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The role of women in Greek myth
The role of women in Greek myth
The role of women in Greek myth
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The Trojan War was a legendary conflict between the early Greeks and the people of Troy that led to the destruction of the city Troy, and countless deaths. The beautiful queen, Helen of Troy, is considered by many to be the main villainess of this war. However, some people think that she was a victim of the feud between two men that was beyond her control. To decide whether she was an innocent bystander or the sole cause of the war, we need to know her role during the ten-year long war.
Most of us think that the Trojan War has its roots in the feud created by Prince of Troy, Prince, when he abducted Helen, the beautiful wife of King Menelaus of Sparta. Although it is partly true, the Trojan War actually has its connection in the marriage between Peleus and Thetis, a sea-goddess. Eris, the goddess of discord, wasn’t invited to their marriage. She was outraged. She threw a golden apple onto the table in the wedding banquet, and said that it belonged to the fairest. The goddesses, Hera, Athena, and Aphrodite reached for the apple. Zeus declared that the most beautiful man, Paris, would be the judge. He agreed. The goddesses tried to bribe him; Hera promised him power, Athena promised him wealth, and Aphrodite promised him the most beautiful woman in the world. Paris took Aphrodite’s side, and she promised him that Helen would be his wife. Later Paris set off for Sparta to conquer Helen. King Menelaus treated him as a royal guest. But when Menelaus left his kingdom to attend a funeral, Paris abducted Helen. In Troy, Helen and Paris were married.
Reasonably, Menelaus was outraged to find that news. He requested all of Helen's old suitors to go to war since they all had made an oath to back Helen's husband to def...
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... Homan expressed a slightly complex view of Helen’s character: all the other characters pose a negative attitude towards Helen. On the other hand, Helen displays consciousness for her scandalous behavior. The guilt and shame portrayed through her character is her distinction. Homer thinks that she disgraced all the warriors who went to a ten-year long war for a non-virtuous woman. It is not clearly described why Helen left her husband for a foreigner. Was she actually in love with Paris or she was forced by the goddess Aphrodite? It is interesting to see that her husband, Menelaus, thinks of Helen as a victim. Helen also regrets for her deed "...if only death had pleased me then, grim death, the day I followed your son to Troy, forsaking my marriage bed, my kinsmen, and my child" (Homer). Thus, the question whether Helen was the reason of the war is left unanswered.
The Trojan War is one of the most known battle or war in history, if not the most known. It was a very, very long war, but there was one main source or reason of conflict that drove it to last so long, it seemed endless. Paris, a Trojan prince, was promised a wife as fair as the goddess of beauty by Aphrodite herself. The particular woman she promised was already married to a Greek King by the name of Menelaus. This started not only tension between the Greeks and Trojans but also anger because they were recently married.Helen should have returned to the Greeks for a few reasons that could have led to a shorter war, or even no war.First off, Greek King Menelaus is her rightfully wedded husband. The war would have been totally prevented if a couple of decisions were better made. Finally, she never really was in love with Paris. It was all manipulated by Aphrodite.
Menelaus was about to kill Paris when Aphrodite takes Paris away from the scene. Aphrodite brings Helen, the adducted wife of Menelaus along too. Aphrodite says to Helen “"Haste, happy nymph! for thee thy Paris calls, Safe from the fight, in yonder lofty walls, Fair as a god; with odours round him spread, He lies, and waits thee on the well-known bed; Not like a warrior parted from the foe, But some gay dancer in the public show." (pg 103) This quote is interesting because Helen was upset with Paris for the conflict he has caused. But with a bit of persuasion from Aphrodite, she is willing to “lie on the well-known bed”. It’s strange how the gods can manipulate other characters like puppets. Another example of the additude that the gods have is when the gods have a council to discouse the Trojan war. Zeus says " My schemes, my labours, and my hopes be vain? Have I, for this, shook Ilion with alarms, Assembled nations, set two worlds in arms? To spread the war, I flew from shore to shore.”(113) This quote shows how Zeus felt about what has happened in the human war. He thinks of himself as the creator of the war and takes ownership of what has happened. He then argues that Menelaus has won the
...r to Menelaus now. Thee tapestry is too intricately woven, so as the central blame is Helen, most of the individuals involved are in the war for widely different motives.
After leaving her hometown and being taken to Troy by Paris, she realizes she doesn’t have such a liking for him but more so toward Hector. Helen believes he is more of a gentleman and has a better fondness of her feelings than Paris does. It’s shocking but also while all of that is still happening she blames some of these series of events on Aphrodite, a beautiful goddess, who is known for being the goddess of love, relationships, and is very supportive of Paris. She also helps out the Trojans while the war is happening.
