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The significance of women in the odyssey
Penelopesd faithfulness in the odyssey
The significance of women in the odyssey
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Women in the Odyssey were a huge component of Odysseus’s journey home. Without these women, Odysseus’s home would have broken down, and he would have never gotten home. His wife, Penelope, is one of these women. She stays loyal to her husband and never gives up hope on his return. She is curious about people and tests them to be able to trust them, just like her husband. Another woman is Odysseus’s old nurse, Eurykleia. She may be old, yet she puts forth the efforts and power to assist Penelope with the control over the household. She never lies about anything to Penelope and especially Odysseus. She also is kind of like a spy for Odysseus when he returns as himself. One more woman is Athena. She has the true super powers to help Odysseus physically …show more content…
As Odysseus is gone, Penelope cannot control all of her people, so Eurykleia, being there for the family for such a long time already, steps in and helps with jobs of people at home. She tells Odysseus, “Fifty all told they are, your female slaves, trained by your lady and myself in service, wool carding and the rest of it, and taught to be submissive” (22. 472-475). She makes everyone’s job a little easier, especially Penelope’s. She might not help Odysseus when he was gone, but she is helping to keep Ithaca alive. When she finds out that the beggar is Odysseus, she promises him that she will not tell anyone. She tells him, “Child, you know my blood, my bones are yours; no one could whip this out of me” (19. 372-373). She has taken care of him since he was born and knows what kind of person he is. She knows what Odysseus like to expect. She is proving that she is a trustworthy person and great at keeping the biggest secrets. As keeping the secret, she is willing to do something else for her long awaited lord, Odysseus. She makes an offer, “I can report to you all the maids, those who dishonor you, and the innocent” (19. 377-378). In other words, she is going to give the numbers of the maids who have given themselves to the suitors and who did not listen to Penelope or herself. These are the maids that did not listen to Penelope and Eurykleia, but fell …show more content…
As the goddess of war, she has helped him throughout the Odyssey. Especially during the times where he wasn’t sure of what to do. A time when Odysseus got help from Athena was when he finally got home. She warns him about the suitors and how they have taken over his home, eaten all his food, killed all his animals and are getting Penelope to marry them. As described in the text, “She disguises Odysseus as an old beggar so that he can assess the situation at home” (16. text from first paragraph). She does this because it is the total opposite of the real Odysseus. If he just barged into his home without a plan, of course, there will be lots of fighting and anger from the suitors. She not just helps him physically, but this helps him to come up with a plan to get everything that belongs to him back. This proves that Athena is a great women throughout the book, and used her goddess powers to help Odysseus to return home safely. Women did play a huge role in getting Odysseus back home and returning things back to its rightful place. Penelope, Eurykleia, and Athena all show that a woman’s role is the motivation for the hero to get things done. Penelope’s love for Odysseus made him always remember that he has someone back at home waiting for him, Eurykleia’s trust gives Odysseus the time to finish a task before he starts with another, and Athena’s powers has give Odysseus to be alive and fight for his people, his
Judged by modern Western standards, the treatment of women by men in Homer's Odyssey can be characterized as sexist. Women in Homer's Odyssey are judged mainly by their looks. If important men and gods consider a woman beautiful, or if her son or husband is a hero or has an important position such as king, the woman is successful. The way women in The Odyssey are treated is based on appearance, the things men want from them, and whether the woman has any power over men. During Odysseus' journey to the underworld he sees many different types of women. We hear about their beauty, their important sons, or their affairs with gods. We hear nothing about these women's accomplishments in their lifetime. Odysseus tells how Antiope could "boast a god for a lover,"(193) as could Tyro and many other women. Epikaste was called "that prize"(195) her own son unwittingly married.
For the Greeks, Homer's 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 Achean's 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--man and woman. Women play a vital role in the movement of this narrative. Unlike in The Iliad, where they are chiefly prizes to be won, bereft of identity, the women of Odyssey are unique in their personality, intentions, and relationship towards men. Yet, despite the fact that no two women in this epic are alike, each--through her vices or virtues-- helps to delineate the role of the ideal woman. Below, we will show the importance of Circe, Calypso, Nausicaa, Clytaemestra, and Penelope in terms of the movement of the narrative and in defining social roles for the Ancient Greeks.
