Role of Women in Troy and Iliad
Women are the pillar of any society. The property of any society calls for a cohesive existence between men and women. Although women are constantly subjected to some forms of segregation, they keep fighting to defend their families. In this work, I want to illustrate how women, even in pre-modern times, were still crucial entities to the society; therefore, they should not be subjected to any form of segregation. By highlighting the role of women in Troy and Iliad, I will be stressing the significance of women in our society. Governments and other relevant stakeholders around the globe should be sensitized on the need to promote gender equality, as a result of putting an end to gender-based violence. From the movie Troy and the book Iliad, both emphasize the role of women in marriage, society, army, royal positions, among other ancient societal entities.
The two stories Iliad and Troy, tell that the primary cause of the trojan war was Helen. Termed as the most beautiful woman in Greece, Helene was also the wife of Menelaus and also the queen of Sparta. In the movie, Helen made a big mistake by abandoning his husband Menelaus and went to Troy with Paris. As a result, Menelaus was agitated and felt like Paris had taken an honor from him. He seeks his brother’s Agamemnon help (Troy). They assembled almost fifty thousand soldiers with the sole intention of reclaiming Menelaus honor taken from him by Paris. Literally, a woman, Helena, led to the assembly of fifty thousand soldiers. Iliad also possessed similar chronological events, as exhibited in the movie. However, there exists a significant disparity from what transpired in the movie. Although Agamemnon was summoned by his brother to attack Troy, his main agenda to attack troy was for wealth accumulation. The Akhaians wanted to increase their economic as well as political (Pomeroy, 1975, p.18). In essence, this is a typical illustration of why in the Illiad, Helen ended up not being the major cause of the trojan war.
In the movie, Helen has been seen to be important because she determines Menelaus’ fame and honor, which is the reason why Menelaus had to take revenge as he felt insulted by Paris. Although the first illustration of the book is similar to the movie, its second illustration differs from the movie. The patrilocal and matrilocal marriage patterns determined the ruler when in marriages between royal blood. Just as Pomeroy stated, in a matrilocal marriage pattern, a warrior may become a king by marrying a prince (20). Thus, Menelaus became king by marrying Sparta princess. By losing his wife, Menelaus knew that he would lose his throne. In essence, this was the reason why he lamented that Paris had taken his honor and fame. These conditions ended up making Helen a very vital human being that could prompt a king to attack a city with almost sixty ships.
In a nutshell, what the movie Troy and the book Iliad illustrated are not different from what women are facing in this contemporary world. Since ancient times, women have been viewed as objects and subjects to their husbands. Menelaus fights not because he loves Helen, but because he wants to retain and secure his kingship. From a different perspective, if at all equality prevailed, Helen needed to be the overall ruler. Although Troy and Iliad illustrate the role of women from varied perspectives, it is still evident that women, since ancient times, were significantly disregarded.
Works cited
Troy. Dir.Wolfgang Petersen. Perf. Diana Krugger, Brad Pitt, Orlando Bloom, Eric Bana. Warner Home Video, 2004. DVD
Pomeroy, Sarah. Goddesses, whores, wives, and slaves: Women in classical antiquity. Schocken, 2011.