Examples Of Sexism In The Odyssey

Sexism has occurred throughout history and has impacted women significantly.The Odyssey follows the narrative of a man and looks at love from the perspective of a man. The famed poem was written by an ancient greek man and until recently, has always been translated by a man. For these reasons, The Odyssey provides a great example of how love, women, and marriage have been perceived by society, especially men, in the past. By examining the sexist undertones and the perception of women and love from the men in the epic and comparing those to criticisms made today we can truly understand how far we have come as a society.
Love is a common theme in The Odyssey, although most relationships only give readers the point of view of the man, and

the woman’s opinions are often left out entirely. Men in The Odyssey often have strong beliefs on what love should be and how their wives “should” behave. For example, in book twenty-three, Odysseus says to Penelope, “What other wife could have spirit so unbending? Holding back from her husband, home at last for her after bearing twenty years of brutal struggle.” Odysseus wants Penelope to greet him lovingly, however it’s understandable why Penelope would be skeptical of his return. Telemachus, their son, also shames Penelope for not responding to Odysseus, “ Cruel mother, you with your hard heart! Why do you spurn my father so-why don’t you sit beside him, engage him, ask him questions?” This happens numerous times in the epic, when Odysseus and other men just expect women to give them what they want.
Marriage in The Odyssey seems to be a constant yet controversial theme.

Odysseus on numerous occasions, is unfaithful to Penelope. Penelope however, remains loyal to Odysseus and she is praised by greek society for it while Odysseus is never seen as adulterous for his disloyalty. However, one could argue that Odysseus’s relationship with Calypso is non-consensual, as she used her power over him as a goddess to control him and keep him on the island. In the end, however, Penelope and Telemachus are the main reasons Odysseus continues his journey home to Ithaca. The other marriage we are introduced to is the relationship between Agamemnon and his wife Clytemnestra. When Agamemnon returned from war, his wife and her lover murdered him. He sees this as a cruel act of deceit, despite the fact that he killed their daughter. Agamemnon views Clytemnestra, and other women as evil and untrustworthy. In book eleven he tells Odysseus, “So, there’s nothing more deadly, bestial than a women set on works like these, what a monstrous thing she plotted, slaughtered her own lawful husband!” Agamemnon makes this generalization and doesn’t take into consideration that he also cheated on his wife and probably murdered numerous

people.
Unlike The Iliad, The Odyssey has many female characters. Homer´s depictions of women range from the cleverness of Athena and Penelope, to the seductive natures of the goddesses Calypso and Circe. Women, such as Circe the sorceress are portrayed as evil and manipulative. Circe turns many of Odysseus’s men into pigs and then falls in love with Odysseus. Calypso, another goddess, imprisons Odysseus on her island, aiming to make Odysseus her husband. Calypso is the only one to point out the double standards between the gods in book five when she says to Hermes, “You unrivaled lords of jealousy, scandalized when goddesses sleep with mortals, openly, even when one has the man made her husband. So when Dawn with her rose-red fingers took Orion, you gods in your everlasting ease were horrified till chaste Artemis throned in gold attacked him, out on Delos, shot him to death with gentle shafts. And so when Demeter the graceful one with lovely braids gave way to her passion and made love with Iasion, bedding down in a furrow plowed three times, Zeus got wind of it soon enough, I’d say, and blasted the man to death with flashing bolts.” Calypso only has this ability to speak her mind because she is a goddess, otherwise no one would have listened. There are also the twelve slave girls that Odysseus kills for their perceived disloyalty. From this we can conclude that Homer and many ancient men saw women only as mothers, wives, slaves, seductresses, and manipulators. The only exception from this is the goddess Athena, the goddess of wisdom, strategy, and warfare. Athena often helps Odysseus on his way home and provides comfort to Penelope. Still, Athena’s intelligence in the myths stems from her birth from the head of Zeus, of coming out of the brain of a man. She also frequently disguises herself as a man because she knows the men probably won’t listen to her as a woman. Nevertheless, Odysseus in many ways gets assistance from not only Athena, but numerous other women. Circe gives Odysseus advice and directions, his mother Anticlea who tells him what had been going on at home, and Penelope who stalls the suitors.
One can interpret Penelope herself as the ancient, idealistic woman.

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

older.
While as a modern society