Ultimately, Athena has a great effect on all three of the main characters within The Odyssey. She is the one who finally sets in motion the return of the great warrior king Odysseus and helps him attain revenge on the suitors once he arrives in Ithaka. Athena helps to make Telemakhos brave and hopeful for his father to return home, giving him the courage and direction he lacked without his father for the first twenty years of his life. Even Penelope received help from the grey-eyed goddess in finding ways to protect herself from the advances of the suitors. Reading the classic epic poem The Odyssey, one can see how the great goddess Athena's relationship with Odysseus, Telemakhos as well as Penelope exemplifies how she impacted everyone she came across.
Firstly, Penelope who plays Odysseus’s wife is alone tending to her city Ithica until her husband returns. Meanwhile Odysseus is out fighting in the Trojan War and against many of the Greek God’s who are trying to make his trip back home as eventful and hard as possible; “…work out his journey home so Odysseus can return” (Homer 276). While King Odysseus is away Penelope is to deal with a bunch of suitors who are eating and trashing out Ithica, “…if those suitors have truly paid in blood for all their reckless outrage” (559). In order for Penelope to keep peace until Odysseus returns she has to come up with a clever plan to keep the suitors from completely taking over. For almost 2 years Penelope was able to keep the suitors from getting out of hand by saying she will find someone to marry and replace Odysseus after she is d...
“A woman cannot be herself in the society of the present day, which is an exclusively masculine society, with laws framed by men and with a judicial system that judges feminine conduct from a masculine point of view” (Ibsen). This saying also applied to the times of the Odyssey, an epic constructed by the blind, eight century B.C.E. poet, Homer. As one of the few representatives of ancient Greek social order, the blind, Homer witnessed women as substandard to men, regardless of their actions; many of them existed as seductresses, prostitutes, or slaves. He engraved into his poem women’s roles; the roles of women, as mothers, wives, seductresses, and goddesses are exemplified in this epic, when shown in comparison to the men of that era.
The first major female character introduced in this epic is Penelope. Penelope is the wife of Odysseus, and the mother of Telemachus. She is portrayed as a strong-willed widow, who even after not seeing Odysseus for twenty years, keeps her trust in her husband to return home. The main tool is the rule of law, but even before laws customs could be used” (rwaag.org).
Though not the focus of epic poetry, the female characters of this ancient genre play a central role, as they have a great influence on the male heroes they encounter. In a genre which idealizes manliness and heroism—that is, acts of courage, strength, and cunning— women are set in opposition to these ideals and therefore less respected. At the same time, women who attempt to take on more “masculine” roles are vilified. Here, antagonist is defined as anyone in opposition to the hero’s goals. Female agency—their free will and ability to wield power—is directly related to their role in epic poetry; that is, the more agency a female character has, the more antagonistic of a role she plays. This agency is often enacted through sexuality or supernatural
In the epic poem, it gives images of Penelope and Clytemnestra that helps to interpret what an ideal woman Penelope was in Ancient Greece. Penelope is represented as the ideal woman because she remains trustworthy to Odysseus, even though he has been gone for several years. Penelope also embodies the ideal Greek woman because she is a faithful wife to Odysseus, a great hostess, and rejects all moves upon her from the suitors in her house. One quote at the end of the book that shows she’s been loyal for this long time period is when the book states, “ The more she spoke, the more deep desire for tears welled up inside his breast—he wept as he held the wife he loved, the soul of loyalty, in his arms at last” (Homer, Odyssey, Book 23, Line 259-261). On top of that she shows a sense of intelligence being able to scheme and deal with the suitors around her all the time. Another great quote that represents her loyalty is when Penelope says “they court me against my law, they lay waste in my house (Homer, Odyssey, Book 19, Line 148)”, which is when she [Penelope] herself is basically explaining how she remains loyal even though there are several men making advances towards her in her own
In The Odyssey women are unequal, treated differently, and are considered inferior to men. Throughout the epic women are not given an appropriate amount of respect by men. The male characters of The Odyssey expect certain traits and characteristics of women that they do not expect of themselves. Men expect that the women in The Odyssey be loyal to them, and not be adulterous or seductive. When Odysseus returns to Ithaca in disguise, he expects Penelope to be faithful and loyal to him. It is doubtful that Odysseus would have stayed with Penelope if he had found her to be unfaithful and adulterous when he was gone. This was while Odysseus had slept with Circe and stayed with her on her island for one year and then slept with Calypso numerous times on the island of Ogygia. What makes this even worse is that Penelope would have had justification to be unfaithful to Odysseus and remarry. As far as Penelope, and almost everyone else on Ithaca, was concerned Odysseus was dead. Penelope had a strong need for a husband, a companion, a strong man to rule Ithaca in Odysseus' place, and a male presence to help ra...
