Women In The Odyssey Essay

In these examples, Homer is intending to win our admiration for Penelope. Her loyalty to Odyssey and the slim chance that that he may still be alive are taken to a heroic level, which defy the apparent convention of the day that a woman should not be without a husband. Her cunning in keeping the suitors at bay are also to be admired, and have a parallel in the cunning of Odysseus himself, as Odysseus is also often praised for his resourcefulness in overcoming obstacles.

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 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.

Penelope may not have as exciting of a life as some of the other characters in Homer’s The Odyssey, but she makes up for it by being very clever, which makes her a good match for her husband, Odysseus. Penelope plays a very important role in Odysseus’s journey home, in fact, she is the main reason for his return to Ithaca. When the suitors begin invading her house and asking, then demanding, her hand in marriage, Penelope knows she must handle them herself. Being a woman in ancient Greece, she does not have the ability to force the suitors to leave her house, and neither does Telemachus. This means that Penelope must continue to allow them to abuse the hospitality that was expected at that time, and all she can do is try to outsmart the suitors until her husband comes home. In Homer’s The Odyssey, Penelope is a good match for Odysseus because she is clever, and she shows that cleverness when she stalls the suitors by weaving the burial shroud, when she devises the contest with

The Odyssey, written by Homer, tells the story of Odysseus after the Trojan War. It not only includes an insight on the adventures and return of Odysseus, but it also includes the stories of Telemakhos and Penelope. Telemakhos is the courageous son of Odysseus who goes on a quest in search for information about his father’s whereabouts. Penelope is an extremely clever woman who could match Odysseus in his wit. Penelope is able manipulate the suitors that have come to pursue her in Odysseus’s absence. Though Penelope often spends many nights weeping over the absence of her husband, it seems as if she never loses faith in her husband, and she truly believes that he will return to her and punish the suitors that have taken over their

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

For this informative report I will attempt to point out the roles women and how they are viewed in ancient Greece. I will then show how these views are present in Homer’s "The Odyssey." How are women, goddess or mortal, conveyed in "The Odyssey?"

Odysseus is doing nothing wrong when, despite knowing his wife was alive and faithful, commits adultery with two other women. However, it would most likely be unforgivable to Odysseus if Penelope had been unfaithful and remarried not knowing whether her husband was still alive, and desperately needing a husband. Male seducers are represented by boys sowing their oats; a normal part of male life. Seduced females are viewed, however, as weak, frail, and treacherous. These examples speaks volumes about Homer's view regarding the inequalities between men and women in his epic.

With Penelope, a faithful and loving wife to Odysseus, Homer reveals to us how the Greeks believed wives should act. She was loyal to Odysseus the entire time he was away on his journey, and even when it appeared as if he had passed on she still had faith that he would return. She resisted the suitors on the sole basis that she loved Odysseus and could not see herself with another man when he could still be alive. She was smart, and cunning. She shows us this in Book II when we

Although penelope show loyalty and faithfulness in both text, there difference in the level of her knowledge. In the odysseus, penelope was viewed as innocent and naive.after penelope handed the odysseus's arrow to emmaus for the suitor to try and win the challenge, Telemachus comment about her mother has no respect for her as if she was unimportant and naive.

To begin, Penelope thinks of Odysseus and immediately lets her emotions out: “Odysseus—if he could return to tend my life / the renown I had would only grow in glory. / Now my life is torment … / look at the griefs some god has loosed against me!” (The Odyssey, 18.285-288). Furthermore, Homer expresses Penelope’s sadness by making her sink “on her well-built chamber’s floor” and through her “sobbing uncontrollably” (The Odyssey, 4.810-813). Clearly in Penelope’s mind, Odysseus’ absence is not something she can easily forget. Homer introduces Penelope as a very caring and devoted wife.

Penelope, just as Odysseus, portrayed the great human trait of patience. She did what it took to fend off the suitors with hope that her husband would come back for her. Penelope didn’t give up hope because she felt in heart that Odysseus would come

To begin, in the book The Odyssey, Penelope was the cunning and clever wife of Odysseus, and mother of Telemachus. Women were not exceptionally powerful in that time, other than the gods, so her rise to power and her ability to take on the role of a leader was peculiar at the time. Penelope waited twenty years for her husband Odysseus to return from the Trojan war, all the while trying to maintain the the Island of Ithaca, and raise her son on her own. Above all that, for twenty years she fought off the suitors who wanted to pursue her. She was loyal to her husband, and continued to hope that he would return to Ithaca even though there was little chance. She remained devoted to her choice of waiting for her husband, but she was not without temptation. The suitors pressured her, and threatened to take her to bed. She put forward sensible schemes to prevent the suitors from pursuing her, but she could only hold them off for so long. “ For three years now, going on to four, she's played it fast and loose with all

Odysseus is a polarizing figure, a heroic figure, and one big trait a hero should usually have is loyalty. For example, Kobe Bryant, Tim Duncan, and Dirk Nowitzki all were/have been extremely faithful to their NBA teams, and they’re often regarded as heroes. So, Odysseus left Ithaca for war (The Odyssey, Sailing From Troy Intro), kills hundreds of men (The Odyssey, Line 43) , bags dozens of women, and then returns home to his wife, with no repercussions (The Odyssey, The Ending Intro). What a hero. First off all, Ody has the stones to create this in-depth plan to get his wife out of this frat house, and he executes it perfectly (The Odyssey, Line 1540). Then, she doubted him (The Odyssey, Line 1561), and he proves that he’s really himself(The Odyssey, Line 1572), and Penelope (essentially) apologizes. She didn't talk about how he slept around on his journey. To put that into

Penelope is a dependable spouse of Odysseus who is yearning to see her significant other. Many individuals imagine that Odysseus is dead. '...a man whose bones are decaying some place now, white in the rain on dull earth where they lie, or tumbling in the groundswell of the ocean" (The Odyssey, Book I, line 194-195). Indeed, even Odysseus' child, Telemakhos is sad about his dad. In any case, Penelope is trusting that Odysseus is alive and she is sitting tight for him to return. The suitors go to her home, yet she doesn't take a gander at the suitors. "...in her high room cautious Penelope, Ikarios girl, noticed the blessed melody. She came at that point, down the long stairs of her house,... the two young ladies near her and still, and through her tears addressed the respectable minstrel" (The Odyssey, Book I, line 368-375). Penelope went down stars to converse with honorable minstrel. She wouldn't have went down the stairs from her