Book 4 is almost entirely male—warriors, battle, violence. Then Book 6 brings women CENTER STAGE: Hecuba (mother), Helen (cause of war), and especially Andromache (wife). This structural shift isn't accidental—Homer is showing us the FEMALE perspective on war that Books 1-4 largely ignored.
The Central Question
Do Homeric women have AGENCY (power to act/choose) or are they merely VICTIMS (powerless objects)? The answer: BOTH. Different women have different amounts of power, but ALL are constrained by gender, social position, and the heroic code that values male glory over female survival.
This lesson examines three women in Books 4 & 6 (Andromache, Hecuba, Helen), comparing their roles, limitations, and the tiny spaces of power they carve out in a profoundly male-dominated world.
Women in Homeric Society: Overview
Woman
Social Role
Source of Status
Type of Power
Key Limitation
Andromache
Wife, mother
Marriage to Hector
Emotional influence (limited)
Can't make Hector stay
Hecuba
Queen, mother
Marriage to Priam, motherhood
Domestic/religious authority
Can't stop sons fighting
Helen
Prize, wife (contested)
Beauty, divine favor
None (despite being war's cause)
Controlled by men and gods
What This Shows
ALL three women's status derives from RELATIONSHIPS TO MEN (wife of X, mother of Y). None have independent political power. Their "power" is limited to emotional persuasion (which often fails) and domestic management. Yet Homer treats them as INTELLIGENT, AWARE characters—not passive objects.
Andromache: The Intelligent, Powerless Wife
Andromache is Book 6's emotional center. She's INTELLIGENT (makes strategic military suggestions), AWARE (knows Troy will fall), LOVING (genuinely cares for Hector), and completely POWERLESS to change anything.
Andromache's Social Position
Status: High-born (princess of Thebe) but now dependent entirely on Hector Role: Wife, mother, household manager Power sources: Marriage (gives her security), motherhood (gives purpose), intelligence (gives voice—but not authority) Vulnerability: If Hector dies, she becomes war prize/slave
Andromache's Strategic Intelligence
Andromache doesn't just BEG emotionally—she makes a MILITARY argument. This is crucial for understanding her character:
'Come, take pity on us and stay here on the tower; or you will make your boy an orphan and your wife a widow. And concentrate the army by the fig-tree, where the wall can be most easily scaled and the city is most open to attack. Three times their best men have tried an assault at that point...'
— Andromache to Hector, Book 6, Rieu translation
What This Reveals About Women's Intelligence
"concentrate the army by the fig-tree": Specific tactical suggestion—she's STUDIED the defenses
"where the wall can be most easily scaled": Identifies strategic vulnerability
"Three times their best men have tried": She's been WATCHING battles, analyzing patterns
Defensive strategy: Proposes viable alternative to Hector's offensive fighting
💡 Intelligence Without Authority
Andromache is smart enough to devise strategy—but has ZERO authority to implement it. Hector listens respectfully but dismisses her suggestion. Not because she's WRONG (her analysis is sound), but because accepting it would violate the heroic code. Women can be intelligent in Homer, but intelligence ≠ power when social structures exclude them from decision-making.
Andromache's Total Dependency
Andromache's vulnerability is EXTREME. Her entire past and future depend on male warriors:
Andromache's Complete Dependence on Men
Past: Father and seven brothers killed by Achilles—entire birth family destroyed by ONE warrior
Mother: Enslaved by Achilles, ransomed, died shortly after
Present: Security depends entirely on Hector's survival
Future if Hector lives: Remains high-status wife
Future if Hector dies: Enslaved, likely given to Greek warrior as concubine
'Hector, you are father and mother and brother to me, as well as my beloved husband. Have pity on me now; stay here on the tower; and do not make your boy an orphan and your wife a widow.'
— Andromache, Book 6, Rieu translation
Why "Father and Mother and Brother"?
Literal truth: Her entire family is dead—Hector IS her only family
Emotional appeal: Emphasises how much she needs him
Shows women's vulnerability: One death = total destruction of security
Rhetorical strategy: Makes him feel responsible for replacing ALL her lost relatives
The Gender Power Gap
If HECTOR loses someone, he's sad but his social position remains secure. If ANDROMACHE loses Hector, she loses EVERYTHING—status, home, freedom, future, safety. This asymmetry defines women's position: their entire existence depends on male relatives' survival, while men's positions are relatively stable regardless of female relatives' fates.
