GENDER ROLES Hayley and Jess SUMMARY Ransom is

GENDER ROLES Hayley and Jess

SUMMARY Ransom is set in a patriarchal driven society where in a father and son relationship often collides with the responsibilities of kingship. Women are predominantly sidelined they are generally ancillary characters: their presence is to provide necessary support and reason for the main characters in their decision making.

EXAMPLES Male gender roles: • The father (Peleus, Priam, Somax and Achilles) A title that applies to many of the male characters. Often conflicting with the role of king. • The son (Patroclus, Achilles, Neoptolemus, Hector. ) These characters shared a common longing to impress and receive affection from their often distant fathers. • The king (Priam, Peleus) Character with the role of a king had somewhat distant relationships with their sons. The responsibilities of being king often took away from fatherhood • The worker (Somax) Somax represents the average man or ‘commoner’. Unlike Priam and Peleus, he had a far greater relationship with his sons. • The soldier ( Achilles, Hector, Patroclus) The role of a worrier is a key aspect of a mans identity in this time.

FEMALE GENDER ROLES • Role of the wife/queen: the influence of her opinion (Priam fears Hecuba's response to his plan. • Role of the mother: Hecuba’s relationship with her children as opposed to Iris’ relationship with Achilles. • The goddesses: considered the only females with significant power. (Thetis and Iris) Often carrying sexual connotations, particularly Thetis.

QUOTES • “It is my flesh that is being tumbled on the stones out there…and what I remember of each one is how they kicked their little heels under my heart. ” -Hecuba. • ‘This kind of women's talk un-nerves him. ’ [Priam] • “He had entered the rough world of men, where a man’s acts follow him wherever he goes in the form of a story. ”