Discuss the roles of women in the Homeric epics. Give specific examples.

one includes Thetis and Andromache; Penelope and Nausicaa.     In the Iliad, needless to say, Helen’s abduction is the cause of the Trojan War, the great battle between the Trojans and the Achaeans.  Briseis originally is Achilles’ booty but later snatched by Agamemnon.  As a result, Achilles withdraws from the war.  Circe, a sorceress with magical power, invites Odysseus’ crew to a feast and turns them into pigs.  Calypso, a sea nymph, imprisons Odysseus in Ogygia for seven years in order to force him to be her immortal husband.       The other kind of women has maternal and peaceful status.  First, Thetis is concerned about her son Achilles, Andromache about Astyanax, Penelope about Telemachus.  In addition, Nausicaa is a figure of “new mother” because Odysseus’ rescue by her can be viewed as his rebirth.  Second, in the Iliad women yearn for peace.  Thetis detains Achilles in fear of his future doom.  Andromache hopes Hector could think twice before he joins in the battlefield again.  Penelope symbolizes a pacific family.  We know Odysseus will be safe if he comes through Poseidon’s spite and goes back home.  Nausicaa, the princess of an isolated country filled with peace, kindly welcomes Odysseus ensuring his return home.     In general, the ill female figure in the Homeric epics usually results in the plights of men, especially of heroes; the women are seen as the cause of disorder.  However, the modest type of women such as Penelope or Hecuba is a token of peace; they also share another similarity: they stand for the image of motherhood.