When it comes to respect and support, Hera shows very little care for her husbandвЂ™s position. Zeus responds by chastising her for the rage she feels toward the Trojans and responds вЂњ. вЃ 5 вЂќ These do not appear to be the words of a wife committed to subservient acquiescence of her husbandвЂ™s commands. Do as you please вЂ“ but none of the deathless gods will ever praise you. Meanwhile, вЂњ Hera could hold the anger in her breast no longer, suddenly bursting out, вЂњDread Majesty, son of Cronus, what are you saying? How can you think of making all my labor worthless, all gone for nothing? Mortal labor вЂ“ the sweat I poured, my horses panting, spent from launching AchaeaвЂ™s armies, heaping pains on Priam and PriamвЂ™s sons. smoldering at the Father seized with wild resentment. Her daughter, Athena, equally slighted by Paris, stands by her side however, when it comes time to stand up to Zeus on this point вЂњ. Zeus initially appears to be supporting King Priam and the Trojans however, Hera, who was slighted by PriamвЂ™s son Paris prior to the start of The Iliad, is determined to punish the Trojan people by supporting their arch rivals, the Achaeans. In the Trojan War epic, The Iliad, Hera seems at odds with ZeusвЂ™ position on many points including which side of the war to support and whom Zeus should be helping. Hera, married to her brother Zeus, the King of the Olympian Gods, has significant difficulties in playing the subservient role to her husband. It would not be unusual then to think of Hera as the quintessential archetype for what feminine behavior should be. In this paper the actions and behaviors of Penelope and Hera are contrasted with respect to these normative expectations of feminine behavior. In Ancient Greece, women were expected to be subservient to their husbands by implementing his wishes and commands, always speaking of their husbands with respect and deference, and focusing their energies on oeconomia (Greek: Оїбј°ОєОїОЅОїОјОЇО±): the management of the household. Looking back further to the foundational texts of Western Culture: specifically, The Iliad and The Odyssey, one realizes that our understanding of the role of women in society has changed substantial over the intervening millennia though, Homer seems to have provided us with two diametrically-opposed archetypes for acceptable behavior from his female characters. вЃ 3 вЂќ Ultimately with influences from foundational authors and texts such as Aristotle and the Bible, it is no surprise that women have played a limited role in the active development of the Western World. Aristotle, in his Politics, said вЂњAgain, the male is by nature superior, and the female inferior and the one rules, and the other is ruled this principle of necessity extends to all mankind. вЃ 2 вЂќ These attitudes did not originate from Judeo-Christian sources. вЃ 1 вЂќ It was also expected that вЂњ As the church is subordinate to Christ, so wives should be subordinate to their husbands in everything.

be subordinate to their husbands as to the Lord.

Judeo-Christian practice expected that women would вЂњ. Prior to the 20 th century and even through the mid-point, the role of women in society was significantly more restricted than today and the normative practices that women engaged in were predominantly domestically-focused. This movement brought about substantial changes in the way that both men and women perceive the roles of women in society as well as the normative practices that those of the female gender espoused as the century progressed. As a result of postmodern philosophical thought, the 20 th century saw significant change in the operating principles governing the Western World however, no facet of this mode of thinking was quite so transformational, perhaps, as the feminist movement.

Iliad and the odyssey