The Dehumanization Of Women In Homer's Iliad

Homer's gender,the writer of the Illiad,is said to be unknown but from the way women are depicted in his literary works we can come to a conclusion that he is a male. Specifically in the Illiad the epic centers around the story of war among the Greeks and the Trojans. The women are rarely seen however when they are featured their roles add more interest in the already action packed narrative. Homer displays three different kinds of women and those are the war prizes, your typical housewives and finally the powerful goddesses. The Iliad shows how war dehumanizes a man but what effects does this have on the women?In a world dominated by males it’s so ironic that the war is always influenced and instigated by a female.
Bryseis,Chryseis and Helen falls under the war prizes category because they are given as possession trophies. They are voiceless in the situation they are placed in and also have no control of their fate. Helen triggers one of the first war we see in the Iliad between her husband Menalos,before she was taken away, and Paris, the one she was given to. The female goddesses …show more content…
She will only accompany her spouse when she is given permission to do so. This type of relationship is illustrated in the work through Andromache, the wife of Hector. By opening up their relationship it allows us as readers to connect with them on a personal level.She is a mother, care taker, supporter and advisor. A wife plays a very crucial part especially when it comes to mortherhood because her job is to multiply and raise future warriors. Whenever a member of your force gets eliminated they need to be replaced and that job can only be done by a woman. Andromache is a Proverbs 31 virtuous woman. She loves her husband,supports and understand that he is a warrior but she also knows that it’s very dangerous and her fate depends on