In the ancient world, women were seen as objects and inferior to men. Most women were not respect and some were passed around as trophies. The Iliad by Homer and Medea by Euripides, demonstrate the two types of women in ancient world: in the Iliad, Helen, the wife of Menelaus stolen to be married to Paris, and in Medea, Medea, a fleeing princess of Colchis who wants revenge on her husband. Helen would be an example of how women were traditionally treated in the ancient world. Helen was forced to leave her life with Menelaus and be the prize of Paris. She did what she was told and did not have independence. Whereas, Medea was a woman who was feared by the people in Corinth. Medea depended on herself and was extremely vocal about what she disliked.
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Many claimed “Who could blame either the Trojan or Greeks/ For suffering so long for a woman like this. Her eyes are not human” (Homer Book 3 lines 164-166). However, many of the Trojans blamed Helen for the war and wanted her to “go back with the ships/ And spare us and our children a generation of pain” (167-168). They saw her as the reason behind the deaths of their loved ones. Paris acted as though he lusted for Helen more than truly loved her with how he “never wanted you so much, / Not even when I first took you away…I want you even more now than I wanted you then” (470-474). King Priam treated Helen very nicely and assured her she did not have anything to do with the war taking place. Hector (son of King Priam, brother of Paris), also, treated Helen very kindly and tried to make her feel better about the …show more content…
Like King Creon, who told her she needed to leave the land because: Creon: You, sullen and angry at your husband, / Medea, I declare that you must leave/ This land in exile, taking your two children/ with you, and don’t delay at all. Medea: Alas! I am woefully, utterly destroyed! / My enemies have opened my sails to the wind, / and there is no haven to escape ruin… Why do you send me from this land Creon? Creon: I’m afraid of you…afraid you’ll hurt my child irreparably. (Euripides, lines 284-297).
The women who gathered in front of Medea’s house felt sorry for her and wanted to comfort her. The Tutor and the Nurse, who worked for Medea, felt sorry for her. However, they worried that Medea was too emotional and was going to harm not only Jason but their children. On the other hand, Jason did not feel remorse for Medea at all. He blamed all her troubles on herself. Jason claims Aphrodite helped him get the Golden Fleece and Medea did not do nothing for him. Jason says Medea should not have spoken out against the royal family and she should be happy he married the Princess because now the kids and Medea could be taken care of. Jason goes as far as saying “it would be better if men could get children / some other way and there was no female race” (608-609). Jason spoke very lowly about
Many claimed “Who could blame either the Trojan or Greeks/ For suffering so long for a woman like this. Her eyes are not human” (Homer Book 3 lines 164-166). However, many of the Trojans blamed Helen for the war and wanted her to “go back with the ships/ And spare us and our children a generation of pain” (167-168). They saw her as the reason behind the deaths of their loved ones. Paris acted as though he lusted for Helen more than truly loved her with how he “never wanted you so much, / Not even when I first took you away…I want you even more now than I wanted you then” (470-474). King Priam treated Helen very nicely and assured her she did not have anything to do with the war taking place. Hector (son of King Priam, brother of Paris), also, treated Helen very kindly and tried to make her feel better about the …show more content…
Like King Creon, who told her she needed to leave the land because: Creon: You, sullen and angry at your husband, / Medea, I declare that you must leave/ This land in exile, taking your two children/ with you, and don’t delay at all. Medea: Alas! I am woefully, utterly destroyed! / My enemies have opened my sails to the wind, / and there is no haven to escape ruin… Why do you send me from this land Creon? Creon: I’m afraid of you…afraid you’ll hurt my child irreparably. (Euripides, lines 284-297).
The women who gathered in front of Medea’s house felt sorry for her and wanted to comfort her. The Tutor and the Nurse, who worked for Medea, felt sorry for her. However, they worried that Medea was too emotional and was going to harm not only Jason but their children. On the other hand, Jason did not feel remorse for Medea at all. He blamed all her troubles on herself. Jason claims Aphrodite helped him get the Golden Fleece and Medea did not do nothing for him. Jason says Medea should not have spoken out against the royal family and she should be happy he married the Princess because now the kids and Medea could be taken care of. Jason goes as far as saying “it would be better if men could get children / some other way and there was no female race” (608-609). Jason spoke very lowly about