Role Of Helen In The Odyssey

Homer is a legendary writer who is foreshadowed by many other writers in his work. While most agree with and follow in Homers footsteps, there are also those who deliberately see and do things in a dissimilar way. This can be presented by the use of the character, Helen, in the Odyssey and in Sappho’s Fragment 16. Homer and Sappho use Helen in their stories in conflicting ways to differentiate epic and lyric poetry while also expressing different ideas and perspectives.

As the request is made of his own mother she simply abides to her son’s wishes, “She bathed now, put on some fresh clothes,” (Homer l 17.60). All throughout the Odyssey Penelope shows her strength to ward off suitors and she manages to live without her husband for years. Remaining faithful the entire time to her husband Odysseus she discloses to her maid, “Eurynome, don’t try to coax me, care for me as you do, to bathe myself, refresh my face with oils. Whatever glow I had died long ago… the gods of Olympus snuffed it out that day my husband sailed away in the hollow ships,” (Homer ll 18.201-206) presenting to the reader that she lost all desire for anyone else when Odysseus’ left for war. This further substantiates the Greek view of how women should remain loyal at all times forsaking others. Lastly Penelope is rewarded for her lasting devotion to her husband with his return. In these characters and their specific roles in the Odyssey the Greeks’ insisted upon their women to accept such roles in their culture of certain hypocrisy when compared to that of their female counterpart. Without Athena’s support Odysseus would have never reached Ithaca and Telemachus would not have been pushed into becoming a man. Without Penelope’s loyalty, devotion, and support Odysseus’ efforts in his journey home would have held little merit of reward. What is most important to note is the male character of Odysseus plays the most prominent role in the epic but

One sees the same passionate force at play driving both renditions of Helen in Sappho’s poem “To an army wife, in Sardis” when Helen leaves her home to see Paris and, in turn, forgets “love due her own blood, her own child (Sappho 16.13-14),” and in Agamemnon when the chorus say that King Menelaus and King Agamemnon “launched Greece in a thousand ships…the heart within them screamed for all-out war! (Aeschylus, Agamemnon 50 and 53)” In the first instance, Helen required much courage to do such an action as leave her husband, her family, and her whole kingdom. Likewise, in the second instance, the kings need such an inspiring force driving them so that they knowingly launch a whole war over one woman. Despite this similar degree of emotion involved behind each action taken by and for Helen in each work, two different types of emotions drive each action and lead them to different conclusions. In Sappho’s poem, she describes love as, “the most beautiful thing on the black earth (Sappho

      Penelope and Helen are the real human women who can steal men's hearts with their own feminine ways and they never let their man go.  Helen stole the heart of Paris and later married Menelaus-the love that Paris had for Helen began the long Trojan War.  Even with her shaded past, Helen is able to live her life as a proper adjusted middle-class matron.  Penelope and Odysseus were only together for a few years before he was sent off to war and, while he was gone for over twenty years, his love for her lasted.  Penelope is the symbol of marital fidelity, of trust, honor  and devotion.

Barry Strauss organizes his summary of the Trojan War by referencing Homer 's the Iliad and the Odyssey and compares it to the historical contexts of what he thinks happened. Most scholars agree that the Trojan War dates back around 1200 B.C. during the Bronze Age. The most popular tale of how the Trojan War starts is when Paris, Prince of Troy, goes to visit Sparta to mend relations. In Sparta, Paris is welcomed by Menelaus, King of Sparta and his beautiful wife Helen. According to ancient sources, Menelaus went to Crete for business and foolishly left Helen all alone with Paris (Strauss, 15). Afterward, Helen is seduced by Paris and flees Sparta to accompany him back to Troy, along with bountiful treasures.

The chorus during one of their observations blames the Trojan War on Helen, the most beautiful women of all the land who was whisked away by Paris of Greece. "He had skill in the swordplay, He went down so tall in the onslaught, All for another's women" page 119. The chorus was talking about the men of Greece sent to go to war. Explaining that the men may have fought a good battle

Each of the goddesses promised to give Paris something in return for giving her the apple. Hera offered Paris power and the richest kingdom on earth. Athena promised to make him a great hero and to give him wealth. Finally, Aphrodite promised a marriage to the most beautiful woman in the world, Helen of Sparta (Joe "Trojan War"). Paris immediately chose Aphrodite to be the fairest, causing much discord for the others. He quickly set off to Sparta to fetch Helen; however, she was the wife of the Spartan king, Menelaus. When Paris reached Sparta, he saw that Menelaus was not there and he proceeded to abduct Helen. Menelaus was infuriated by this deviousness. He called upon all of Helen’s old suitors who had promised to keep her honor. These suitors did not truly want to go to war, in fact, Odysseus feigned insanity and

At the end of the war, Menelaus initially wanted to kill Helen as a result of her leaving him for Paris of Troy. He changed his mind though when he saw her blubbering, in melancholy, and shedding her robes uncovering her beautiful body for him to gaze upon.

