The Role of Women in Epic Narratives: A Comparative Study of the Iliad and the Mahābhārata

What constitutes a woman character in ancient literature? Who is she within the epic narratives of the Mahābhārata and the Iliad, being a goddess or a maid? While Greek and Indian epics have been academically compared (e.g., Gutal, 2001; Properzio, 2009), and gendered venues have been explored (e.g., Doniger, 1997), there remains a gap in analysing women characters, particularly in the Iliad and the Mahābhārata. The latter, in particular, deserves further investigation. To analyse these characters, I applied a modified framework based on Simone de Beauvoir’s The Second Sex, which examines subjugation, objectification, and otherization—themes deeply embedded in both epics. These narratives define male heroes as the central “selves,” prompting an exploration of how femininity is constructed and maintained within these boundaries. My approach also included introspective reflection, acknowledging my own positionality. My research suggests that women in these epics exhibit agency beyond the male-driven narrative structures. Rather than passive figures, they actively shape the plot, operating as subjects rather than mere objects within the male-centric “glory economics” of these texts.