Penelope is the most important female character in the epic because Odysseus ' homecoming is centered on reconnecting with her. Ten years has past and Odysseus has still not returned from the war and is seemingly dead. Many suitors desire to replace him, by taking Penelope 's hand in marriage and Odysseus ' property. While unsure of Penelope 's attitude towards these suitors, readers are constantly reminded of her faithfulness to Odysseus. Although Odysseus does not know whether Penelope remains faithful to him, he still yearns to come home. “The expectations and limitations of the male and female roles in the Odyssey are accepted and never questioned”. (Whittaker 40) Society expects women in Penelope’s position to remain devoted to their significant other even after all these years and not knowing whether or not he is alive but are more forgiving to men who commit adultery like Odysseus. This situation once again brings up the question of a double standard modeled in The
The Odyssey: Portrayal of Women How does Homer portray women in the epic, The Odyssey? In order to answer this question you must look at woman and goddesses as two separate groups of people who are "people". This is because they are portrayed in two separate ways. You see, a regular woman like Penelope is looked at as beautiful but has.
...o all guests saved Odysseus and helped him return home to his wife, son, and kingdom. Even though people from many different kingdoms and islands took Odysseus in their home and showed him great kindness on his return home, the individual who helped him most was the goddess Athena. In many occasions Athena assisted Odysseus. One such example is when Odysseus was fighting of the suitors and they threw spears at him. "Re-forming, the suitors threw again with all their strength, but Athena turned their shots, or all but two (p 566)." Another instance which Athena aided Odysseus was when she disguised him as a beggar on his arrival to his homeland. "Would even you have guessed that I am Pallas Athena, daughter of Zeus, I that am always with you in times of trial, a shield to you in battle (p 444)." "Your goddess-guardian to the end in all your trials (p 539)."
Women 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 power to either hinder of help men. Only one woman is able to successfully combine elements of both classes: Penelope. She serves as a role model of virtue and craftiness. All the other women are compared to and contrasted with Penelope.
The character of Penelope in Homer's Odyssey reflects the faithful wife who waits twenty years for the arrival of her husband. Only a strong woman could sustain the stress, anxiety and confusion resulting from the chaos of a palace with a missing king whose fate is unknown. Her responsibilities and commitments toward the man she loves are particularly difficult to keep, under the strain of the situation. Although she does not actively pursue an effort to find him, her participation in the success of Odysseus' homecoming can be seen in her efforts to defend and protect the heritage, reputation and the House of Odysseus in his absence. As Odysseus withstands his trial, Penelope withstands her trials against temptations to give in to the many anxious suitors, to give up on her faith and respect for her religion, her husband and even her self. Penelope's strength in keeping the highest standards in her function as a wife, woman and mother contributes to the success of Odysseus' homecoming by keeping the home and family for him to come back to.
The gods somewhat shape the lives of the women and men within the Odyssey. Athena, the Fighters Queen (Homer, Odyssey 16.237) was the protector of and assisted Odysseus. After Odysseus went missing, she was by his son, Telemachus’, side (DelGuercio). If Athena did not push him into calling an assembly to the suitors by urging him ‘to find some way of ridding the house of these Suitors’ (Homer, Odyssey 1.10) and basically stating to grow up, ‘you are no longer child: you must put childish thoughts away’ (Homer, Odyssey 1.11), Telemachus would have been killed by his mother’s suitors plan (Smith, 2012). Athena helps him mature, gain confidence and assertiveness to take action against the suitors. Similarly the Goddess helps Telemachus search for his absent father. She helped with the venture to find and search for Odysseus. Athena ‘lulled the suitors there into a state of pleasant drowsiness’ (Homer, Odyssey 1.25), which therefore allowed Telemachus to undertake his journey. However it’s not always positive relationships the mortals and Gods have. The relationship between the ‘wise Odysseus (Homer, Odyssey 1.99) and ‘the Earth-Shaker God Poseidon’ (Homer, Odyssey 1.81) is undesirable. Poseidon will go out of his way to stop Odysseus from returning home. ‘The sight of Odysseus sailing over the seas enraged him’ (Homer, Odyssey 5.70). Poseidon purposely roused up the seas and stirred up a storm to