2When queen helen gets kidnap by the trojan prince Paris. Helen’s husband get his brother to go and get his wife for him and his brother goes but he also gets the help from Odysseus and others. Athena was in the side of Odysseus because she was the goddess of war and she believe that Paris

Embodied in Paris, the antagonist of the Trojan war, is the reflection of Troy's lack of piety. When Paris captured Helen, he stole her while Menelaus’ guest in Mycenaea and under the ancient code of hospitality. However, the abduction of Helen went further than breaking

She delivered the bad news that started the Trojan war, telling Menelaus that Paris had ran away with his wife, Helen. Hera then sent Iris flying to the island of Crete with news of their elopement. Out of anger, Menelaus raised an army that planned to invade

As a goddess of the Greek pantheon, Athene, goddess of wisodom, crafts, and warfare was afforded a position of high respect. She was one of the most venerated Greek deities, so it is no surprise that she plays an active role in two of the most famous Greek epics, Homer’s Iliad and Odyssey. In the Iliad, she and her stepmother, Hera, queen fo the gods, both despise the Trojans, whom the Greeks have been fighting for nearly a decade over beautiful Helen, the wife of Menelaus who was stolen by the Trojan prince Paris. Both Athene and Hera do everything in their power to ensure the Greeks utterly destroy the city of Troy and its inhabitants. However, in the Odyssey, Athene plays a much different role.

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 Aphrodite, who in turn gave him Helen, who was her equivalent in beauty amongst humans. In both versions, Paris is portrayed as a wife stealing, thief in the night. His brother Hector and he were on a peace mission in Sparta on behalf of Troy visiting the king, Menelaus, when Paris ran off with Menelaus' wife, Helen. This action divides the Gods who constantly meddle with the mortal's lives. Naturally, Aphrodite is on the Trojans' side, as was her lover and God of War, Ares, and Apollo. Although Zeus, King of Gods, tried to be neutral, he was pro-Trojan. Hera, Queen of Gods, and Athena help the Greeks because they were mad that Paris chose Aphrodite. Poseidon, God of the Sea and Zeus' brother, also sided with the Greeks whenever Zeus was not looking. An example of this constant intrusiveness of the Gods in the Iliad was when King "Menelaus hurls his spear, lightly wounding Paris. Paris' helmet strap becomes caught at his chin and Menelaus has nearly dragged him away before Aphrodite intervenes, breaking the strap. She then wraps Paris in a mist, sets him in his own perfumed bedchamber, and hurries to catch Helen" (Bloom 13). Of

The Trojan War began when the Trojan Prince Paris stole the heart of Helen, the wife of King Menelaus of Sparta, and the two of them returned back to try to be married. Menelaus was not going to take this act of disrespect, and demanded that somebody pay the price for such a devious crime. Agamemnon was the brother of Menelaus and the two of them formed an alliance against the people and leaders of Troy. When the dust settled many familiar faces were dead including Achilles, Ajax, and Paris. King Menelaus

Some include, Ishtar of Babylonia, Inanna of Sumer, and Asharte of Phoenicia. Each of these goddesses symbolizes love and beauty in their culture, just like Aphrodite (Mark). On the other hand, Aphrodite is claimed to be held responsible for the start of the Trojan War (Cartwright). The legendary Trojan War took place in the Bronze Age between the people of Troy and Greece (History.com Staff). When Paris came to Mount Olympus, he was to choose one of the fairest goddesses; Athena, Hera, or Aphrodite. Each of them offered a bribe, trying to beat out the other (Daly 12). In the end, Aphrodite won because she offered him the most beautiful mortal woman named Helen (Cartwright). The conflict that arose was that Helen was already married to the King of Sparta, Menelaus (History.com Staff). Helen was kidnapped from her husband by the Greeks and sent to be with Paris (Daly 12). Menelaus was outraged and sent men to find her but to no avail (History.com Staff). The outcome of the war was a victory for the Greeks (History.com Staff). “Similarly, in Homer’s description of the Trojan War in The Iliad, she is described as ‘golden’ and ‘smiling’ and supports the Trojans in the war, in notable episodes, protecting Aeneas from Diomedes and saving the hapless Paris from the wrath of Menelaos”