Menelaus

Women in Greek literature tend to fall into two categories: sweet, gentle, passive beauties or dangerous, intelligent, powerful sorceresses. They are either the trophy or the villain -- at the very best, a female character may be a goddess, her powers being controlled by Zeus himself. Forget being the hero or ruler of a kingdom; a woman was to be either an obedient wife or a slightly-psychotic witch. With all these horrible labels women carried during this time, it’s ironic how Odysseus,…

Homer 's Iliad the gods are the main force of the war. Throughout the epic the gods intervene many times from Athena and Hera helping the Achaeans and Achilles. To Aphrodite in Paris started in the war. Athena is tricking Hector into stopping and fighting Achilles, Achilles mother being a goddess and helping him, the killing off Patroclus, and Athena tricking Hector into fighting Achilles. Throughout the entire book the gods intervene and change the course of the war several times. Although it…

film is a retelling of Homer’s The Illiad and the battle for Troy, which makes it a mythological movie. The film has many characters from the story, the main three being Achilles, Hector, and Paris, with the supporting roles of Ajax, Agamemnon and Menelaus. The highlighted difference between this movie and the original text is the lack of Gods and the roles they played in the Illiad. In the original text, the gods often interfered with the battles, some favoring the Greeks and some favoring the…

The gods play a fundamental role in defining and guiding the lives and character of the Greeks. The gods' influence is demonstrated by direct intervention or through indirect influence in the lives' of their worshippers. The Phaeacians are an example of this type of determinativist existence. The Phaeacians thrive on their island because of their strong relationships with the gods. Their daily lives are engrained with ritualistic evidence of their devotion and they represent the good that can…

witness the grand regaler that is worn to denote their status among one another. This is seen through King Priam of Troy in his royal fineries, Achilles in his black Myrmidon armour so he is seen as both a leader and a soldier, and even Agamemnon and Menelaus dressed in the decorative armour as they ride into battle upon a chariot further denoting them as higher than the rest of the Greeks. This use of epithets effective envisions what many would picture these high class men to be wearing as it…

characters continually treat Helen as a war prize because she, being the most beautiful mortal, can add a lot to a person’s social life. As the war begins, and Paris and Agamemnon start to argue over Helen’s love, Paris claims “Next time I’ll beat him [Menelaus] … I’ve never wanted you so much.” (42) Although this sounds sincere, Paris’s actions prove that he wants Helen for what she can bring to him in his life (beauty, sex, social power) and not because he has feelings of love for her. Homer…

Oikos are the unwritten laws, connected with the moral sense of humans. They are the religious values of the family, dominated and represented by female characters. In contrary, Polis is referred to as the man-made laws and religious values of the city, dominated and represented by male characters. In Sophocles’ “Antigone”, Creon is the representation of Polis while his niece, Antigone, is representing oikos. In Aeschylus’s “Agamemnon” also the tyrant king, Agamemnon, is the depiction of polis…

The ancient Greeks were known for their strong warriors, who would courageously fight in the violent wars and loyally stand for their city-state. The work The Iliad written by Homer is a lengthy epic poem about the great Trojan War, which many Greek soldiers went to battle in. Throughout this story many brave soldiers dedicated their lives through honor and bravery for this tragic battle between Troy and the Achaeans, which was highly looked upon by many Greeks. The Iliad shows how the ancient…

Character development is the most important part of any book, according to GoodReads. There are many connections between the City of Thieves by David Benioff and The Odyssey by Homer, and character development is a huge aspect that the protagonists in each book share. The main characters grow and develop through their experiences on their journeys, and become bolder, braver, and mentally stronger. They also receive guidance from wise figures, which allows the protagonists to expand their…

The issue I would like to address is the relationship between honour and tragedy demonstrated in The Iliad. Agamemnon and Achilles are prime examples in demonstrating that the urge to attain honour can lead to many tragic situations. Their rivalry arises when Agamemnon must return his war prize, Chryseis, and in compensation he demands Briseis from Achilles. In The Iliad, honour seems to be shifted from one person to the next rather than being shared. Thus in regards to the initial incident…