What Andromache Represents
Andromache embodies the CIVILIAN COST of heroic warfare—specifically the female civilian cost:
What She CAN Do
Speak her mind (Hector listens)
Make suggestions (even tactical ones)
Express love and fear
Manage household (implied)
Raise children (as mother)
Be intelligent and observant
What She CANNOT Do
Prevent Hector from fighting
Participate in military decisions
Ensure her own safety
Choose her fate if Troy falls
Leave Troy independently
Have political power/authority
💡 Essay Point
"Andromache's position in Book 6 exposes the profound gender inequality in Homeric society. Despite demonstrating strategic intelligence—'concentrate the army by the fig-tree, where the wall can be most easily scaled'—her suggestions carry no authority. Her speech's sophistication (tactical analysis, emotional appeal, prediction of consequences) reveals intellectual equality with male characters, yet social structures deny her any power to act on that intelligence. Homer presents women as rational, capable beings trapped in systems that render them dependent on male relatives for survival."
Hecuba: The Queen Mother
Hecuba appears briefly in Book 6 when Hector returns to Troy. As Priam's wife and mother of Hector, Paris, and many others, she has the HIGHEST female status in Troy—yet even she has limited power over her adult sons.
Hecuba's Social Position
Status: Queen of Troy, highest-ranking woman in the city Role: Wife to king, mother, religious authority figure Power sources: Royal status, motherhood, age/experience, religious duties Sphere of influence: Domestic, religious—NOT military or political decisions
Hecuba's Domestic Authority
When Hector enters Troy, Hecuba immediately takes charge—offering wine, making religious suggestions. This shows her sphere of power:
Lady Hecuba came up to him... She went and fetched him wine to refresh him... But illustrious Hector refused. 'Mother, do not tempt me with your mellow wine... But you yourself should go to the temple of Athene... with an offering, taking with you the largest and loveliest robe you have in the palace... and promise her that you will sacrifice twelve yearling heifers in her shrine, if only she will take pity on the town...'
— Book 6, Rieu translation
What This Scene Shows
Hecuba's role: Domestic care (offering wine), religious duties (will lead women to temple)
Her authority: Can command women, organize religious rites, manage palace resources
Her limitations: Hector REFUSES wine—even his mother can't make him accept
Hector's response: Redirects her to religious sphere—"YOU go to temple" (appropriate female role)
Her compliance: She does as suggested—follows son's instructions despite being his mother
Queen But Not Ruler
Hecuba is QUEEN—highest female rank possible—yet has ZERO military or political authority. She can organize women, manage household, lead religious rites. She CANNOT command her sons, make strategic decisions, or stop the war. Even royal women are excluded from "male" spheres (war, politics). Female authority is real but STRICTLY LIMITED to domestic/religious domains.
Hecuba's Religious Role
After Hector's instruction, Hecuba leads Trojan women to Athene's temple—one of few areas where women have genuine authority:
Women's Religious Authority
Hecuba organizes and leads the ritual (female-led ceremony)
Women choose best robe as offering (domestic expertise applied religiously)
Theano (priestess) performs ceremony (female religious official)
Women pray collectively for city's salvation
BUT—Athene refuses them (gods ultimately controlled by Zeus's plan, not women's prayers)
💡 Religion: Women's Power Sphere?
Religion is one domain where women CAN have authority (priestesses, ritual leaders). But even here, power is limited: (1) Athene refuses their prayers—divine will overrules human women's wishes, and (2) Religious authority doesn't translate to political/military power—Hecuba can lead prayers but can't stop war. Religion offers women SOME space for action, but that space is constrained and often ineffective.
