instance of misogyny informed by heroism: Briseis shares her plight.

    Read More

  • The Role of Women in Homer’s Iliad

    791 Words  | 2 Pages

    Homer’s Iliad is undoubtedly focused on its male characters: Achilles, primarily, but also Hector and Agamemnon. Nevertheless, it seems that the most crucial characters in the epic are female. Homer uses the characters of Thetis, Andromache, and Helen as a basis for comparison to the male characters. Homer wants his audience to see and understand the folly of his male characters in choosing war over peace, aggression over kindness, and honor over family. While the behavior of these characters clearly speaks for itself, the contrasting attitudes and behaviors of the female characters proffer an alternative; in comparison, the reader can hardly fail to concur with Homer’s message that war, aggression, and honor are misplaced and self-defeating values.

    Read More

  • Transformation Of Achilles In The Iliad

    1069 Words  | 3 Pages

    In The Iliad, a book by Homer about the Trojan war, Achilles possesses a selfish rage that encompasses his entire being. Achilles stubbornly clings to his pride in hopes of gaining “kleos,” a term used to describe a sense of honor for Greek heroes. With the death of his dearest friend Patroclus, Achilles begins to let down his walls as a character, revealing layers of emotion. Love, pain, and grief are feelings that accompany Achilles’s rage as he shows that he is able to connect on a human level, as he does with Patroclus. Achilles further develops as a character when he shows compassion in returning Hector’s body to his father, Priam. Achilles reveals a sense of sympathy when faced against his enemy. It is revealed that Achilles is a dynamic character, one that has the ability to show sensitivity to even his greatest enemy. Achilles imparts on a journey that transforms him from a man overcome with selfish, prideful rage into someone that possesses a sense compassion. The beginning of The Iliad is

    Read More

  • The Portrayal of Women in the Iliad

    559 Words  | 2 Pages

    One does not need to go into deep, critical analysis to see that women are portrayed as very weak and servile in the Iliad. We have seen them being humiliated by their husbands, brothers, and even owners. They are often charged with tasks others would find demeaning if left to someone else. The chauvinism is everywhere and it is very clear that the role of women in the Iliad was that of a woman who needs a man to take care of her and keep her lying, twisted heart in check.

    Read More

  • Homer's Treatment Of Women In The Iliad

    1196 Words  | 3 Pages

    In homer’s epic poem “The Iliad”, it explains the depiction between women and men. In “The Iliad”, it is considered that men are superior than women. Nevertheless, it also recognizes the heroines that contributed to Greek society. The poem recognizes the contradictions of different personalities. For more clarification, the poem shows their roles in reality. In sequence, their events cause an effect on Ancient Greek society. “The Iliad”, seems to be described as a man’s world. There are females who play important parts in the poem. The Goddesses, however, seem to be more powerful than the Gods. Homer gives a comparison of “The Iliad”, to Greek society. Today, his work is universal and causes an effect on society and different cultures.

    Read More

  • Achilles: a Tragic Hero

    1170 Words  | 3 Pages

    The first requirement of Aristotle's tragic hero is that they are more admirable than the average character. Achilles meets this requirement because of his ability on the battlefield. In The Iliad, the background to the story is the war between the Greeks and the Trojans. This background is not only the basis for the story overall, but is also the basis for Achilles' own story. This begins when Achilles refuses to join the battle because he is insulted by Agamemnon. This decision results in the action that drives the remainder of the story. Later in the story when Achilles becomes angered and goes to the other extreme, launching into battle and killing ferociously. The significance of this is that it places battle as central to both Achilles' story and to what is important in the setting of the story. Importantly, the aspect that makes Achilles greater than most is his ability o...

    Read More

  • Achilles: The Tragic Hero

    936 Words  | 2 Pages

    The Iliad, the Greek epic documented by Homer that describes the battles and events of the ten year siege on Troy by the Greek army. Both Trojans and Greeks had their fair share of heroes and warriors, but none could match the skill and strength of the swift runner, Achilles. Achilles had the attributes of a perfect warrior with his god-like speed and combat abilities. However, even though he was Greek’s greatest warrior, he still possessed several flaws that made him fit the role of the Tragic Hero impeccably. Defined by Aristotle, a Tragic Hero is someone who possesses a high status of nobility and greatness, but must have imperfections so that mere mortals cannot relate to the hero. Lastly, the Tragic Hero’s downfall must be partially their own fault through personal choice rather than by an evil act, while also appearing to be not entirely deserved of their unfortunate fate. Achilles is a true Tragic Hero because he withholds all of these traits. Achilles proves to be a good man that puts his loved ones first, reveals his tragic flaws of pride and anger, shows dynamic qualities as a character when his flaws are challenged, and has a moment of clarity at the end of his rage. Achilles truly exemplifies the qualities of a Tragic Hero.

    Read More

  • The Role Of Women In Homer's Iliad

    1008 Words  | 3 Pages

    The poem “Iliad,” by Homer, is known for its violence between men during a war, but under that violence, is the different type of women who play a significant role in the poem (Homer 189). This poem’s narrative seems to show a male dominated world between the Greek commanders. This male dominated world cannot happen on its own, thus the different background roles of women are needed in order to make sense of all this rage. As the University of Michigan article How Do Women Make Their Way Into This Cycle states, “They are seen as the objects of both lust and domesticity, yet they are also used to excuse war, cause conflict, and display the power of men” (www.umich.edu). The focus in this poem steers towards the rage between the men, but this rage most of the time is inspired and initiated by a woman. The women of Iliad play a significant role in the poem such as war prizes, male hero partners, and women gods.

    Read More

  • Who was the Real Hero in Homer's The Iliad?

    914 Words  | 2 Pages

    In Homer’s The Iliad he tells of the battles and events during the time of a quarrel between King Agamemnon and the warrior Achilles. This was just a small portion of the Trojan War that had lasted ten years. The Iliad shares the ideas of the glory of war, military values over family life, and the impermanence of human life and its creation. One thing that Homer does is characterize the two different warriors Achilles and Hector. These two great warriors both show different kinds of traits that shape the character they become throughout the The Iliad. Achilles is the main hero in The Iliad, but Homer subliminally tries to persuade the reader that Hector is the true hero in this story.

    Read More

More about Examples Of Masculinity In The Iliad

Open Document