Ancient Greek Perception of War, Role of Women and Children, and Immortals

847 Words2 Pages
bulb-icon

Recommended: The role of women in ancient civilizations

In the Iliad, the oldest and greatest of the Greek epics, Homer tells of the wars fought between the Greeks and the Trojans. Much of this book's main focus takes place during the Homeric period in which the Trojan War began. In a pre industrial society, Homer describes the way mortals and immortals sought their existence throughout the Trojan War. Homer's style of writing in Iliad enables a modern reader to perceive how the Ancient Greeks thought of warfare, of religion, and of the role of women and children. The Helladic Greeks valued fighting as a way to settle disputes. There was a significant degree of religious activity that took place during the Trojan War. Homer also allows a modern reader to grasp an idea of the role of women and children during the Helladic Greek period.

Throughout the Homeric period, warriors valued fighting as a way to settle disputes. An excerpt from Iliad indicates how malevolent behavior is favored in a way to settle a dispute, when Achilles tries to think of the finest ways in which he should bring physical pain to Agamemnon after having a tremendous quarrel with each other. "Achilles' chest was a rough not of pain twisting around his heart: should he draw the sharp sword that hung by his thigh, scatter the ranks and gut Agamemnon or control his temper, repress his rage? He was mulling it over, inching the great sword over his sheath." (Homer 7) In almost all cases, the warriors fight in extreme close contact with each other. A scene from Iliad illustrates an invidious fight between the two warriors, Menelaus and Paris, when both sides agree to a truce. "They stood close, closer, in the measured arena, shaking their spears, half-mad with jealousy. And then Paris threw. A...

... middle of paper ...

...ribes how children were also inferior to the Ancient Greek society. This is explained when the Greek warriors break into townhouses and threatened to kill the babies. "Not one of them escapes sheer death at our hands, not even the boy who is still in his mother's womb. Every Trojan dies, unmourned and unmarked." (Homer 113-114)

Altogether, the preliterate times explained in Homer's Iliad, allows the modern reader to realize what life was like in the Homeric period. If all that was said is true in the Iliad, then that means that gods and goddesses were able to intervene with the human world. Interestingly, today's society differs massively when compared to the Ancient Helladic period. Homer's Iliad enables the modern reader to get a sense what ancient warfare was like, what religious activity was like, and what the roles of women and children were like.

Show More
Related

  • Lysistrat Gender Roles In Ancient Greece

    1013 Words  | 3 Pages

    In ancient Greece, there were clear differences regarding the manner in which men and women should behave. Males were expected to be the dominant sex, ruling over the land and people without any input from females. They were the sole breadwinners for the families and were to be given the utmost respect at all times. In contrast, women were to remain in the shadow of their husbands, not speak up or retaliate in any way, and complete household chores such as cleaning and caring for the children. In fact, they could not sleep in the same room as the men and were rarely allowed to leave the home. If they were to stray from these specific roles, they would face serious consequences and have even more of their little freedom taken away by the males.

    Read More

  • Women In Ancient Greek Society

    1001 Words  | 3 Pages

    In the Greek society women were treated very differently than they are today. Women in ancient Greece were not allowed to own property, participate in politics, and they were under control of the man in their lives. The goddess Aphrodite did not adhere to these social norms and thus the reason the earthly women must comply with the societal structure that was set before them. Aphrodite did not have a father figure according to Hesiod, and therefore did not have a man in her life to tell her what to do. She was a serial adulteress and has many children with many men other than her husband. She was not the only goddess from the ancient Greek myths to cause doubt in the minds of men. Gaia and the Titan Rhea rise up against their husbands in order to protect their children. Pandora, another woman in the Greek myths, shows that all evil comes from woman. Aphrodite, Gaia, Rhea, and Pandora cause the ancient Greek men to be suspicious of women because of her mischievous and wild behavior.