Mother vs Son: The Power Dynamic
The Hector-Hecuba interaction reveals how MOTHERHOOD—supposedly women's primary role—gives surprisingly little power:
What Hecuba Tries
Offers wine (domestic care)
Tries to prevent him returning to battle (maternal concern)
Wants to protect her son (mother's instinct)
Receives his instructions about temple ritual
What Actually Happens
Hector refuses wine
Leaves anyway (son's will > mother's wishes)
She CANNOT protect him (maternal powerlessness)
She obeys HIS instructions (child commands parent)
Why This Power Inversion Matters
Mother's authority ends at adulthood: She raised Hector, but can't control adult son
Gender > age: Adult male son has more authority than elderly queen mother
Public > private: Hector's public warrior role overrides Hecuba's private maternal role
Motherhood's limits: "Mother" is women's primary identity, yet it grants little actual power
What Hecuba Represents
Hecuba shows that even MAXIMUM female status (queen, mother of warriors) provides only LIMITED, GENDERED power:
The Ceiling of Female Power
Hecuba is as powerful as a Homeric woman CAN be: royal birth, marriage to king, mother of heroes, organizer of women, religious leader. Yet she STILL cannot: stop her sons fighting, make military decisions, participate in councils, prevent Troy's destruction. If the HIGHEST-STATUS woman has such limited power, what does that say about women's position generally? Gender hierarchy trumps even royal status.
Helen in Book 6: Still Trapped
We met Helen in Book 3. Book 6 shows her again—still with Paris, still hating herself, still powerless despite being the WAR'S CAUSE. Her reappearance emphasises her ongoing suffering and total lack of agency.
Helen's Unique Position
Status: Contested—Greek wife? Trojan prize? Divine victim? Role: Cause of war, Paris's companion, weaving (domestic work) Power sources: None—beauty makes her OBJECT, not agent Unique vulnerability: Blamed by BOTH sides despite having least control
Helen's Self-Hatred Continues
When Hector finds Helen in Book 6, she's still consumed by guilt and self-loathing:
'Brother-in-law of a filthy scheming slut like me—I wish that on the day my mother brought me into the world a whirlwind had swept me off to some mountain or into the resounding sea... Since the gods ordained these evil days, I wish I had been the wife of a better man, one with some feeling for the world's contempt...'
— Helen to Hector, Book 6, Rieu translation
Helen's Self-Condemnation
"filthy scheming slut": Internalised the blame everyone places on her
"wish... whirlwind had swept me": Wishes she'd died at birth—death preferable to this life
"gods ordained these evil days": Acknowledges divine role BUT still blames herself
"wife of a better man": Knows Paris is worthless but can't leave him
"feeling for the world's contempt": Paris doesn't care about shame—SHE suffers it alone
💡 The Blame Paradox
Helen is blamed MORE than Paris despite Paris being the actual AGGRESSOR (he took her, violated xenia, started war). Why? Gender. Paris's actions = male agency (bad but understandable). Helen's presence = female contamination (her very existence causes problems). Women are blamed for situations they didn't create and can't control—Helen embodies this gender double standard.
Helen vs Andromache: Contrasting Wives
Book 6 deliberately contrasts these two women—both wives, completely different situations:
Aspect
Andromache
Helen
Husband
Hector—noble, brave, loving
Paris—cowardly, selfish, worthless
Marriage
Genuine love, mutual respect
Forced/contested, no respect
Social position
Secure (while Hector lives)
Precarious, contested, blamed
Agency
Can speak, suggest (though ineffective)
Can't even speak freely (Aphrodite forces compliance)
Self-image
Sees self as victim of circumstance
Sees self as evil, contaminating force
Others' view
Sympathetic (innocent victim)
Hostile (blamed for everything)
Different Women, Same Powerlessness
Andromache has "good" marriage, Helen has "bad" one. Andromache is blamed by no one, Helen by everyone. Yet BOTH are powerless to change their situations. Both will suffer when Troy falls (Andromache enslaved, Helen returned to Menelaus). Quality of husband/marriage affects emotional experience but doesn't grant actual power. All women are vulnerable regardless of individual circumstances.
Helen's Weaving: Symbolic Powerlessness
In Book 3, Helen weaves the war's events into fabric. Book 6 mentions her continuing this work—a poignant symbol:
Creative power: She's creating art, preserving history through textile
Testimony: Recording the war "for her sake"—bearing witness
Confinement: Indoor activity—she's literally confined to domestic space
Irony: She documents war she can't participate in or stop
Alternative kleos: Her weaving = her version of glory (but lesser, female kind)
💡 Female Creativity as Constrained Power
Weaving is Helen's ONLY power—creative expression through traditional female craft. She can't fight, can't make policy, can't leave—but she CAN create beauty and preserve memory. Homer grants her this agency, acknowledging women's creativity. Yet it's telling that her power is LIMITED to this: art acceptable only when practiced within traditional female roles, confined to domestic space.
