The Force of Women in The Odyssey - 632 Words

The Force of Women in The Odyssey To the average person, The Odyssey is a Greek tale about a man, Odysseus, just trying to find his way home. However, it is much more than an entertaining tale of a man, gods, and monsters. It serves as a cultural exemplar of different kinds of people, roles, and relationships of ancient Greece, including the role of women. In The Odyssey, women are often portrayed as suasive and strong people, prime examples being Athena, Arete, and Penelope. Athena, the goddess of wisdom and battle, is the most powerful and influential non-human being in The Odyssey. Athena was the one to start Odysseus’s journey home. By stating that her heart broke for Odysseus, who was away from home for 20 years and had suffered much, Athena was able to convince Zeus to make Calypso release Odysseus, although it was against Poseidon’s wishes. Also, Athena could be credited with helping Telemachus become a true man instead of the boy he used to be. Disguised as Mentes, Athena’s advice to Telemachus about the suitors and his mother was to either drive the suitors away or throw his mother out of the house and take over the house. After this, Telemachus, for the first time, stood up to the suitors and told them to leave, or he would call the gods and Zeus would punish the suitors. However, as benevolent as she may seem, she is additionally unforgiving. When she had decided that all the suitors shall die, she stuck to it. Even when Athena told Odysseus to begShow MoreRelatedEssay on Women in The Odyssey702 Words   |  3 PagesWomen in The Odyssey In The Odyssey the main character, Odysseus, meets and entertains an impressive array of women. All of the women that he meets are very different and have different personalities and Homer clearly states his attitude towards each of the women. Some of the women are seen as essentially good or essentially bad. It is also clear that Homer adopts a sexist attitude towards the women in his novel. In The Odyssey women are generally portrayed as manipulative and deceitfulRead MoreSexual Fantasy Within The Odyssey1603 Words   |  7 PagesProfessor Isser Montserrat September 22, 2015 Sexual Fantasy Within The Odyssey In the Odyssey, by Homer, Homer suggests that women can be seductive traps that prevent or delay men from reaching their goals. The women that Odysseus encounters on his journey home in The Odyssey all represent a different sexual fantasy figure in the eyes of a male, and serve as a distraction that he must work around. Although the three women that Odysseus encounters on his travels are desirable to him, the only thingRead MoreWomen in the Odyssey1646 Words   |  7 PagesWomen form an important part of each society, however their role and importance to its function are often times overlooked. Society is/was organized and directed by men. All of the most important positions and purposes within it`s routine were filled by males. This societal organization is often times reflected in many pieces of literature of various time periods, however there are texts in which contrary to the patriarchal society models, women are given substantial importance within the plot. Homer`sRead MoreWo men in the Odyssey by Homer Essay examples684 Words   |  3 PagesThe Odyssey by Homer encompasses a rather modern idea of women and their role for its time. Homer portrays women as creatures who are strong but are ultimately defeated. It is true that in most stories they are portrayed as being weaker, but the women in this poem are oddly strong or have a very strong presence. The three main examples are Calypso, Athena, and the Lotus Flower. Each of these examples has a predominant presence in The Odyssey making them sturdy objects. At first the goddess CalypsoRead More Women in The Odyssey Essay example1487 Words   |  6 PagesWomen play an influential role in The Odyssey. Women appear throughout the story, as goddesses, wives, princesses, or servants. The nymph Calypso enslaves Odysseus for many years. Odysseus desires to reach home and his wife Penelope. It is the goddess Athena who sets the action of The Odyssey rolling; she also guides and orchestrates everything to Odysseus’ good. Women in The Odyssey are divided into two classes: seductresses and helpmeets. By doing so, Homer demonstrates that women have the powerRead MoreThe Iliad And The Odyssey1599 Words   |  7 PagesIn The Iliad and The Odyssey, Homer has different portrayals of the roles that women play in each epic. These differences are so striking that some readers have even argued that there is a possibility that a woman could have created The Odyssey, modeled after Homer’s Iliad. In The Iliad we see women represented as war p rizes and slaves, vulnerabilities to men, and in positions of limited power. In The Odyssey however, we see women capturing men and keeping them as prizes, rising from a status ofRead More Important Role of Women in Homers Odyssey Essay examples1721 Words   |  7 Pages   For the Greeks, Homers Odyssey was much more than just an entertaining tale of gods, monsters, and men, it served as cultural paradigm from which every important role and relationship could be defined.   This book, much more so than its counter part The Iliad, gives an eclectic view of the Acheans peacetime civilization.   Through Odyssey, we gain an understanding of what is proper or improper in relationships between father and son, god and mortal, servant and master, guest and host, and--importantly--manRead MoreThe Odyssey By Homer s Odyssey1267 Words   |  6 PagesLife in The Odyssey In The Odyssey, Odysseus is constantly being challenged. He is being challenged, so Homer can show us the standards for life in The Odyssey. There is no doubt that Odysseus is a great man, Homer even says so in the beginning lines of the text. Although Odysseus is a great man, he also makes mistakes but not any that he doesn t pay for. We learn the representation of life in The Odyssey through Odysseus challenges. Throughout the book, Odysseus specifically struggles with arroganceRead More Iliad Essay1253 Words   |  6 PagesThe Iliad and The Odyssey are two epic poems with both similar and different styles to the structure of the poems, as well as each poem having the same gods incorporated into the stories intervening with the day to day lives of the mortals. Greek poetry before Homer was all composed orally; therefore it is assumed that Homer’s works are the first written works of art (Joachim Latacz, page 15). Scholars who have spent extensive time researching the origin of Homer’s work cannot verify a specificRead MoreThe Double Standard: Women Cast into the Shadows of Men 1356 Words   |  6 PagesB.C. to today women have been pestered by the double standard. They have had to endure constant reminders that it is a mans world and they are just living in it. While women have tried to and continue to fight the double standard through various feminist movements overtime the problem still persists. The war on women, as some like to call it, is nothing new and judging by how long the double standard has been around, it seems unlikely that the bar of equality between men and women will ever be