    Read More

  • Comparison between "The Iliad" and "The Women of Troy"

    915 Words  | 2 Pages

    The Iliad by Homer and the Women of Troy by Euripides are both Greek works of literature that look at the Trojan War from different perspectives. Book 6 of the Iliad illustrates that the ultimate glory is to fight for the city with no regard to the impact on the family. The Women of Troy focuses on the negatives that war causes, especially towards the soldier’s wives and children. Whereas the Iliad focuses on the battle itself and centers on the warriors, the Women of Troy focuses on the wrath the war brings upon the families left behind. The central theme in both the works is the Trojan War and they both offer perspectives of the duty of a person, the role of predetermined fate, and the role of women.

    Read More

  • The Historic Accuracy of Homer’s Iliad

    2935 Words  | 6 Pages

    Homer’s Iliad has been a European myth for many millennia , the long poetic narrative written in the 8th century B.C. recounts a fearsome war fought over a beautiful woman. The reliability of Homers Iliad as a true historical document has been challenged for hundreds of years and only through archaeological studies can the truth be deciphered. The Iliad was written five centuries after the war, where the stories had been passed down through the oral tradition, therefore the type of society reflected within the poems resemble much more the time of Homer . The fact and fiction of the Iliad has been uncovered through archaeology. Archaeologist found a site in which they thought to have been ‘Troy’ destroyed by the powerful country of Mycenae in the late Bronze Age. They found large amount of material culture from where they could reconstruct the society, this included pottery, engravings, murals and clay tablets. A reason for the Trojan War has always inspired great controversy. The Trojan War according to Homer was fought over the abduction of a beautiful women but this theory appears improbable. Other causes which could have sparked a war is Troy’s geographical positioning. This made it extremely opulent, where other countries of the Aegean would trade there goods and use its harbour. The Mycenaean’s being an extremely imperial, violent and militaristic country would have seen Troy as a great opportunity to gain territory and wealth, on this motive the war took place.

    Read More

  • Iliad and The Odyssey by Homer

    1703 Words  | 4 Pages

    The Iliad tells the story of the final weeks of the last year of the Trojan War, after nine long years of fighting between the Trojans and Achaeans (Greeks). The fighting first started with Paris of Troy taking Helen, the most beautiful women in the world, back to Troy and away from her husband King Menelaus of Sparta. Outraged, King Menelaus gathered the kings and armies of Greece, and set sail towards Troy, to wage war and take back Helen. Although the Greeks had brought massive forc...

    Read More

  • Importance Of Storytelling In Beowulf

    713 Words  | 2 Pages

    This epic poem by the ancient Greek poet Homer, recounts some of the significant events of the final weeks of the Trojan War and the Greek siege of the city of Troy. All of the places where Homer’s stories took place were in areas that had been significant in the Bronze Age of Ancient Greece. Excavations at Troy and Mycenae have revealed that affluent kingdoms did indeed exist there. The Iliad provides examples of the culture and traditions that took place in Ancient Greece. The warrior culture that is presented in The Iliad is based on honor and bravery, a good example of this is when Diomedes is trying to rally his fellow warriors in says, “I know only cowards depart from battle. A real warrior stands his ground. Whether he is hit or hits another.” This society was strongly against cowardice; bravery was the only option in these times. The Iliad preserves the Ancient Greek’s views on masculinity and what it meant to be a “real warrior” in their times. The evolution of what people consider honorable and brave is evident, for The Iliad has conserved past views that can be juxtaposed with more modern

    Read More

  • The Iliad of Homer and Greek Heroes

    1484 Words  | 3 Pages

    The Iliad is an epic tale of war and hero’s within the Greek way of life. A

    Read More

  • Honor In The Iliad Essay

    2040 Words  | 5 Pages

    The ethical values reflected in the Iliad should be taken seriously because they are not only plausible, but also congruent with the time and place. Homer is narrating tales of a society where men expect to fight and likely die in battle, where courage is demanded of all men, and where honor and glory are seen as steps toward achieving excellence. What makes the Iliad a masterpiece of Western civilization is not just the stirring story, but most of all Homer’s even-handed portrayal of the Homeric world, for the Trojans are never depicted as being less than the Greeks. The Greeks, even their greatest military heroes, are seen as flawed human beings. In conclusion, what Homer presents in the Iliad is a worldview rather than the local perspective of a distant war. In the end, Homer seems to be saying that all men may aspire to virtue.