Structural Limitations on Women's Power
Individual women's personalities vary (Andromache ≠ Helen ≠ Hecuba), but ALL face similar structural constraints. These aren't personal failures—they're SYSTEMATIC limitations built into Homeric society.
The Five Key Limitations
1. Dependent Status
Identity through men: "Wife of X," "mother of Y," "daughter of Z"—no independent status
Economic dependency: Women don't own property, can't earn independently
Security dependency: Safety relies entirely on male relatives
Social status dependency: Father's/husband's rank = her rank
Example: Andromache's entire life depends on Hector's survival
2. Exclusion from Public Sphere
No military role: Women don't fight (Amazons are mythical exception, not norm)
No political voice: Not in councils, don't make policy
No diplomatic role: Wars negotiated by men
Limited public presence: Mostly confined to domestic/private spaces
Example: Andromache's strategic suggestions ignored because she has no political authority
3. Vulnerability in War
Prizes of war: Captured women become slaves/concubines
No protection: When city falls, women enslaved regardless of status
Sexual vulnerability: Enslaved women raped by captors
Family destroyed: Male relatives killed, women dispersed
Example: Andromache's mother captured by Achilles, ransomed, died; Andromache faces same fate when Troy falls
Can't divorce: Trapped in marriages regardless of husband's character
Can't inherit: Property passes father → son, not to daughters
Legal non-persons: Represented by male guardian (kyrios)
Example: Helen can't leave Paris even though she despises him
5. Divine Vulnerability
Gods control women: Aphrodite forces Helen's compliance
No divine protection: Unlike male heroes with divine parents/patrons
Divine blame: Goddesses (Hera, Athene) blame mortal women
Subject to divine whims: Helen = pawn in divine beauty contest
Example: Aphrodite threatens Helen (Book 3), forces her to sleep with Paris
Do Women Have ANY Power?
Despite massive constraints, Homeric women aren't COMPLETELY powerless. They have tiny spaces of agency—though vastly less than men:
Areas of Female Power
Domestic management: Run households, manage slaves
Child-rearing: Raise children (especially young)
Religious roles: Priestesses, ritual leaders
Emotional influence: Can persuade through love/tears
Weaving/crafts: Creative expression through traditional work
Speech: Can speak (though often ignored)
Why This "Power" Is Limited
Confined to private sphere
Authority ends when children become adults
Religious power doesn't translate to political
Emotional persuasion often fails
Creativity acceptable only in traditional roles
Speech heard but not authoritative
Power vs Authority
Women have INFLUENCE (can affect decisions through persuasion) but not AUTHORITY (can't command obedience). Andromache influences Hector emotionally but can't MAKE him stay. Hecuba organizes women and religious rites but can't STOP war. Helen creates art through weaving but can't CONTROL her own life. Influence ≠ power when social structures deny women decision-making authority.
Comparing Women Across Books 1-6
Understanding women's roles means comparing them—finding patterns, differences, and what Homer reveals through juxtaposition.
Trojan vs Greek Women
Books 1-6 show mostly TROJAN women (Andromache, Hecuba, Helen lives in Troy). Greek women appear mainly as ABSENCES or PRIZES. This contrast matters:
Trojan Women (Present)
Shown as individuals with personalities
Have voices, speak, express opinions
Seen in domestic contexts (homes, families)
Portrayed sympathetically
Examples: Andromache, Hecuba, Helen
Greek Women (Absent)
Mostly mentioned, not shown (Clytemnestra, Penelope)
Silent—represented BY men, not speaking FOR themselves
Homer humanises TROJAN women more than Greek—strategic choice. We're meant to sympathise with Troy's suffering, particularly civilian suffering. Showing Andromache's love for Hector, Hecuba's maternal fear, Helen's self-hatred makes Troy's eventual fall more tragic. Greek women remain abstractions—things Greeks are fighting FOR, not people we know. This creates emotional investment in Troy's fate despite Greeks being "our" heroes.
