A Comparison of Helen in the Iliad and the Odyssey

Throughout the epic poem “Odyssey” we see many great characters who all bring a different feel to the story. “Odyssey” is a story that has a male main character and many male side characters, but it also has several female characters found in it. Each one of these females have an important role within the story and it would not be the same without them. Athena, Penelope, and Eucycleia are a few examples of female characters.

In these examples, Homer is intending to win our admiration for Penelope. Her loyalty to Odyssey and the slim chance that that he may still be alive are taken to a heroic level, which defy the apparent convention of the day that a woman should not be without a husband. Her cunning in keeping the suitors at bay are also to be admired, and have a parallel in the cunning of Odysseus himself, as Odysseus is also often praised for his resourcefulness in overcoming obstacles.

      Homer's "Odyssey" depicts women as strong subjects-they are real substantive characters. Women in this poem are tough, strong-willed and are treated with the respect and seriousness they deserve.  Homer characterizes the women in his poem as the real counterparts of men-they have real feelings, real plans and are able to accomplish them on their own.

Helen of Sparta’s portrayals in many different accounts of mythology and history are extremely dissimilar. Helen was said to be the daughter of Zeus and Leda (Queen of Sparta), and was the wife of Menelaus, king of Sparta. Helen was abducted by Paris of Troy and when Menelaus came to retrieve Helen, the Trojan war began. In “The Odyssey”, Helen is shown as living happily with Menelaus after he brought her back from Sparta. She is portrayed as an intelligent person who sees things for what they truly are, but is mostly reserved to wifely duties. In “Trojan Women” by Euripides, Helen is shown as a person who was used by the gods as a reward for Paris with nothing else in mind. However, she fights vehemently for her own innocence in the

Greek society is highly stratified, one where the distinctions between Nobles, peasants, and slaves are explicit. While many people consider women oppressed in the ancient hierarchy, this notion is somewhat contradicted in the Odyssey, where many women act as powerful figures. Penelope separates herself from the suitors that plague her palace, who are relentless in their pursuit for her hand in marriage. Circe has the capability to seduce an entire unit of Odysseus’ men and turn them into pigs. Athena benevolently guides Telemachus over the many obstacles he faces on his quest to seek out his father. Helen defects from Sparta, rallying all of Troy for her cause. Clytemnestra deceitfully plans Agamemnon's death for her new love interest, Aegisthus. Women in the Odyssey show that through seduction, trickery, and wisdom, women of Ancient Greece are able to obtain significant power.

While Athena is divine, she is still a central female character and the way in which she is portrayed makes an impact on the way Homer’s women are perceived.

Women form an important part of the folk epic, written by Homer, The Odyssey. Within the story there are three basic types of women: the goddess, the seductress, and the good hostess/wife. Each role adds a different element and is essential to the telling of the story.

She gets all the men all hot and bothered meanwhile, she is just cleverly using them up and buying time for Odysseus’ to return and subsequent vengeance.

Before feminism came to rise, women’s abilities were underestimated by men. This paradox is explored in Homer’s epic poem The Odyssey. In the epic poem The Odyssey by Homer, women played crucial roles, as shown by Circe, Athena and Penelope. Homer’s message throughout the story is that women should not be underestimated. Circe played a crucial role in The Odyssey, she helped Odysseus find his way back home to Ithaca.

            There were far more restrictions placed on the women of the ancient world than on the men.  To many, this may appear to be an obvious fact.  However, the comparison of women to men in the Odyssey does not show such a discrepancy.  The women created by Homer had certain characteristics that set them apart from ordinary women.  Penelope was a woman who did not give in to the demands of her surroundings.  She suffered throughout the twenty year absence of her husband, Odysseus.  She maintained her dignity and her chastity through her refusal of the hoards of suitors that flocked to her home. Penelope represents the ideal woman for balancing her refusals of marriage and the preservation of her respect.  When ready to address her suitors, Eurymachus, a suitor himself, speaks out from the crowd in praise of Penelope.  He states, "Ah, daughter of Icarius, wise Penelope . . . You surpass all women in build and beauty, refined and steady mind" (18. 276,280).  The acts of Penelope would not have been allowed of an ordinary woman of those times.  Her loyalty to Odysseus was unflagging and quite contrary to Clytaemestra's loyalty, another character in the Odyssey, though she is never mentioned by name.

The Iliad and Odyssey present different ideals of women, and the goddesses, who are presented as ideal women, differ between the two epics. The difference in roles is largely dependent on power, and relations to men, as well as sexual desirability and activity.

Helen, the face that launched a thousand ships. In Homer’s epic poem, Iliad, he describes Helen of Troy as the most beautiful woman in the world. The introduction of the Iliad states that when Paris steals Helen from her husband Menelaus, a Greek Chieftain, the Achaeans band together and cross the Aegean Sea to wage war against Troy, a gracious, prosperous city in Asia Minor. Their motive is revenge . After fighting for nine years in a land that is not their own, the Greeks miss “the rich fields and glorious feasts that supposedly make combat worth-while. Both sides have trouble remembering why they are fighting in the first place” Under the leadership of Menelaus’s brother Agamemnon, the Greeks fight around Troy for ten years

The Iliad, is a powerful poem that’s been translated and rewritten for many years to inspire the power that women in everyday lives. The women that we are faced in “The Iliad” are very confident and brave. The power that we see among different women in the book is very unique because each person plays a different role to make themselves stand out in a particular way. We see how the main conflict of the book is all about a women named Helen. She is mainly known as the Helen of Troy. The battle between the Achaeans and the Trojans started because Paris stole Helen from Menelaus who was her husband and that’s when everything got mixed up.

A major tragedy that last more than 10 long years, took the lives of many and consumed an entire city. The focus of this paper will be proving the innocents of Helen. I will be presenting convincing evidence on to why Helen should not take the blame for the war against the Trojans. As I analyses the different dramatic settings I will use example from different text and source to help convey my argument clearer. The form of this paper will consist of quotes, example, and personal thought from three different text to help shape my conclusion. I will also be explaining how beauty and virtuous can blend together.

The role and treatment of women is similar in both Homer’s Iliad and Euripides’ Trojan Women. Both works focus on women as passive and helpless people in the midst of war. Homer’s Iliad portrays the role and treatment of women during the war, while in contrast Euripides’ Trojan Women looks at the role and treatment of women after the war has been won. Both authors highlight that the women are treated less like human beings and more like objects for men.