Women In The Odyssey

In the first section of Odyssey, mortal women are presented to us as controlled by the stereotypes and expectations of the culture of the day, and it is only within that context that we can consider the examples Homer provides of women to be admired or despised. He provides us with clear contrasts, between Penelope and Eurycleia on the one hand, and Helen and Clytemnaestra on the other.

The cultural role of women in the Odyssey In Homer’s Odyssey the cultural relevance of a preferred woman’s role in society generally stands out in the roles of the female characters of Athena and Penelope simultaneously rejecting the negatively viewed characteristics of Calypso and Circe. The entire structure of Ancient Greek culture boasts its men in more superior roles than that of women. Greek society was largely built upon an idea that good women were only around to faithfully serve and support their husband and that it was very important not to stray from those essential traits. Athena is a very involved character from the beginning of the book when she wants to help Odysseus get back home to Ithaca. However, as fate would put it

The role of men and women in The Odyssey is evident on numerous occasions as well as many references on the expectations of the two sexes. In the novel, Homer makes it quite clear how women are expected to act and the jobs they must do. When Penelope complains about the

The Odyssey, by Homer, was written with the Greek mindset that women were supposed to be submissive. If the woman in question was not submissive enough, she was depicted as cruel, selfish, a monster, or a whore. This is true for both mortal women, such as Penelope, and immortal goddesses, such as Calypso. Mortal women were expected to be good faithful wives who listened to everything the head of the household said, while goddesses were expected to follow the gods every order and were called sexist slurs if they ever got involved with a mortal man.

This time spent on Circe's island was a test of whether he could resist lust from a goddess, and he fails. At first it appears as though the only reason Odysseus sleeps with Circe is to regain his companions, but she easily persuades them to stay. What makes it worse is the fact that Odysseus is not even the first one ready to go. His men are the ones who urge him to leave: "What ails you now? It is time to think about our own country" (Book X, line 472). At a glance, it appears that Odysseus is merely succumbing to Circe's schemes for reasons related to their health and well being, if we read between the lines, we soon begin to realize that Odysseus is weak in the voracious hands of lust. Odysseus arrives on Calypso's island in her cave. At first, it seems like Odysseus doesn't seem much to mind her taking care of him, but over time it is plainly evident that he is unhappy with her. When Hermes arrives on Calypso's island to give her the message from Zeus to release Odysseus, he is bawling on the beach-- a daylong activity for him. Calypso is holding him with her by force; she has no companions to help him back to Ithaca, nor has she a ship to send him in. Athena pleads with Zeus to give Odysseus good fortune,

This correlates with Campbell’s shift between the hero’s meeting with the goddess to woman becoming a temptress. He writes, “no longer can the hero rest in innocence with the goddess of the flesh; for she is become the queen of sin” (Campbell, 1949, p. 123). Although Circê does try to help Odysseus by warning him about the trials he will face, there is still a distinct pattern of women being seen as distractions and hindrances from Odysseus’ goal of getting home. They offer him minor gifts such as knowledge and physical relations to try to prevent him from completing his journey. This is especially shown with the Sirens who try to tempt Odysseus with knowledge of the future, saying, “for we know the all that the Argives and Trojans endured in the plains before Troy by the will of Heaven; and we know all that shall come to pass on the face of mother earth!” (Homer, 1937, p. 141). The Sirens directly contrast the goddess Circê, by tempting him with knowledge and their voices so that he will sail towards them and his death. They represent the shift of women’s portray in the story from good to evil. Additionally, they act as a means of derailing Odysseus from his journey and testing to see if he is worthy of completing his heroic

In Homer’s The Odyssey female characters have a surprising amount of power over men. In Ancient Grecian times women were usually thought of a being less than men, only performing domestic tasks and serving them. In contrast, The Odyssey portrays many females as strong and having a lot of power over men. One specific example is the witch, Kirke. She exerts her power by tricking Odysseus’s men, making choices for herself, and finally helping Odysseus get to Ithaca in the end. In her actions we can learn that through womanhood there are powers that are even stronger than that of being a man.

While Penelope is pursued vigorously by some of Ithaca’s most powerful men, this lust is shown to give Penelope some leverage of her own. The Suitors themselves say “, (Telemachus) it’s your own dear mother, the matchless queen of cunning. Look here. For three years now, getting on to four, she’s played it fast and loose with all our hearts, building each man’s hopes(96).” While Penelope remained heartbroken, awaiting Odysseus’ return, she was able to tug on the hearts of her suitors to postpone her forced marriage for years. Circe doesn’t just seduce men for her own protection, she seduces men to

     Many people regard Homer’s epics as war stories—stories about men; those people often overlook the important roles that women play in the Odyssey. While there are not many female characters in the Odyssey, the few that there are, play pivotal roles in the story and one can gain a lot of insight by analyzing how those women are portrayed. Homer portrays the females in contradictory ways: the characters of Athena and Eurykleia are given strong, admirable roles while Melantho, the Sirens and Circe are depicted in a much more negative way. Penelope—the central female character—is given both negative and positive attributes.

Women were very important to the Greeks, and they showed this value in many ways. In The Odyssey Homer shows us the different ways women were looked upon through female characters, such as Penelope, Naussica, and Anticlia.

Women are important to the plot and overall theme of the Odyssey. In fact, without many of the women there would not be a complex plot to this epic poem. In the narrative and in Greek society women played a variety of roles, as mothers, herons, and many other strong roles yet, they were treated as less significant, and were made to be loyal and submissive to men. The women were required to wait on and sulk for love, as Penelope did for 20 years. In Greek society, the women had very little authority but the little control that they did have was sort of a sexual power, which at times they could use to outwit the men. Obvious examples of this sexual power would be Circe and Calypso. Calypso and Circe however, are not the

Nonetheless, in the epic ballad, The Odyssey Homer gave souls and identities to his female characters. Ladies are not in the story just to please Odysseus; they are essential and free characters that help him on his chivalrous trip. The ladies in The Odyssey are crucial in Homer's sonnet: they not just go about as a voice of reason and care, however are the tricky and misdirecting characters that include an immaterial secret.

Women are portrayed as seductresses. Odysseus and his crew arrive on the island of Circe, lured in by the sound of her voice. Homer describes her as "Low she sang/ in her beguiling voice,

In the epic's that have been taught to us this school year, the female characters have been strong willed and have been a romantic interest of the protagonists. They also either have tragic hardships or died which in turn brings their good characteristics into view. The female characters we will be talking about are Penelope, from The Odyssey, and Eurydice, from Orpheus and Eurydice. In The Odyssey, The female character Penelope, Odysseus's wife, withstood the constant requests of the suitors who wished to take her hand and waited for Odysseus return from the battlefront of the Trojan War.

Women play a crucial role in the tale of the Odyssey. Athena and the Circe of Aeaea are two of the most influential of female characters. Both have a high status of power, which makes their characters very prominent and vital to the plot.