Women's Role In The Odyssey

Throughout the epic poem “Odyssey” we see many great characters who all bring a different feel to the story. “Odyssey” is a story that has a male main character and many male side characters, but it also has several female characters found in it. Each one of these females have an important role within the story and it would not be the same without them. Athena, Penelope, and Eucycleia are a few examples of female characters.

By societal standards today, women are characterized as strong and independent. Women have gained the right to vote and now largely populate workplaces everywhere. Certainly, Homer’s Odyssey cannot be compared to modern times as a feminist piece, it is usually portrayed as the exact opposite. In fact, Homer shows that women are responsible for many problems that arise in the epic. Yet, despite this there are still many powerful female characters. Additionally, most female characters play large roles. This differs greatly from Homeric times, in which women would not have as much power as female characters in the epic possess. Ordinarily, Greek women were represented as docile and obedient creatures who would not leave the trappings of the household. Although women in the Odyssey do show tendencies to conform in these expected, submissive ways, female characters exercise a large amount of power over the events of the Odyssey. This resulted in a collection of strong female characters, a stark contrast with the time. Throughout the Odyssey female characters are characterized as strong through many different ways. Female characters assume positions of power, use sexuality and/or wits to stay ahead, and offer crucial advice and help to Odysseus and Telemakhos.

For thousands of years it can be considered debatable on the true view of women over the years but one thing is for sure, many women suffered one commonality - discrimination. For decades women have been told the classics; “you can’t”, “you’re not strong enough”, “stay in the kitchen”, and because of this, young women today believe this is what they are viewed as. In “The Odyssey” there are many characters that share their disgust with the female gender and many who worship them,just like today. There is a possibility, even though it’s 2017, that there may be some men who believe men were given certain jobs to do and women should stick to what they were “meant to do”. It’s an issue - it’s teaching young men and women that women cannot do the same as men. It teaches women the true heroes are men, that women cannot be the ones to sail across the sea, to fight monsters, or even to simply be in charge of themselves. Since specific roles are assigned in “The Odyssey” to both men and women, it can teach women that while times have changed, in society it’s somehow important for women to be second next to men, when in reality that is not true.

The Odyssey by Homer is one of the two major Ancient Greek epic poems. This epic poem was mainly about Odysseus and his journey home to his family and loved ones in Ithaca. In "The Odyssey," Homer demonstrates the dominant roles played by men, while women occupied a more submissive position to their husbands /masters. Greek society was organized and directed by men who played the most important roles. Of course, women were as valuable, but their roles were not as powerful as men. In fact, they would only participate in activities that were approved of men. Homer used these themes in "The Odyssey" to differentiate between the two genders. However, gender roles were depicted in the poem by one of the main characters' Penelope, in which she plays a very important role. She provides the motivation for her husband Odysseus's to return to Ithaca. She is also the center of the plot involving the suitors and the fate of Telemachus and Ithaca itself. The characterization of Penelope in the poem shows the expected role of women in Ancient Greece. Even in the household that she is supposed to be in charge, she lacks power. Her values are shown in her faithfulness to her husband even though he been gone for 20 years, and in the end, she is seen as a prize to be won. Even though women were considered valuable, they were not given important roles or any decision making power.

Although “The Odyssey” by the Greek poet Homer is very much an epic tale of a man’s heroic quest, women play an incredibly large role. Homer’s epic tale, “The Odyssey” revolves around Ulysses’ quest to return back to his wife, Penelope, so that he may be reunited with her and assume control over his palace, which has been overrun by suitors. Ulysses’ son, Telemachus attempts to regain authority in the presence of the many suitors but finds this difficult and embarks upon his own journey under the guidance of Athena and other deities. The main thrust of Homer’s “The Odyssey” centers upon the adventures of Homer as he endeavors to get back home, which he finally does. He overtakes the suitors through his cunning and the tale ends happily.

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?"

     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.

There is one thing that all the women, be they human or god, in The

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.

She gets all the men all hot and bothered meanwhile, she is just cleverly using them up and buying time for Odysseus’ to return and subsequent vengeance.

Another temptress role was Circe, whom Odysseus and his men encountered after leaving Calypso. Circe turns Odysseus's men into swine after drugging them, and seduces Odysseus by playing the submissive and obedient role.

In Homer’s Odyssey women are responsible for many of the problems that Odysseus faced during his journey back to Ithaca. This essay will analyse how far women were responsible and also compare it to far other things caused problems for Odysseus.

In the epic poem The Odyssey by Homer contains the overall mission by the protagonist, Odysseus, while trying to sail back home after battling at Troy. Throughout his mission, Odysseus meets women who both affect his life positively and negatively. Women in The Odyssey either play one of two roles, the unfavorable person with consequences or a strong women who holds on her own. Odysseus’ first encounter, Circe when him and his men land on her island, she turns the men into pigs, and persuades Odysseus to stay with her. In the story Odysseus says, “Circe tossed them acorns, mast, and cornel berries-- fodder for hogs…”

While many patriarchal elements still exist in society today, women were oppressed to a much greater extent in earlier periods of human history. During the time Homer transcribed The Odyssey, women were not even allowed to participate in the theatrical performances; male actors played the female characters. Despite these conditions, female characters are very prevalent in the epic, and many of them even exert their independence outside of traditional gender norms at the time. At the same time, however, these women still exhibit a level of subservience, representative of the social constraints. Even though various women play strong, important roles in The Odyssey, their independence is diminished by the tendency to act submissively and often maternally, revealing the paradoxical nature of gender roles in general and specifically in Greek society.

In The Odyssey it shows that all the women are uniquely different by their relationships, desire, and personality towards men. In addition, all the women help represent the typical role of a woman. Their role is very critical in the ongoing adventure in this epic poem. Homer represents women as strong roles and real life characters such as them being strong, tough, and diligent. In the story there are three major types of women, which are the goddess, the good hostess/wife, and seducers. With each one of these female characters they are a vital importance and add a different type of factor to the story. As Odysseus returns home to his wife Penelope and his son Telemachus from fighting in the Trojan War he is faced with many obstacles that he must get through to get home to