WOMEN IN THE ILIAD One of the things that stands out in the Iliad is the way Homer describes

s the women characters. The main ones are Andromache, Helen and to a lesser extent, Hecabe and Briseis. Firstly, it is obvious from the story that even very wealthy women had no power in the world of the Iliad, even if they had status. What is the difference between these two things? Can you give an example from the story of how a woman had status but no power? From Book 1 it is clear that women were regarded as property, valuable property sometimes, but definitely not in control of their own lives. Briseis and Chryseis are prizes who have been shared out once their town was captured by the Greeks. Chryseis was lucky, her father had influence and money and could offer a ransom for her. In Book 22 a chariot race is mentioned for which the prize might be a woman or a tripod. The two main woman characters that we get to know are Andromache, wife of Hector and Helen, wife of Paris. Andromache is described as being beautiful and of a fine family (all of whom are now dead, thanks to Achilles). Note the

features which marked out a womans beauty to the Greeks ox-eyed; silver feet; white-armed. Why? Andromache loves her husband very much and is frantic when she thinks he has died on the battlefield. She begs him not to fight in the front line and instead to fight inside the walls of Troy. But he tells her that war is mens business, not womens. But he does love her truly and says that the thing he dreads most is not the fall of the city, but the sound of her cries as she is dragged off to slavery in Greece. Andromache tells Hector that he will endanger their sons future by his reckless bravery, but Hector prays that his son will be an even braver warrior than his father is. They both smile, Andromache through her tears, as Astyanax is afraid of Hectors flashing helmet with the horsehair plume. Hector prays that Asytyanax will bring home the bloodstained armour of the enemy and make his mother happy. It is clear from the poem that a womans place is at the loom, weaving and ordering the servant girls to keep the house going.Andromaches devastation at her husbands death and the poignant way she discovers it are very moving. She feels there is no future for her and orders all of his clothes to be burned. In contrast, the relationship between Helen and Paris is not a happy one. Helen despises Paris and also is guilt ridden for having caused the war. She wishes she were dead, or at least married to one who cared what people thought of him. She,

unlike Andromache, urges Paris out to battle. It is clear that Helen has no control over her own life, she is stuck in a relationship which she does not want. She and Hector do get on well though. She is very upset when he dies and says that when she arrived, only he and Priam were nice to her. Hecabe is mother of Hector and Paris. In Book 6 she is told to sacrifice her best robe and 12 yearling heifers to Athene for good luck for Troy. She begs Hector to come inside the walls, reminding him of how she nursed him as a child and of how he will not be properly buried if Achilles kills him. She movingly laments her sons death in Book 24 and wishes that at least he could have died in her arms. Cassandra is sister of Hector and Paris, she can tell the future but is never believed. She is first to see the body of her brother as it is brought back to the city.