Admirable Women In The Odyssey

692 Words2 Pages

While I agree with the statement that Penelope is a woman to admire, even by today's standards, up to a point, I cannot accept the overriding assumption that today's standards would still consider her admirable. I agree with the fact Penelope acts as a commendable woman as she proves her loyalty, patience, and cleverness while waiting for her husband to return. However, this admiration should not continue to today. Currently, a woman should appear strong, independent, and able to move on in life. Penelope does not have any of these qualities, therefore today's society can not view her as admirable, only in the time of The Odyssey.

Through loyalty, cleverness, and patience, Penelope showed her admirable traits at the time in which The Odyssey …show more content…

Currently, people would expect a woman to move on in life if she has not heard from her husband in twenty years. They would tell her to stop mourning over Odysseus and assume he has either died or also moved on. According to modern expectations, Penelope must show her independence to gain respect from others by remarrying or staying single. She spends a great deal of time weeping over her lost husband, as she described to all her maids, “Is there a woman of my time whom Zeus has treated worse than me? I had a husband years ago, the best and bravest of the Danaans, a lion-hearted man, famous from Hellas to the heart of Argos. That husband I have lost” (Homer 59). Here Penelope explains her grief of losing her honorable and strong husband and bemoans how cruelly Zeus has treated her by removing her husband from her life twenty years ago. Today's society would view this attitude as weak. Not only could people today see Penelope as dependent and weak, but also lacking the skill of standing up for herself. Normally standards recently would expect a woman to stand up for herself and tell suitors to leave. However, Penelope displays a lack of assertiveness by letting her suitors eat her food and wreck her house instead of telling them to leave until she has made a decision about

Show More
Related

  • Portrayal of Women in Homer's Odyssey

    451 Words  | 1 Pages

    a man, because he has to choose a wife for his mother, but for Penelope, she. must feel degraded and low. On the other hand, if you look at a goddess like Athena, "the gray eyed" goddess," (many pages) who is actually running the show, she has much more. more power than many men do. For instance, she is able to convince Zeus, ruler of the world. all gods, that Odysseus has suffered enough to set him free.

    Read More

  • Penelope´s Cleverness In Homer's 'Odyssey'

    1733 Words  | 4 Pages

    In the Odyssey, written by, Homer Penelope seems, at first, to be portrayed as someone constantly weeping for her husband, while being oblivious to the struggles of her kingdom. However, the story actually portrays her as someone who is in control of her surroundings. Penelope is torn at the thought of not seeing her husband again. Back when Penelope was alive it was not proper for a lady to be with more than one man and Penelope knew this. She did not wish to be with more than one man, so she used her weeping to distract her suitors so she would not be looked at with disgrace in her century. After twenty years Penelope is given strength, while pretending to be oblivious, in a categorical way Penelope demonstrates her

    Read More

  • Treatment of Women in Homer's Odyssey

    882 Words  | 2 Pages

    Some women are known for the deeds of their sons or husbands, but never for a heroic deed of their own, their personalities, and what they do themselves. It seems the only accomplishment women could achieve was being beautiful. Theseus "had no joy of"(195) the princess Ariadne because she died before this was possible. Homer makes it sound as if Ariadne's life was useless because she did not give Theseus pleasure. The only woman we hear of for a different reason is Klymene, and we only hear of her because she "betrayed her lord for gold."(195) This is the only time we hear of a woman for something she did, and once we do, it is a negative remark. Penelope, Odysseus' queen, is paid attention to only because of her position. Because she has a kingdom, she has suitors crowding around her day and night. Being a woman, Penelope has no control over what the suitors do and cannot get rid of them. The suitors want her wealth and her kingdom. They do not respect her enough to stop feeding on Odysseus' wealth; they feel she owes them something because she won't marry one of them. One of the suitors, Antinoos, tells Telemakhos "...but you should know the suitors are not to blame- it is your own incomparably cunning mother."(21) Even Telemakhos doesn't respect his mother as he should. When the song of a minstrel makes her sad and Penelope requests him to stop playing, Telemakhos interrupts and says to her, "Mother, why do you grudge our own dear minstrel joy of song, wherever his thought may lead.

    Read More

  • Greek Women in The Odyssey

    425 Words  | 1 Pages

    Then there is Odysseus’ wife, Penelope. She is depicted as an individual. Homer makes her character appear as very clever and also very loyal. Never once during Odysseus twenty years of absence does she remarry. She tolerates the suitors in her home for ten years but never chooses, always with the hope that her first husband, Odysseus, will return. Homer also makes her seem clever when she gets all of the suitors to bring her gifts before she “chooses one” knowing that they are in a short supply of resources. In another instance he portrays her as clever in the way that she keeps the suitor away by weaving the tunic for Odysseus and secretly taking it apart every night. The role Penelope plays is very important because she is seen as a person, not a possession.

