Ishtar's Treatment Of Women In The Odyssey

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The Odyssey, Gilgamesh, Mythology, and the Song of Solomon offer a tale of rejected love. These women are treated with no respect by the men they love. These women’s reactions to the way they are treated by the men they love teach a lesson on the strength of women and that hurting them is an action that should not be taken lightly. In the story of Gilgamesh, Ishtar’s love is denied by Gilgamesh. When she first lays eyes on him, “Her heart was smitten, her loins caught fire,”(Mitchell book 6; 130). Ishtar falls head over heels for Gilgamesh from the moment she sees him. She loves him so much that she offers him all that he could ever want or need in life. His horrible response leaves her heart broken. Gilgamesh could simply decline her offer in a polite, respectful manner. Instead he decides to insult her life style and humiliate her by saying, “Why would I want to be the lover of …show more content…

Agamemnon’s death was the result of upsetting his wife. Her revenge on him was killing him so he will never be able to see his son after returning home. Agamemnon tells Odysseus,” ‘So even your own wife- never indulge her too far./ Never reveal the whole truth, whatever you may know;/ Just tell her a part of it, be sure to hide the rest,” (Odyssey book 11;line 500-502). Agamemnon warns Odysseus about the danger of women. He is says that you should only tell a women what she wants to hear and to never tell her anything that would upset her or give her too much power over you. He knows from his experience with his wife that if you upset a women, it can lead to dire consequences. Agamemnon also warns that ,”the time for trusting women’s gone forever!”(Odyssey book 11;line 518). This shows the development from women having no power and having to deal with the wrongs that had been done to them, to women getting back at men for the horrible way that they had been treat and men having consequences for their

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