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Second Sex that, women in mythologies are “the elementary silence of truth” (143). She tried to 
point out that female characters have not been given the scope to speak in literature because they 
might expose the unpleasant truth of the society. So, these epics have issues to be explored.
In 
these epics the portrayal of women is often traditional and they obliterate other aspects of 
feminine identity, like free will and individual desire. We can consider Gandhari and Kunti‟s 
predicament regarding motherhood in The Mahabharata as an example. Having a male child and 
being the female parent to the heir is depicted as having a prize. These characters do not have 
any existence outside the tip of traditional role of motherhood, wife, daughter and being sexual 
prey.
However, there are moments in these epics when these characters seem to go past the 
traditional roles. For example, in The Mahabharata, it is seen that Amba is given a boon of 

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destroying the indestructible (Bhisma) by the celestial realm. Although this practice is not 
consistent and complete but the female characters are given power and authority to rule over the 
men at times. In both the epics the natural feminine qualities were used to belittle the female 
gender.
In this paper I will explore and compare the characterization of women in mythologies in 
light of The Mahabharata and Iliad. It can be said that generally female characters are treated 
like objects, placed at the periphery of the plot. For example, in The Mahabharata, the eagerness 
of Kunti, Madri and Ghandari to embrace motherhood is only to win the title of Rajmata, so in 
this case the traditional role of a mother is being projected as a prize. Motherhood was the only 
probable way for them to contribute to their families and country. Even in the Greek mythology 
we see that the character of a loving and caring mother and wife Clytemnestra has an opposite 
side of being a vindictive wife who takes revenge for her daughter‟s death. So, the women in 
mythologies are mostly portrayed as either positive but timid or as powerful but negative.
The method that I would use to close read and analyze both the text is “Feminist 
Methodology” and “Structuralism”. The feminist criticism that is widely known today is the 
result of 1960‟s women‟s movement. This movement first recognized the importance of the 
images of women that were being promoted by the authors in literature. Later in the 1970‟s the 
major concerns of feminist movement was to show how cultural mind set maintained sexual 
inequality” (Barry 116-117). This paper too will look at the issue of male writers presenting 
female characters as Barry says.
Sandra Harding in her book Feminism and Methodology says, 
“Feminist methodology or criticism focuses on three dimensions of women, the most important 
dimension being victims of male aggressiveness” (4). These perspectives will be used to 
reinterpret female characterization. Harding also said that “one of the distinct features of feminist 

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criticism is it generates its problems from women‟s experiences” (7). In my paper likewise I have 
chosen important experiences for women like marriage, motherhood, sexual relations, and role in 
the war and politics to evaluate their position.
Claude Lévi-Strauss on the other hand in “Structuralism” has said that “human minds 
have certain universal characteristics. Duo to these common traits in human minds, they think in 
the similar pattern despite of their social and cultural background” (Kottak 70). This idea can 
help us better understand the issue of intertextuality.
My paper will be another addition in feminist revisionist mythology and show how myths 
can be used to define human action through the window of feminism. 
 

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