    Read More

  • The Role Of Women In Homer's Odyssey

    730 Words  | 2 Pages

    She is loyal, having waited for Odysseus for twenty years, not remarrying, though she thought he was gone for good. She also plays a much more active role in the marriage she has with Odysseus. Perhaps the most defining characteristics attributed to Penelope involve her role as a woman, in marriage and as a presumed “widow”. First, there seems to be a double standard, like described in Calypso’s case, between the loyalty of Penelope and the loyalty of Odysseus. Penelope is physically and emotionally loyal to Odysseus, while Odysseus is only emotionally loyal, meaning he has had sexual relations with other women within the twenty years he has been gone. During this time period in Greek culture, this was not frowned upon and was quite normal, suggesting that women were held to a different standard than men. In addition, as Penelope is presumed to be a widow, at least by the suitors, she is prized solely for her beauty. The suitors speak only of her beauty and none of her intelligence or of her personality or soul. This suggests that marriage was not always about love, and that women were judged and valued merely for their beauty. This idea further proves the act of sexualizing women during this

    Read More

  • Examples Of Sexism In The Odyssey

    1065 Words  | 3 Pages

    She is faithful to Odysseus for twenty years, devoted, and loving. Yet she is also strong, clever, and crafty. Penelope is so faithful, that she would rather die than never see Odysseus again, "How I wish chaste Artemis would give me a death so soft, and now, so I would not go on in my heart grieving all my life, and longing for love of a husband excellent in every virtue.” While some might consider this problematic, Penelope is faithful out of her Penelope devises brilliant plans to buy herself time for Odysseus to come home, such as her scheme with the loom and the contest she creates, which she knows only her husband can accomplish. Despite everything, Odysseus and Penelope have a strong relationship. When Odysseus is captured and tempted by Calypso in book five, he decides to go back home with Penelope. Calypso tries to change his mind, yet he says, “Don't be angry with me, please. All that you say is true, how well I know. Look at my wise Penelope. She falls far short of you, your beauty, stature.” This illustrates that Odysseus is truly in love with Penelope. He loves her for more than her looks and he doesn't mind if she isn´t more beautiful than Calypso or if she has gotten

    Read More

  • Women in The Odyssey

    1471 Words  | 3 Pages

    ...ow Greek civilization was founded by women; they were the ones who gave birth to the heroes. Similarly, The Odyssey is a story created by women. The plot revolves around the actions of women. Athena orchestrates all the events. The seductresses, such as Circe, the sirens, and Calypso, attempt to stop Odysseus from reaching home. The helpmeets, such as Nausicaa, Arete, and Athena, aid Odysseus in his homecoming. The wise and virtuous Penelope is the object of Odysseus’ quest. Unlike Helen who forsakes her husband, Penelope remains faithful. Unlike Clytemnestra who assassinates her husband, Penelope patiently waits for Odysseus. She becomes a model of female patience and of female intelligence. Her craftiness is the only one which can match up to Odysseus’. The Odyssey presents a wide array of women and demonstrates the influence that women have in the life of a hero.

    Read More

  • Essay On The Role Of Women In The Odyssey

    1568 Words  | 4 Pages

    Women play an influential role in The Odyssey. Women appear throughout the story, as goddesses, wives, princesses, or servants. The women in “The Odyssey” dictate the direction of the epic. Homer the blind creator may have contrived the story with the aim to depict a story of a male heroism; but the story if looked at from a different angles shows the power women have over men. The Sirens and women that posses the power of seduction when ever they are encountered take the men off their course, and lead many to their death. The power women in the Epic pose can be seen from the goddess all to the wives. From The nymph Calypso who enslaves Odysseus for many years posses all the way back to Penelope who many argue is of equal importance to

    Read More

  • Essay About Love in Homer's Odyssey

    495 Words  | 1 Pages

    Often times in life we search for a companion, someone to share our love and life with.  Odysseus and Penelope's lasting relationship is an obvious representation of love in the Odyssey. Although Odysseus is gone for twenty years he never forgets his faithful wife in Ithaca.  This love helps him persevere through the many hardships that he encounters on his journey home.  Penelope also exemplifies this same kind of love for Odysseus.  At home in Ithaca, she stays loyal to Odysseus by unraveling his shroud and delaying her marriage to the suitors that are courting her.  She always keeps the hope that her love, Odysseus, will return.  Odysseus and Penelope's marriage clearly illustrates the theme of love.

