Greek poet Homer's Iliad is a patriarchal epic led by fearless men with a cast of female characters. In Greek society, women are either a valuable asset or an obstacle to men and are the symbol of male pride. In the Iliad, Homer illustrates that these women have depth and their emotions are intense and worthy of examination; however, it also highlights the fact that men have infinitesimal respect for their thoughts and emotions. Women are forced to stand like helpless statues waiting to be rewarded, sacrificed, or used in the bedroom. In the Iliad, women provoke battles and men lead them. This story of fate and disaster is woven into a web of complexities that drive the war game between these patriarchal societies. Understanding the ideas of masculinity and femininity described in the Iliad is the gateway to understanding the complexities of Greek culture. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on “Why Violent Video Games Should Not Be Banned”? Get the original essay Mortal women are at the heart of the Iliad. According to myth, the entire Trojan War begins with a woman. Paris, Trojan prince, declares Aphrodite, goddess of love and beauty, the most beautiful woman by offering her a golden apple made by Hephaestus, the god of fire and work. This pleases Aphrodite who in return offers Paris Hélène, the most beautiful women. The problem with this arrangement is that Helen is already married to Menelaus, the king of Sparta, and she is taken from him. Paris' actions hurt Menelaus' pride, which angered him and caused Menelaus to want revenge. This launches the ancient world into a brutal ten-year war. As both men hold high positions in society, their personal pride symbolizes the honor of an entire nation. As a result, the Achaeans feel dishonored by the actions of the Trojans and seek to destroy them. Female characters in the “Iliad”: the context of Greek culture In the third book of the Iliad, Menelaus and Paris fight one-on-one. They both use Helen as a motive for their fight; however, their obsession with Helen is not due to their love for her but an obsession with their pride and honor. In this era, women are treated as objects meant to be possessed rather than people meant to be enjoyed and Helen is no exception. Their most important characteristic is their beauty and this is the sole determining entity of their value. This is especially important as Helen watches the battle with the elders of Troy. These elders are hypnotized by her beauty and as a result they cannot blame Paris for her actions: “who the hell could blame them? Ah, no wonder the Trojans and Argives under arms endured years of agony for her, for such a woman. Beauty, terrible beauty.” Helen's beauty protects her and constitutes her only influence on men. This is the main difference between immortal and mortal women. Immortal women can have an opinion and exercise free will while mortal women can only exercise their beauty. In the Iliad, Homer does not fail to show the depth of the female characters and often shows what they are feeling. In fact, as Helen sits with these elders, she expresses, “Death never came, so now I can only waste away in tears.” Homer eloquently shows how women in these ancient societies are treated by showing the men's lack of consideration for the female characters. Helen is so upsetthat she wishes she were dead, but even that decision is not hers. She is at the mercy of the men around her, who, instead of listening to her, decide to ignore her feelings and focus on the men on the battlefield. During the battle, Menelaus begins to catch up with Paris but “Aphrodite snatches Paris…and deposits him in his room” and sets off in search of Helen. Aphrodite appears to Helene and tells her to go to Paris in the bedroom. In the Iliad and in Greek culture, masculine pride is demonstrated on the battlefield and in the bedroom. Aphrodite gives Helen no choice but to go to Paris. When Hélène is offered to Paris, she does not have the opportunity to express how she feels about the situation. This event shows the primordial burden of the female characters in the Iliad: instead of being treated as deeply moved people, they are treated as a lifeless object to be possessed by men. Female characters are at the center of every male conflict in the Iliad and Achilles' spiral of rage against Agamemnon is no exception. Agamemnon, king of the Mycenae, must return Cryseis, the daughter of the Trojan priest of Apollo Chryseis, whom he had kidnapped during a Greek raid. As previously mentioned, women are seen as symbols of male pride on the battlefield and in the bedroom and Cryseis is no exception. Its value is determined by the sole fact that it was Agamemnon's prize. He conquered it in a war raid and his pride was deeply wounded when he had to give it back. The whole encounter is similar to a child having their toy taken away and spreading a rumor about the event. Agamemnon is a perfect example of this masculine phenomenon when he says, “but go get me another prize… look, my prize is snatched from me!” ". These men are valiant warriors, but when it comes to their possessions, especially women, they completely change and become children again. Just as in the conflict between Menelaus and Paris, Agamemnon is not in love with Cryseis; instead, he sees her as a lifeless object meant to be used for his personal pleasure. As she is taken away, Agamemnon asks for Briseis as a remedy for his wounded pride and as a method by which he can prove his superiority over Achilles: "I will be there in person in your tents to take Briseis in all her beauty, yours." price- so that you can learn how much greater I am than you.” This is a real insult to Achilles and a severe attack on Agamemnon. His pride is deeply hurt and his privacy invaded because Briseis is an important part of Achilles' life. Unlike most of the men in the Iliad, he has a slight emotional attachment to Briseis; however, later in the book he thinks it would have been better if Briseis had died the day she was chosen as the prize, showing that although he has a slight attachment, he still sees her as an obstacle rather than as an ally. Masculinity dominates femininity in the Iliad through the actions and reactions of men throughout the epic that display the patriarchal view of women as prizes and possessions. Like Helen, Briseis is also portrayed as a character with deep feelings and emotions, but they are ignored by men. When Briseis is first taken from Achilles, she has no choice in the matter and she "lags behind, reluctantly, at every step." Another example where this phenomenon is described is when Briseis is returned to Achilles in book 19. She begins a beautiful and powerful lament as a "woman like a goddess in her sorrow." Homer illustrates the agony Briseis feels following the death of Patroclus and sheds light on his past”.