Comparing Andromache And Rebekah In Homer's Iliad

In Homer’s Iliad and in the book of Genesis, women may seem insignificant to their male counterparts when it comes to the overall narrative, but they actually carry a very important purpose individually. Andromache and Rebekah are both loving wives and mothers that play crucial roles in the family structure and in the plot of the narratives in which they exist; however, they are different in the way they influence the world and the people around them. Both Andromache and Rebekah have their own discrete set of values, concerns, and character traits that allow them to deploy the power of persuasion and utilize their femininity in order to impact the people around them. Rebekah is successful in manipulating the people around her to her favor,
Rebekah exhibits her deceptive nature when she takes advantage of Isaac’s blindness and disguises Jacob as Esau so that Isaac may bless Jacob instead of his brother. She exercises her domestic authority and intelligence to obtain her favored son a blessing – even when Jacob is reluctant because of the disparity of “a hairy man” and “a man of smooth skin” (Gen 27:11), he is overruled by the persuasiveness of his mother. Isaac is deceived by the disguise of Jacob, and so “he blessed him” (Gen 27:23). Even after Rebekah succeeds in tricking Isaac, she proceeds to express her fears that like Esau, Jacob might marry a Hittite woman. Isaac succumbs to Rebekah’s concerns and states that Jacob “shall not marry one of the Canaanite women” (Gen 28:1) and thus “Isaac sent Jacob away” (Gen 28:5) to marry a proper woman. Not only will Jacob now marry a woman that Rebekah approves of, but he will escape the jealous and murderous scheme of Esau. This situation exemplifies Rebekah’s intelligence and control over her family