Analysis Of Genesis, And Andromache - 1381 Words

In the contexts of their own time periods, both Sarah, in Genesis, and Andromache, in the Iliad, have similar roles in that they are both confined to the duties within the household. Despite these societal constrictions, both women find ways to exert some power and influence within their designated roles in society, but the degree of power they have varies. Sarah holds more power because God will â€Å"bless her† and will make her a part of his plan for Abraham, so she can manipulate events in the context of this plan, whereas Andromache is restricted by her husband’s moira because the society values the lives and honor of men to determine the status for women (Gen. 17.16). Both women are also able to have power over domestic servants within†¦show more content†¦6.451-452). Her life is centered around Hector because without him â€Å"there will be nothing left†¦only pain† (Il. 6.434-435). Without him she has no meaning to her life, as well as no one to take care of her because males are the heads of household in Athenian society. Her desire to keep him alive causes her to display power and try to convince him to change his fate. Although in the end she is powerless to change her husband’s destiny – because not even the God’s can change a person’s fate – the very act of her trying to appeal to him to change his beliefs demonstrates the tremendous amount of power and value that her opinion can hold when it comes to events centered around her husband’s life. If she did not have this power and her opinion was not valued at all, she would have stayed silent and let Hector’s actions do the talking. With her voicing her opinion, it conveys how although women are subordinate to men, they can still have an impact on them, even though they might not be able to change their fate. While Sarah has power like Andromache, it manifests in a different form. Andromache only has limited powers to try to persuade her husband, while Sarah holds the power to influence the plot line and to make her husband’s covenant with god come to fruition. Initially,