roles of women in the Iliad

WRİTTEN BY CMA

Roles of Women In The Stories

The stories depending on great love are generally seems a charming narration for readers and listeners.And also women used in the such stories are generated with sensous motifs.However,we can confortably realize that roles of women in the most known two ancient stories,The Epic of Gilgamesh and The Illiad,are considerably different.While these texts lack a female love interest,erotic love still plays an important role as women figures. When reading The Epic of Gilgamesh , we can encounter the effections of women that change the flow of the story ,yet at the same time , none of them are depends on emotional reasons. According to first written epic,The Epic of Gilgamesh, “ participation of Enkidu into humans occurs thanks to sexual ability of a prostitute.In this situation,making sex with women is used as forces that could civilize the wild men like Enkidu and bring them into the civilised society ”(12-17). In the another notable example from The Epic of Gilgamesh , “ the king of Uruk ,Gilgamesh, taking the wifes from among his folk for his fantacy when their first wedding day”(19-23).There is also one more important example to show reflection of women on that times , “ Ishtar , the goddess of love , shows her erotic desire to Gilgamesh but Gilgamesh refuses her because of Ishtar ‘s obsessive erotic background with previous men and this situation results with the death of Enkidu”(47-55).While we analyze the relationships between men and women in the story, easily saying that roles and behaviors of women have remarkable importance to the flow of story though there is no love figures for women in these situations apart from sexuality and eroticism.Examples shows that women did not mean love for men on that times although they become important figures changing situations. “ The other famous story ,The Iliad , begins with conflict between Agamemnon and Achilles because of prices of war, Chryseis and Briseis.On the following pages Helen , the reason of the war between Achaeans and Trojans , is also used as a price of the fight between Paris and Menelaus “(80-96).We can say that women were used as slaves and deserved prices for men living on that times depends on these examples. Moreover, relationship between Helen and Paris which is known as a great love by readers and listeners was not actually well-grounded because “ Helen ,a figure of this love , blames Paris and wishes him died there and also more suprising thing is answer of Paris. He demanded sleeping with her even if Helen do not want to be with unhonorable Paris”(140-144) .As a result of above ,women using in The Iliad do not contain overtones of emotional love . To sum up , roles of women that is used in both stories do not bear any emotional motifs for men even if their entity plays important roles in the stories.When analyzed the women in that stories ,our interest are focused on two specific results,either love was just sexual and erotic feelings or the women did not have importance taking their own roles in societies to loved by men on that times .

REFERANCES
George, A. (1999). The epic of gilgamesh.(pp.12-17). England: Penguin Classics.
George, A. (1999). The epic of gilgamesh.(pp.19-23). England: Penguin Classics.
George, A. (1999). The epic of gilgamesh. (pp. 47-55). England: Penguin Classics.
Fagles, R., & Knox, B. (1998). The iliad. (Deluxe ed., pp. 80-96). United States: Penguin Classics.
Fagles, R., & Knox, B. (1998). The iliad. (Deluxe ed., pp. 140-144). United States: Penguin Classics.