Gender and the Odyssey
Though Robert Fagles and Emily Wilson translated the Odyssey only twenty-one years apart, the differences in book nine are striking. With the portrayal of Calypso, a prisoner of the island Ogygia, and Odysseus, the character who the tale follows, being so adverse, it can be easy to see who translated what. These two translations of The Odyssey conflict one another because of the character depiction of Calypso and Odysseus in book nine.
Moreover, the titles of books nine in the two stories are contrary to one another. The title of Wilson’s book nine, named “A Pirate in a Shepherd’s Cave,” tells us right away that Wilson thinks of Odysseus as a pirate, villainizing his character. She refers to Polyphemus as a “Shepherd,” showing the reader that clearly Polyphemus is the victim of book nine. Conversely, Fagles uses the title “In the One-eyed Giant’s Cave,” taking a more neutral approach to it. By using this title he is neither saying that Odysseus or Polyphemus takes on role of the antagonist. To begin book nine, Fagles portrays Odysseus as “the great teller of tales” (Fagles, book 9 line 1.) While, Wilson commences her book by calling Odysseus “the lord of lies” (Wilson, book 9, line 1.)
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Wilson is not wrong, as in Greek mythology Calypso is called a nymph (minor goddess.) On the contrary, Fagles illustrates Calypso as “lustrous” (Fagles, book 9, line 34,) making it seem like she, as a woman, needed the attention of Odysseus. By the same token, Fagles arranges it so that Calypso plays the role of the enemy, not Odysseus, though being unfaithful to his wife, Penelope. Wilson may have humanized Calypso more than Fagles because she, herself, identifies as a woman. As opposed to Fagles, who has more sympathy for Odysseus because he distinguishes himself as a
In “Calypso” by Suzanne Vega, Calypso is described as described as selfish, deceptive, and lonely. Vega characterizes Calypso as selfish. “And though he pulled away—I kept him here for years—I let him go” Odysseus pulled away from her over the years on the island, but that now she is going to let him go. As Vega continues labels Calypso as deceptive. “But he’ll know their ways now—I will stand upon the shore –with a clean heart” Calypso is saying Odysseus will be wiser for having known Calypso and that Calypso was lying about having a clean heart. Finally, she illustrates in our mind that Calypso is lonely. “And the sky will burn—it’s a lonely time ahead—I don’t ask him to return—I let him go—I let him go” Calypso starts being lonely again
Gender plays a role in literature, often reflecting the culture at the time of their creation. In such cases, it is also easy to tell the expectations of men and women in society. Gender roles in the works The Odyssey and The Epic of Gilgamesh are similar to which there is an obscure line between the two genders. Although most women are presented as maternal figures in both works, they are mainly seen as tools at the disposal of men.
Another clear point of great conflict is on the Cyclops’s island. While in the case with Polyphemus, according to Shewring, “…My name is Noman; Noman is what my mother and father call me; so like-wise do all my friends.’ ‘To these words of mine the savage creature made quick response: ‘Noman then shall come last among those I eat; his friends I will eat first; this is to be my favour to you’” (Shewring 108). Shewring’s structure here indicates immediately that Odysseus will come as the last meal for the Cyclops, forcing him to view his friends be eaten one by one. The same scene, according to Fitzgerald, “…My name is Nohbdy: mother, father, and friends, / everyone calls me Nohbdy.’ And he said: / ‘Nohbdy’s my meat, then, after I eat his friends. / Others come first. There’s a noble gift, now” (Fitzgerald 150). Fitzgerald’s translation establishes only that Odysseus will be eaten, initially, and later that his friends will come first. Despite the differences, both come across with the same message: Odysseus and his men need to do something before they are
Richardson’s arguments also tend to be cyclical in a way that while being academic, make this paper not one for the faint of heart. The repetitiveness and overall dryness of the article make it almost a pain to read and endeavor to understand. In the end as well, Richardson’s argument was successful, when one is talking about modern readers with little background in Classical Ancient Greek mythos. Richardson gives plenty of examples of Homer leaving things out or playing things in a way that give readers a sort of taste of how those in contact with Odysseus would have felt after learning of all the deceptions imposed upon them. Of course, this argument only works for modern readers with less knowledge of the classic mythos that Homer has based his writing upon. Those from long ago would have seen many of the things Richardson writes about coming, almost to a point that it would be like reading a Boxcar Children book, if only for the fact that having extended knowledge of the Ancient Greek myths lets the ancients understand how Homer is writing, and understand how the gods are working. Foreknowledge is actually a basis for Richardson’s arguments, with misdirection being his biggest point,
Women living in Ancient Greece had limited rights, if any, and were treated as property, owned by either their father or husband. They were never allowed to enter battle and their job was to keep to household in order. However, in Greek stories, women were given a major role and showed strength, wit, and cunning unusual to the stereotypical woman of the time. The Greek writers used women who possessed these traits to progress the plot and evoke the emotions famous in Greek drama and tragedies.
The different translations of The Oedipus Cycle emphasize and suggest different aspects of the presented scene. There are multiple examples of this in the comparison of The Fitts and Fitzgerald’s Translation and the Luci Berkowitz and Theodore F. Brunner’s Translation. Such as the differences in format, sentence structure, and diction imply different characteristics. Also, similarities in the two translations reinforce the importance of the concepts.
“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.
There have been speculations against The Odyssey as a quest because of Odysseus' willingness to be delayed. Yet, there is plenty of evidence proving that Odysseus' struggle is a true quest, as is reflected in is his role on the island of Calypso. In book five, "Homer" uses words like "imprisonment" and "misfortune" to describe Odysseus' time on the island of Calypso. Not to mention the fact that when Odysseus was finally released, he delivers a speech to Calypso in which he acknowledges her beauty but states, "Nevertheless I long to reach my home and see the day of my return. It is my never-failing wish" (Book IV l. 216-221), confirming that the deterrents of Odysseus are not of his own choosing.
There are occasions in both works where characters make the mistake of using their personal manner in inappropriate settings. In The Odyssey, Odysseus incorrectly assumes that the Cyclopes, Polyphemos, would be welcoming of him.
In the Iliad, by Homer, women are objectified and sexualized by men, but female goddesses are praised and worshipped by all morals, men and women.
Homer wrote the classic epic The Odyssey more than 2,500 years ago. At that time in ancient Greek society, as well as in the whole of the ancient world, the dominant role was played by men. Society was organized, directed, and controlled by men, and it was accepted that women occupied a subservient and inferior position. Women, of course, were valued, but were expected to possess certain traits and perform certain tasks that men demanded of them. Does Homer's writing in The Odyssey support or refute the common belief of his time regarding women? Homer endorsed the dominating belief of his time concerning women by treating the female characters unequally and differently compared to the male characters in The Odyssey.
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.
In Lucian’s Dialogues of the Sea Gods, the second dialogue is a conversation between the Cyclops, Polyphemus, and Poseidon. Their discussion, centering on Polyphemus’ blinding at the hands of Odysseus, is an obvious reference to Book IX of Homer’s Odyssey, where the same events occur. In his work, Lucian is able to use the reader’s knowledge of Homer’s hero and monster to demonstrate their similarities and that neither fall into a well-defined category of character type. In the Odyssey, the character of Odysseus is, without question, the hero of the work. The Odysseus found in Lucian’s second dialogue more closely resembles the self-serving and cowardly man found in the tragic tradition.
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.