    Read More

  • The Role of Loyalty in The Odyssey

    1045 Words  | 3 Pages

    Odysseus and Penelope have a strong love towards one-another. Odysseus would not give up on fighting for eventually getting back to both Penelope and Ithaca. They are a married couple which is what makes them so much more attached and loyal to each other. Penelope has had many opportunities to re-marry after her husband left for 20 years. Odysseus also let down the opportunity on living an immortal life with a beautiful woman in order to make it back to his true love. An example of Penelope’s loyalty to Odysseus is that she rejects the many suitors that approach her for marriage because she believes that Odysseus is still alive somewhere and she remains loyal to their marriage. Before Odysseus left for the Trojan War, he told Penelope that if he did not return by the time their son, Telemachus, could grow a full beard, she must remarry at her own will. Penelope remains loyal to her marriage with Odysseus, even though Telemachus had grown a beard. QUOTE!! Odysseus’s’ loyalty...

    Read More

  • Penelope and Odysseus, Ideal for Each Other

    927 Words  | 2 Pages

    One important characteristic that Penelope and Odysseus share is their loyalty to each other. Odysseus failed to return home seven years after the Trojan war. Because he is assumed dead, 108 wealthy noblemen and princes invade his palace and refuse to leave until Penelope has married one of them. By marrying her, the suitors hope to gain control over Odysseus’s wealth and power. However, Penelope remains faithful to Odysseus. But, as a woman, she is powerless to remove the suitors from the palace. And without a man in the household, she is subject to her father’s decisions. However, despite his wish for her to remarry, Penelope clings to the hope of Odysseus’s return and remains faithful to him. She waits and gathers information by asking strangers who arrive in Ithaca about Odysseus. She goes through the stories of their encounter point by point, and asks about every detail while tears stream down her eyes. Although the suitors promise her a secure future, Penelope continues to wait for Odysseus. Without Odysseus, she does not believe that she will ever be happy again.

    Read More

  • Role of Women in the Odyssey

    1575 Words  | 4 Pages

    MacKay, L. A. "The Person of Penelope." Greece & Rome 2nd ser. 5.2 (1958): 123-27. JSTOR. Web. .

    Read More

  • The role of Women in Greece

    1539 Words  | 4 Pages

    Greek women, as depicted in their history and literature, endure many hardships and struggle to establish a meaningful status in their society. In the Odyssey, Penelope’s only role in the epic is to support Odysseus and remain loyal to him. She is at home and struggles to keep her family intact while Odysseus is away trying to return to his native land. The cultural role of women is depicted as being supportive of men and nothing more. Yet what women in ancient Greece did long ago was far more impressive than what men did.

    Read More

  • Female Role In The Odyssey

    1080 Words  | 3 Pages

    She is a testament to women of this era in that she is not pushed around by men. The unknown writer for a website that analyzes the role of women in the art of ancient Greece writes this about Penelope,” One of the points that can be made of the story is that even though women are weaker than men there are tools available to keep them from being overpowered. The main tool is the rule of law, but even before laws customs could be used” (rwaag.org). Her tactics finally pay off in the end of the epic, when Odysseus returns from his voyage and she once again proves her intelligence by hosting the archery contest to prove Odysseus is

    Read More

  • How Is Odysseus Loyal

    1116 Words  | 3 Pages

    Therefore, Penelope didn’t want to go against Odysseus because she still believed in him, but the suitors forced her to. When the suitors find out that Odysseus will be home soon and that they did the wrong thing, they finally hear what Penelope has been trying to say to them. She says, “So I finished it off. Against my will. They forced me” (19.175). Penelope feels that she has to be loyal to Odysseus and that involves not going against him. Over the course of the book, the suitors have been taking over Penelope and forcing her to do things that she doesn’t want to do. With that, she has to do everything she can to do what she wants and not get the suitors mad at the same time. For that reason, Telemachus was explaining how Penelope doesn’t want the suitors at her house because they are causing trouble. The suitors are doing things to Penelope that she doesn’t want to be done, but she is too scared to say it for herself, so Telemachus claims, “Suitors plague my mother— against her will— / sons of the very men who are your finest here” (2.55-56). When Telemachus was telling Mentor about what was happening to his mother, Penelope, he was saying that the suitors are taking advantage of her because Odysseus wasn’t there, so he couldn’t do anything to stop them. And they knew Penelope would try to do something to stop them because she won’t let them force

    Read More

More about Admirable Women In The Odyssey

Open Document