Comparison between The Iliad and The Women of Troy Essay

The Iliad by Homer and the Women of Troy by Euripides are both Greek works of literature that look at the Trojan War from different perspectives. Book 6 of the Iliad illustrates that the ultimate glory is to fight for the city with no regard to the impact on the family. The Women of Troy focuses on the negatives that war causes, especially towards the soldier’s wives and children. Whereas the Iliad focuses on the battle itself and centers on the warriors, the Women of Troy focuses on the wrath the war brings upon the families left behind. The central theme in both the works is the Trojan War and they both offer perspectives of the duty of a person, the role of predetermined fate, and the role of women. Homer’s Iliad focuses†¦show more content†¦In contrast, the Women of Troy focuses mainly on the negatives of war especially as they affect the dependents of the soldiers. The emphasis is on the wrath the war brings on the dependents of the defeated army. The focus of the Women of Troy is the suffering of these helpless human beings who are enslaved, raped or assigned to be concubines. The Women of Troy illustrates how the women are treated just like objects once their city fell and their army lost. The women are â€Å"assigned by lottery as slaves to various Greeks –Arcadians, Thessalians, or Athenians† Even the priestess Cassandra who had taken an oath of life long virginity is forced to be King Agamemnon’s concubine. Another prominent woman, princess Polyxena is beheaded and the queen Hecabe is assigned to be a slave of Odysseus. The subjects of the Women of Troy are not the war heroes but their helpless wives; the primary focus is no t on the celebration of the glorious fight of individual soldiers but on the utter desperation of their wives and children. Hecabe’s words in the Women of Troy captures this helplessness when she says, â€Å"My virgin daughters †¦ Given to our enemies† as well as â€Å"In my old age shall go to Hellas as a slave†. The role of women in society is another area in which these two Greek works offer different perspectives. In theShow MoreRelatedThe Role Of Women And Their Influence On The War1446 Words   |  6 Pagesanother vital component in The Iliad is the role of women and their influence on the war and their association with different characters. Scholar Mary R. Lefkowitz, disputes that ladies had some freedom and were under the supervisions of man. The scholar inscribes: In the Homeric epics, women seem to have little independence; they were always under the guardianship of a man, whether a husband, father, or even a son. 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