Wives vs Mothers vs Prizes
Women occupy different roles with different amounts of (limited) power:
Role
Examples
Type of Power
Vulnerability
Wives
Andromache, Helen (contested)
Emotional influence on husbands; domestic authority
Totally dependent on husband's survival; if he dies, she's enslaved
Mothers
Hecuba, Thetis (divine)
Influence over young children; religious roles; domestic management
Authority ends when children mature; can't protect adult sons
Prizes/Captives
Chryseis, Briseis
None—pure objects
Total—owned property, sexually exploited, no rights
What This Hierarchy Shows
Marriage provides SOME protection: Wives higher status than slaves—but marriage is fragile (depends on husband)
Motherhood grants authority—temporarily: Over young children only; adult sons ignore mothers
Captive women have ZERO power: Explicitly property, sexually available, no voice
All positions are vulnerable: War can transform wife → captive instantly (Andromache's likely fate)
Women in Books 1-3 vs Books 4-6
Homer's treatment of women DEVELOPS across these books—showing different aspects:
Books 1-3
Focus: Women as CAUSES (Helen cause of war, Chryseis/Briseis cause of quarrel)
Characterisation: Helen developed (self-aware, guilty); prizes less so
Agency shown: Helen's speech, self-hatred; but forced by Aphrodite
Themes: Women as prizes, objects of exchange, causes of conflict
Books 4-6
Focus: Women as VICTIMS (Andromache will be enslaved, Hecuba will lose sons)
Characterisation: Andromache deeply developed; Hecuba shown as mother
Books 1-3 establish that women are OBJECTS in male conflicts (prizes, causes). Books 4-6 reveal that women are also SUBJECTS—thinking, feeling people who suffer war's consequences. Both are true simultaneously. Helen is BOTH war's cause (objectified) AND suffering victim (subjectified). The progression shows Homer's sophistication: women aren't just plot devices—they're complex characters trapped in systems that deny them agency.
Using Women's Roles in Essays
Complete Essay Paragraph Example
"Homer's portrayal of Andromache in Book 6 reveals both female intelligence and systematic powerlessness in Homeric society. Andromache demonstrates strategic military thinking—'concentrate the army by the fig-tree, where the wall can be most easily scaled'—proving women possess analytical capabilities equal to male warriors. Her observation that 'three times their best men have tried an assault at that point' shows she's studied battle patterns, applying intelligence to tactics. Yet this intelligence grants zero authority: Hector listens respectfully but dismisses her suggestions, not because she's WRONG (her strategy is sound), but because accepting would violate heroic code's gendered expectations. The scene exposes a fundamental contradiction: Homeric women CAN be intelligent, observant, strategic—yet social structures ensure intelligence cannot translate to power when bearer is female. Andromache's position—'you are father and mother and brother to me, as well as my beloved husband'—emphasises total dependency: her entire family was killed by Achilles, leaving her survival wholly reliant on one man. Book 6 thus presents women as fully human (intelligent, loving, aware) while demonstrating the systems that deny them agency regardless of capability. Homer critiques through juxtaposition: Andromache's strategic sense contrasted with her inability to implement strategy exposes gender hierarchy's irrationality."
💡 What Makes This Effective
✓ Specific thesis about women's roles
✓ Rieu quotations with analysis
✓ Distinguishes intelligence from power
✓ Shows systematic constraints, not individual failures
✓ Acknowledges complexity (women ARE intelligent, ARE powerless)
✓ Connects to broader themes (heroic code, gender hierarchy)
✓ Sophisticated conclusion about Homer's technique
Key Takeaways: Women's Roles in Books 4 & 6
Essential Points to Remember
Andromache: Intelligent, loving wife; makes strategic suggestions but has zero authority to implement them; totally dependent on Hector; will be enslaved when he dies
Hecuba: Queen mother with highest female status; authority limited to domestic/religious spheres; cannot stop adult sons from fighting; religious power doesn't prevent disaster
Helen: War's cause but not its agent; trapped between Greeks and Trojans; blames herself despite having least control; powerless despite divine beauty/favour
Structural limitations: ALL women share: dependent status, excluded from public sphere, vulnerable in war, limited legal rights, subject to divine manipulation
Limited power: Women have influence (emotional persuasion, domestic management, religious roles) but not authority (can't command, make policy, fight)
Individual vs systematic: Women's personalities differ, but all face similar structural constraints—not personal weakness but social system
The Central Insight
Homer presents women as FULLY HUMAN—intelligent, emotional, strategic, loving, suffering—while showing social systems that deny them power regardless of capability. This isn't Homer saying "women are inferior"—it's Homer SHOWING a society that treats capable people as powerless because of gender. The tragedy is that women like Andromache SEE solutions (defensive tactics) but can't implement them; KNOW outcomes (Hector will die) but can't prevent them. Awareness without power = the female condition in Homer.