    Read More

  • Religion and Ethics in Homer’s Iliad

    931 Words  | 2 Pages

    Homer clearly and precisely depicts the religion and the ethics of the Achian and Trojan societies in The Iliad. During the time of the Trojan war, religion played an important role in the societies. Sacrifice, prayer, and rituals were all equally significant, and the superiority of the gods and the fates above humans was a standard of society. The gods were sacred deities to whom one had to bestow honor and respect. Within the society, honor, glory, and fame were desperately sought by warriors striving to achieve enduring notoriety. One's word represented a considerable commitment to be acted upon. Religion and ethics are prominently displayed in the characters throughout The Iliad due to their importance in Greek and Trojan society.

    Read More

  • Helen Iliad Analysis

    1724 Words  | 4 Pages

    Homer, Iliad is the narration of the Trojan war. The Trojan war was one of the most important and significant wars of Greek mythology, Homer described how the war was triggered by the abduction of the most beautiful women known as Helen. This paper will argue how the traditional view of this poem is accurate because it indeed was Helens beauty and her selfishness that sparked the Trojan war. Although Helen was not happy about the outcomes of her mistakes. This paper will present how Helen faced many forms of self judgment, how she created many relationships with significant characters, such as Paris, Priam and Aphrodite. Homers portrayal of this significant women was remarkable as we were able to feel her pain and anguish, the readers were

    Read More

  • Theme Of Loyalty In The Iliad

    1060 Words  | 3 Pages

    The Iliad by Homer is an epic poem separated in different books or chapters that shows a fictionalized account of the Trojan War. Book 6: Hector Returns to Troy is the specific portion of the poem that is being covered in this essay. Hector from the Iliad shows a very clear aspect of his personality, a strong sense of loyalty and tenderness for his loved ones and also his people by being on the front lines during the war and showing his people he is willing to fight with them and essentially sacrificing himself for his family. Hector even knows his forgiveness towards his brother, Paris even though Paris is the main reason the Trojan War is in existence.

    Read More

  • Ancient Greek Social Structure Essay

    681 Words  | 2 Pages

    This paragraph will concern the social structure of ancient Greece society. In ancient Greece society, only native-born men were granted citizenship and entitled to full protection of the law in a city-state (wikipedia.org/Ancient Greece). In the majority of city-states, social prominence did not include special rights. In some situations, families controlled public functions, but this did not exactly grant extra power for the government. In the state of Athens, the population was divided into four social classes which was based on wealth. A persons amount of income was able to determine of they were eligible to change classes. In Sparta, male citizens received the title of equal if they completed their education requirements. With this being

    Read More

  • The Iliad and the Odyssey

    1521 Words  | 4 Pages

    In these two classic, epic poems told by Homer, the roles of the gods are very important to the characters and their journey throughout the books. It is always a positive or negative effect but the gods’ interference on mortals’ lives makes this an epic journey that has been remembered for thousands of years. The Iliad and the Odyssey are very different from each other in that the Iliad has more gods that effect the war and its outcome whereas the Odyssey only has two major gods that effect two characters.

    Read More

  • How the Roles of Women in Ancient Greece Affect Their Status

    1136 Words  | 3 Pages

    ... did not have tyrannous men overlooking them as men did to women in Athens. Although these two ancient societies were in the same country, the value of women and their freedom were very different. By comparing and contrasting we are able to better understand the concept of gender, how gender inequalities have changed from the past, and what we have learned about the history of women and gender. In analysis, the value of women in these two societies was greatly influenced by their role and contribution to society. Women in Sparta were valued more because they gave birth to potential warriors and since Sparta was a militarized state more warriors were needed. Spartan women hired lower class women for the chores. In Athens, women were less valued because household role such as taking care of the house, chores, and cooking were not equally important to society as men.

    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

More about Ancient Greek Perception of War, Role of Women and Children, and Immortals

Open Document