... cause of the Trojan War. In reality, Helen is forced into a relationship without her true consent. Although the treatment of Lavinia in the Aeneid is strinkingly similar to that of Helen in the Illiad, this is conducted purposefully by Virgil. This means that Lavinia’s role in the Aeneid is more of a reflection of ancient Greek society than it is of ancient Roman society. In addition, when compared to Homer, Virgil also manages to include a little more variety in his portrayal of women. The Aeneid features Dido, who is a leader of men, while the Illiad’s only notable female character, excluding the goddesses, is Helen, who is a completely powerless individual. By comparing the treatment of women in Roman works to the treatment of women in Greek works, one can potentially conclude that Greek women were treated with even less respect than their Roman counterparts.
In The Iliad the major conflict begins between Prince Paris and the Achaean king Menelaus over Helen. During the war that arises from the attempt to bring back Helen the Achaeans reside in a city nearby and hold captive several women. Chryses asks
In conclusion, I highly doubt that as the movie of Troy suggests that the war was over love. Resources, lives, and more then love would have been lost during this war. Too much was lost over a small falt
Aphrodite was the goddess of love in Greece. She was also said to have been the most beautiful of all the Goddesses and to have been born from sea foam. Although she was beautiful, some saw her as treacherous and malicious. She was known to have a bewitching power over men that more times than not brought about their own destruction. Aphrodite also involved herself on several occasions with the affairs of the Gods and Goddesses on Mount Olympus, as well as the Greek mortals. Aphrodite was legendary for her beauty, but she was also very vain. It was her vanity that started the Trojan War. (aphrodite, 2015)
The readers can obtain a chance to become acquainted with Achilles’ character. The readers have the opportunity to witness that he absolutely does not care for the war too much and he has not fought just for his town, he fights for himself. He yearns to kill people who have done wrong and deserve to die. Achilles embodies himself, not to seem selfish, (but because) that is just who he is and how his character’s unique personality. Achilles fights in these wars knowing that his people need him and he wants a war that all humanity, in millions of years will remember. As he talks to Odysseus, he asks why he should fight the war and Odysseus says he should fight for Greece knowing that Troy has insulted them. Achilles, at that instant, brings up an outstanding point saying “They insulted one Greek, a man who couldn 't hold on to his wife. What business is that of mine?” This shows he does not think highly of Grease therefore he will not fight for Greece until he has a reason. Any man should fight for the right reason and Achilles is one of the only ones in this war that understands that
An ancient history website states that “Athena was a major protagonist in Homer’s account of the Trojan War in the Illiad where she supports the Achaeans and their heroes, especially Achilles, to whom she gives encouragement and wise counsel. " Athena is first shown in the Illiad when Agamemnon threatens to go to Achille’s tent in the camp and take Biseis himself. Along side Hera and Poseiden, Athena tended to help the Greek side during the war. With the help from others, Athena comes up with the idea of a Trojan horse and that the warriors hide inside the horse and that the horse would be brought into the city and given as a gift.
...he Trojan War, as Agamemnon chose to help Menelaus but getting her back. But while she was represented as a victim, she was a bold character that spoke her mind, and no male stopped her. Helen has a direct relationship with the Trojan War, with out her there was none?
Achilles, the greatest of the Greek warriors, is portrayed as a hero in some ways but, on the other hand, performs some controversial acts in the Iliad. Throughout the entire Trojan war, Achilles spent most of his time pouting in his tent after Agamemnon kidnapped his prized maiden, Chryseis.
Since Agamemnon refused to return the daughter of a priest of Apollo, Agamemnon agrees to release Helen only if Achilles gives him his prize of honor. This is when Achilles found it unfair and withdraws from the battle including all his soldiers. Achilles then asks the gods to grant him revenge. Agamemnon the had attacked because a dream had encouraged him to. Paris flees the battle with the help of a divinity and Menelaus rages on with his brother demanding the release of Helen.
The suspected start of the war- over the abduction of Helen, Queen of Sparta- was caused entirely by a godly conflict over who was the most beautiful- Hera, Athena, and Aphrodite. Paris, son of King Priam of Troy, was selected to judge. He chose Aphro...
Women are designated scapegoats of societies throughout history. Women are blamed for using seduction to trick men or are used as prizes for men to fight over; consequently, this allows men to begin wars or arguments over a single woman. In the case of the Trojan War, as depicted through Homer’s Iliad, women are the outright reason for encouraging and causing the greatest heroes to fight for nothing. The Trojan War begins with the abduction of Helen (McAllister 8), which is described through previous mythology where Aphrodite awards her to Paris for judging that Aphrodite is the most beautiful goddess, thus beginning the cycle that women are made prizes. Even in other cultures the idea that women cause conflict is a prominent aspect of beginning wars such as in King Arthur when Uther