In Book XIV of Homer’s Iliad we can witness one interesting scene of seduction. The main protagonists are Hera and Zeus. It is well described how Gods sometimes tend to behave and think in deceived ways just like humans. But we also see that they are not humanlike in everything because there is a presence of some unrealistic elements on this passage. The Iliad is all about war and battlefields so it was kind of relieving to put scene with different theme. Homer did great choice by writing about seduction because love and love making is always a good choice to keep readers attention. Hera was very passionate hater of Trojans and under any circumstances she wanted to help Poseidon to attack and perhaps destroy Trojans, but first she had to take care of powerful Zeus, her husband: ”Queen Hera wondered, her eyes glowing wide… / how could she outmaneuver Zeus the mastermind”. She had to distract Zeus somehow to keep him out of getting involved in the bloody battles that were going on. If she could achieve that, then Poseidon could help Achaeans. She needed a plan how to prevent a Zeus from helping the Trojans. It was wise to use her lady charms to seduce him. To be sure in complete accomplishing of that, she went to Aphrodite. Hera tricked her by saying that she needs magic breast band to match some lovers. The person who wears it becomes irresistible because it was chanted: “…There is the heat of Love, / the pulsing rush of Longing, the lover’s whisper, / irresistible – magic to make the sanest man go mad.” At this point, a reader can see how much Hera wants to get what she wants and how suddenly she …show more content…
They are sometimes good and sometimes bad. They have flaws and they are vulnerable. They are cruel and they don’t forget. Just like any human
Later on however, she prays for Artemis to kill her and that she would meet Odysseus in the underworld so she could escape the suitors who are longing to marry her and rule Ithaca. She is willing to give up her life because she could not live without her
In the epic poem The Iliad, armies and individuals on both sides of the Trojan War are compared to animals through a figure of speech called, simile. The similes reveal qualities about the nature of honor and leadership. Through out the epic, both Gods and mortals have made decisions in battle that are considered honorable or dishonorable. While the narrator does not directly say an action is honorable or dishonorable, it is implied through simile that an action is to be viewed a certain way.
This could be due to that fact that gods and goddesses are also shown to have two sets of standards for sexual fidelity. When Calypso was told to release Odysseus she mentioned these unfair standards, “Hard-hearted you are, you gods! You unrivaled lords of jealousy-scandalized when goddesses sleep with mortals.” (The Odyssey, Book 5, pg 317, lines 130-133) Calypso 's complaint shows that even divine beings in Greek culture have different standards for women and men.
World Literature Paper – Role of Athena and Penelope in The Odyssey Homer’s, The Odyssey is an epic which was written many years ago. At that time, in Ancient Greek society, the dominant role was played by men and the women were considered and given an inferior position. But The Odyssey was often considered a women’s epic because women played an important role. Women in The Odyssey are portrayed as powerful, wise and controlling because they ensure that the illusion of male success will go on - they speak as men through women.
“The Odyssey,” written by Greek poet Homer is an epic tale depicting the brutally enduring quest home of the Greek hero, Odysseus. Within this heroic story, women play a very large and pivotal role in Odysseus’s trip home from the Trojan War. In his attempt to get back to his wife, Penelope, Odysseus’s progress is constantly hindered by the intervention of women who will do anything in order to either convince the heroic figure to stay with them or have him killed. The intentions of the women in the epic are all very different but one of the most prominent roles lies in the seductresses and the alluring women who will deeply influence Odysseus. Most importantly, Penelope plays a large role in portraying the importance of women’s roles in the story.
Meanwhile, Penelope is in Ithaka busy dealing with the suitors who vie for her hand in marriage, tending to her loom, and directing her serving maids at work. In Homer’s epic poem, women, and goddesses are treated differently than men and gods when it comes to their freedom, expectations, and image. One common occurrence in this epic poem is unequal freedom for women,
Homer was enthralled with the idea of temptation and used it in The Odyssey’s plot exceedingly
Athena, knowing that she set up everything perfectly, helps Oddyseus finally get the help he needs from King Alcinous and his people in order to bring him closer to home. Another way Athena shows her cunning strategies is in Book 7 as she covers Odysseus in a mist and disguises herself as a little girl as they go into town to see the king and queen of Scheria. …says, “Pallas Athena, harboring kindness for the hero, drifted a heavy mist around him, shielding him from any swaggering islander who’d cross his path” (7.15-17). Athena, drifting the mist around Odysseus, helps him traverse smoother and easier into town. This allowed him to concentrate on how he is going to present himself to King Alcinous instead of
The respectable male characters such as Odysseus treat women well, but mostly for their appearance and marriage potential. Near the beginning, after washing up on the island of the Pheaecians, he meets a girl and says, “Mistress: please: are you divine, or mortal? If one of those who dwell in the wide heaven, you are the most near to Artemis, I should say,” (8). To
My own fame is for wisdom among the gods --deceptions too.” (The Odyssey 13.379-384.) She acts as his advisor and protector, aiding him constantly through his journey to return to Ithaca. She even addresses the other gods about Odysseus’s situation, and “if it... pleases the
When he attempted to hide Io, Zeus simply covered the Earth with a cloud. Hera immediately noticed something was wrong, and when she came down to investigate, her husband turned his lover into a heifer. Both of these myths hint that the Lord of the Sky is actually desperate. As in the myth of Europa, Zeus was willing to demean himself for the chance to sleep with a mortal woman. In order to get Europa, Zeus was convinced to turn into a bull and kidnap unsuspecting Europa.
In the Iliad, hospitality is a reoccurring theme that can change situations, inspire character development, and link itself with other themes to make concrete points. Throughout the Iliad, situations are dramatically shifted when hospitality is used. In many cases, when things are going awry, hospitality allows the characters to, instead of acting like animals, find the humanity inside themselves. For example, in book nine, Nestor proposes a feast for Achilles to try and get him to rejoin the Greek force. Hospitality is especially important in this example, because Achilles was angry but also hospitable.
How I wish you’d died there, killed by that strong warrior who was my husband once’” (Homer, Iliad 3. 480-482), this stirred up conflicts on the ground between the mortals and made Helen and other Trojans dislike Paris even more. Goddesses like Athena were out for revenge in the Iliad because Paris did not see her fit for the golden apple that was to be given to the fairest Goddess, in the Judgement of Paris. So Athena and Hera, who mainly used her marriage to Zeus to do her dirty work, plotted against the Trojans.
Known as an epic war poem, The Iliad delves into topics concerning masculinity, heroism, and bravery. Women play a modest but important role that forms the structure of the plot. Helen’s character aids in expanding Menelaus and Paris’ characters. Homer does not delve into the lives of women like he does with the men, speaking to the notion of inferiority between the sexes. Homer displays women as tangible items through male interactions with one another.
These almighty figures are the world’s greatest thing because they never harm humans, they don’t desire sexual needs from mortals, and they don’t expect endless gifts and sacrifices. According to the Christian bible, one of the most despicable acts a person can indulge in is adultery and lust, but when analyzing the poem, we can see that many Greek gods and goddesses partake in this shameful behavior. The eagerness of lust that Greek gods and goddesses experience humanizes them, making them closer to