Helen in Iliad

To begin with, Helen as an individual As Helen said “Have you a favorite mortal man there too?”, she regarded Aphrodite as the embodiment of sexual desire, implying that Aphrodite was trying to use her immortal power of lust to enslave Helen as the sex partner of Paris. Holding the one cardinal idea that she is not supposed to be a sex slave, Helen used her words to punch Aphrodite right in the face, as she replied “Is that why you beckon here beside me now with all the immortal cunning in your heart?” But with the infuriated reply “Don’t provoke me — wretched, headstrong girl! Or in my immortal rage I may just toss you over, hate you as I adore you now…”, Aphrodite had implied that she could either love or hate Helen. More importantly, Aphrodite also noted that if Helen chose to be hated, then Aphrodite as an immortal could use her power to make other people hate Helen, as she said “withering hate from both sides at once… then your fate can tread you down to dust!” This had really left Helen with a great shock, as she could not afford the consequence of being hated by both the immortals and mortals. So as a result, she had no choice but to obey Aphrodite and return to Paris, failing to establish her agency. Bear in mind that Helen was the daughter of Zeus and she got such treatment, it could be even worse for other

Homer tends to lighten Helen 's betrayal somewhat in The Odyssey. Homer wants to assure the reader that although it is in the past, it will not be entirely forgotten. In this epic she becomes a wife to Menelaus and not in the literal sense because the two have always been married. Instead, she now openly admits to him and other guests that her actions were unspeakable and unforgivable, almost to say that what occurred what unlike her and she actually is a good woman. Also, Menelaus agrees with her, showing no anger. But Homer lets us know that she is as deceitful and conniving as ever, when Helen admits to openly celebrating the fall of Troy, cheering while the Trojan women wept for their husbands. She says "The rest of the Trojan women shrilled with their grief. Not I: my heart leapt up-my heart had changed now-I yearned to sail back home again" (Homer). Thus, Helen goes from being deceitful to adapting disloyalty.

At the beginning of the story, the gods are debating what to do with the Greeks after they pillaged Troy, but more specifically, violated Athena’s shrine. Athena asks for help and says to Poseidon, “I want to help the Trojans who were my enemies, and make the Greek army’s homecoming a bitter one.” (Euripides 63). To which Poseidon replies, “You’re so fickle. Your mind leaps here and there: now you hate, and now you love, and both in excess.” (Euripides 65). Even Poseidon admits to the “fickleness” of the goddess since her allies during the war were the Greeks. This lends itself to show that Helen could be telling the truth about the goddesses having an argument about the beauty of each other and Aphrodite forcing Helen to run away with Paris. Helen also helps her argument by pointing out that the fight was preordained by the gods based on the prophecy about Paris, and then blames Paris’s mother and father for letting Paris live, rather than slaying Paris and trying to stop the prophecy from coming true. Through the many effective arguments, Helen shows that she did not ask to be carried away by Paris and that she liked Menelaus. Menelaus seems very weak compared to Helen, especially since he seems to not be able to make up his mind whether to kill her or not. In the end, Menelaus seems to decide on letting her live, though he still tells

Anger can always incite irrational actions. The sight of Helen seeking shelter at the altar, causes Aeneas to remember the crimes she committed driving him to furious anger. This anger drives him to contemplate an ignoble and uncharacteristic act of revenge by murdering Helen as she sought protection from the gods. Despite being depicted as a virtuous hero, Aeneas’ strong, visceral reaction to seeing Helen shows that he is subject to the same passionate feelings all humans feel, especially when something raises his anger.

devices, you and I." (266). Estella comprehends that she is a puppet in what is considered a "greater plan." She is not free to do what she

In both the Odyssey and Sappho’s Fragment 16, Homer and Sappho speak of and acknowledge Helens beauty. Though, they do so in different ways. In the Odyssey, Homer compares Helen to that of a goddess using Artemis as an example. Although homer describes her beauty in a positive light, he also claims that Helens attractiveness caused the Trojan war and the death and suffering of many. “when all you Achaeans fought at Troy, launching your headlong battles just for my sake, shameless whore that I was”(160). Therefore in the Odyssey, Helen is depicted as an intricate character. In epic poems, this is a trend that can be seen throughout the reading as the writing style goes into greater detail. One can also conclude that Homer tends to focus on the negative and emphasize war.

In Homer’s epic poem the Iliad, gods and goddesses play an important role in influencing the lives of humans, and Athena is an important part of the war. The goddess Athena is written mostly as a mortal, where she signifies the personification of war. Both sides of the war know that with Athena, they will not lose. This is probably why she is the most significant minor character. Athena is the most significant minor character because she is brave, wise, and she is a warrior. Athena plays a significant role in the unfolding drama, because both the Greeks and the Trojans know that her favor, they cannot be defeated.

suggest how important family relationships are to her. However, Antigone's reckless behaviour often causes inconsistency in her beliefs. Majorly, nearing the end of her life, she begins to regret all her deeds of which

A name does not define who you were, who you are, or who you will become. It is just a sounds others use to get your attention. Some of these “sounds” have a famous (or infamous) history that make the name difficult to live up to or break away from.

Treason: the crime of betraying one’s country. Throughout history treason has been committed all over the world even extending back to the greeks during the trojan war. Treason is committed for many reasons such as money, fame, political and religious beliefs, fame, and in the case with Helen it was love.

ANNE: Oh, poor little girl.  What does it have to do with me?. DIRECTOR ANAGNOS: You are the best teacher I have.  Remember, you were once blind. ANNE: Yes, and I can see now after several operations. DIRECTOR ANAGNOS: Helen, will never hear or see.  That’s the difference between you and her.  She has no hope.  Do you understand, Anne?.

The Iliad is an epic tale of war and hero's within the Greek way of life. A predominant and consistent theme of honor and glory reside throughout the poem. The motivation for any Homeric Greek is glory, or "Kleos", that is to be honored and respected among their people. Emphasis

Even as his wife Andromache pleads “Pity me, please! Take your stand on the rampart here before you orphan your son and make your wife a widow” (Iliad VI. 511-512) to persuade him to stay at home, he chooses kleos over his family. Hector is described by Helen far differently than she speaks of her own husband.  “But come in, rest on this seat with me, dear brother, you are the one hit hardest by the fighting, Hector, you more than all – and all for me, slut that I am, and this blind mad Paris” (Iliad VI. 421-423).  Helen embraces Hector for his bravery and honor, and asks even that he rest from battle.  Her polar opinion between the two brothers serves as an important facet for dissecting the importance of kleos even within a family. Homer shows Helen’s shame and contempt for her husband as he does nothing to defend her or his home against her love for Hector as he fights so gloriously for Troy.

Introduction: The repercussions of beauty and the actions provoked through desires are illustrated through the character Helen within the Iliad.

1. The basic ingredient  have been identified in each subject. 2. The Swedish curriculum  includes Swedish, English and Maths. 3. The teacher pointed out that Sean is very inteligent  for his age 4. After finishing this book, students may 4. Helen and Clara are twins. none of   (Ingen av) them are interested in fashion.