Women's Rights In The Odyssey

      Penelope and Helen are the real human women who can steal men's hearts with their own feminine ways and they never let their man go.  Helen stole the heart of Paris and later married Menelaus-the love that Paris had for Helen began the long Trojan War.  Even with her shaded past, Helen is able to live her life as a proper adjusted middle-class matron.  Penelope and Odysseus were only together for a few years before he was sent off to war and, while he was gone for over twenty years, his love for her lasted.  Penelope is the symbol of marital fidelity, of trust, honor  and devotion.

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 mourning for her husband (which the reader can only assume is sincere) Penelope is also leading on these suitors in order to gain material objects. She promises that she will marry one of them once she finishes her sewing her wedding veil, but each night she destroys the previous night’s work so that the task will never be accomplished. Even if she is using this ruse to attain riches, the fact remains that she is still acting as a seductress. She is very much like a Siren, typical of those present in Book XI, always singing out to encourage men but not intending to fulfill any promise of love or sex. Penelope presents both sides of the two distinct divisions of women characters in the text. Although the Sirens and Circe represent the ultimate seductress, it is important to notice the way the story of Agamemnon and Clymenestra reappears in the text. This is a legend told about how the strong female character Clymenestra was, much like Penelope, dogged by suitors in her husband’s absence, the only difference being that Clymenestra gives over the temptation of one suitor in particular and she and this new lover plot to kill Agamemnon upon his glorious return. The description of Clymenestra almost seems to echo Penelope’s situation as Ulysses is told the story. “At first she would have

Penelope serves as one of the most crucial characters within the Odyssey. She one of the few driving forces for our main protagonist’s journey home and she is also an exemplar model of female character breaking the mold of the damsel in distress. She actually takes it upon herself to take command, to some extent, of her own situation while her husband is presumably making his way back home from war. Penelope even matches Odysseus in craftiness and sly personality. For example, Penelope had told the suitors that she would assume a new husband after she was done weaving a shroud, but she would secretly unweave her progress every night. This behavior is a reoccurring theme. Penelope sets up other tests, such as having to shoot an arrow through

Greek society is highly stratified, one where the distinctions between Nobles, peasants, and slaves are explicit. While many people consider women oppressed in the ancient hierarchy, this notion is somewhat contradicted in the Odyssey, where many women act as powerful figures. Penelope separates herself from the suitors that plague her palace, who are relentless in their pursuit for her hand in marriage. Circe has the capability to seduce an entire unit of Odysseus’ men and turn them into pigs. Athena benevolently guides Telemachus over the many obstacles he faces on his quest to seek out his father. Helen defects from Sparta, rallying all of Troy for her cause. Clytemnestra deceitfully plans Agamemnon's death for her new love interest, Aegisthus. Women in the Odyssey show that through seduction, trickery, and wisdom, women of Ancient Greece are able to obtain significant power.

     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.

The literature composed during the era when the Odyssey was written was directed by men. Woman characters were valued but the only participated in affairs when they had the permission of men. The men, for the most part, directed the women's lives. The themes used in literature were on the subjects that men would be interested in; combat; warriors, and rulers. Domestic affairs, for the most part, were not noted. There is a immense contrast between the Odyssey and other epic poetry of the period. There are several women characters in the Odyssey. All of them add to plot in significant ways and they are also treated with admiration. The women of the poem change the lives of the gods and men, and how they link in significant ways to one

Odyssey have in common: they are all very clever. There are two ways that the

Homer wrote the classic epic The Odyssey more than 2,500 years ago. At that time in ancient Greek society, as well as in the whole of the ancient world, the dominant role was played by men. Society was organized, directed, and controlled by men, and it was accepted that women occupied a subservient and inferior position. Women, of course, were valued, but were expected to possess certain traits and perform certain tasks that men demanded of them. Does Homer's writing in The Odyssey support or refute the common belief of his time regarding women? Homer endorsed the dominating belief of his time concerning women by treating the female characters unequally and differently compared to the male characters in

In the Odyssey, women played a major role in Odysseus’ return home. Even though Odysseus was a great warrior, who was very crafty and intelligent, his abilities were challenged by women’s temptation. There are various examples of women playing the role as seductresses such as Circe, Sirens, and Calypso.

In “The Odyssey” there are many influential women, all of whom help Odysseus throughout his journey home. Three of the most influential women are Athena, Circe, and his wife Penelope. Each of these women has large roles in Odysseus’ journey, but only one holds the most power over Odysseus. For instance, Athena, the Goddess of wisdom, skills, and warfare may hold a significant amount of power over Odysseus, but not the most.

Robert A. Heinlein once said, “Yield to temptation, it may not pass your way again” which is similar to Odysseus’ motto in The Odyssey. It is his motto, because he submits to the alluring women who entice him with extravagant gifts. Odysseus is constantly dealing with obstacles that have been set in place by the gods. Mainly the complication involves a woman being a temptress to detour Odysseus from his journey home to Ithaca. Eventually, Odysseus resists the appealing women so that he can continue his journey home and once he is there he can finally reconnect his wife Penelope. In The Odyssey women have a narrow, but significant role similar to their role in ancient Greece. Every time there is enticement present Odysseus yields, especially when the

Women's roles in The Odyssey are limited, they are decreased to wives, seducers or monsters. In Homer's epic, Circe is depicted as a beautiful goddess enchantress. She manipulates Odysseus's men and turns them into animals, specifically swine. Circe attempts to seduce Odysseus and maneuver her magic on him, but he does not submit to her sorcery. Instead, she recognizes his capability and becomes very fond of Odysseus.

Given the number of prominent, powerful, female characters, Homer portrays women as empowering because they give demands or make someone do something with the help of their powers. Homer is trying to show that women do have the potential to accomplish many things on their

However, it could be argued that at times, women can be suggestive about the type of actions men should take in difficult times. That women can give insightful thoughts to help men even though they are seen as more inferior to them. Even though women can suggest types of ideas to men but they can also be manipulative towards them as well. Later on in The Iliad, Hera is depicted to show how women were seen as manipulators towards men in ancient Greek society. Hera wanted to manipulate the Trojan war so that the Greeks were winning.