Exam Questions to Consider
Here are typical A-Level questions about women's roles, with guidance on how to approach them:
Question 1: "Women in the Iliad have no power." Discuss.
Agree side: Structural constraints (no military/political role, dependent status, war vulnerability)
Disagree side: Domestic authority, religious roles, emotional influence, intelligence/speech
Sophisticated answer: Distinguish INFLUENCE from AUTHORITY—women have former, not latter
Use: Andromache (intelligence without authority), Hecuba (domestic power only), Helen (beauty ≠ agency)
Question 2: How does Homer present Andromache in Book 6?
Intelligence: Strategic suggestions, observation of battle patterns
Love: Genuine care for Hector, emphasis on family bonds
Awareness: Knows Troy will fall, Hector will die, she'll be enslaved
Powerlessness: Cannot prevent any outcomes despite seeing them clearly
Victimhood: Already lost first family to Achilles, about to lose second
Question 3: Compare the roles of men and women in Homeric society.
Public vs private: Men = war/politics, women = home/religion
Agency: Men can act, women can only influence
War's impact: Men win kleos OR die gloriously; women enslaved OR widowed
Identity: Men = independent (own names/achievements), women = relational (defined through men)
Sophistication: Homer shows BOTH have intelligence/emotion, but only men have power to act on it
Question 4: "Helen is responsible for the Trojan War." How far do you agree?
Agree: Her presence in Troy = casus belli; Greeks fight "for Helen"
Disagree: Paris took her (violating xenia); Aphrodite forced her; gods caused war (Judgement of Paris)
Sophisticated answer: Society BLAMES Helen (makes her responsible) even though she LACKS AGENCY (can't be responsible without choice)
Use: Helen's self-hatred (accepts blame), but Book 3 shows Aphrodite forces her compliance
Question 5: What do Books 4 & 6 reveal about marriage in Homeric society?
Hector/Andromache: "Good" marriage = mutual love, respect—but wife still powerless
Paris/Helen: "Bad" marriage = forced, contempt—but wife can't leave
Pattern: Quality of marriage affects emotional experience but doesn't grant women agency
Marriage as protection: Wives higher status than slaves, but protection fragile (depends on husband's survival)
Male perspective: Hector values marriage (family worth fighting for), but will sacrifice wife for honour
Common Essay Mistakes to Avoid
❌ What NOT to Do
Modern feminist anger at ancient society (anachronistic)
"Homer is sexist" (judge society, not poet)
Treating all women identically (they differ!)
Ignoring women's intelligence/agency (they DO have influence)
Claiming women have equal power to men (clearly false)
No quotations (always use Rieu evidence)
✓ What TO Do
Analyse Homer's PRESENTATION of gendered society
"Homer SHOWS how society constrains women"
Compare individual women (Andromache ≠ Helen)
Acknowledge women's intelligence AND powerlessness
Distinguish influence from authority
Quote Rieu specifically with analysis
💡 The Sophisticated Approach
Best essays recognise COMPLEXITY: Homer doesn't say "women are inferior"—he SHOWS a society that treats them as such despite evidence of their capability. This is DESCRIPTIVE (showing what is) not PRESCRIPTIVE (saying what should be). Sophisticated analysis distinguishes: (1) Homeric SOCIETY (deeply patriarchal, restricts women), (2) Homeric WOMEN (intelligent, capable, constrained by system), and (3) HOMER THE POET (presents women sympathetically, reveals system's injustice through their suffering).