While some of the female characters in Homer's The Illiad are powerful goddesses, others are merely helpless mortal women. Hera is one of the most powerful forces in the poem. She holds more power over Zeus, and the other characters, than many of the male gods. "You'll set me curry-worrying with Hera and make her scold me again! She is always at me as it is before them all...You just go away again now, and don't let Hera see" (Homer 20). Even though Zeus is king, at times even he is reluctant to cross his wife. Athena is another powerful goddess with a strong will. Throughout the poem, she is ready and willing to accompany Hera while she helps the Achaians during battle. "Hera and Athena returned home, Hera the friend of Argos and Athena, an ever present help in time of trouble, as soon as they had put an end to the murderous exploits of Ares the enemy of mankind" (Homer 74). Ares is an angry, seemingly strong male god, but Athena has no qualms about going against him to protect the Greek soilders. Some of the other characters in The Illiad are mortal women who, though underdeveloped characters, are vital to the poem's progression. Homer never explains much about Chryseis, but she is the cause of many problems for the Achaian army.
             "He gave her into her father's arms, and he received his daughter with joy...'Verily thou has heard my prayer, and done me honour and smitten hard the Achaian people: grant me now again this boon, even now save the Danaans from this dires pestilence!' So he prayed, and Phoibos Apollo heard his prayer."
             The return of Chryesis to her father results in the saving of the Greeks, yet the character is barely mentioned beyond this point. Helen is a female mortal who seems as though she could be the exact opposite of Athena or Hera. Helen seems like nothing more than a stepping stone on which to mov
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