Feminine rights are very important in life now, but have not always been that way. Female opinions should be acknowledged and respected. Allowing females and males to have an equal say in actions that involve their lives is important. In Homer's The Odyssey, the story takes place in Ancient Greece, where the rights between females and their male companions were not equal nor were females respected the same way that male's opinions were valued. A few stereotypes that females experienced in 1600 to 1200 B.C. were being too emotional, as well as they did not have a say or choice in anything that they were told to do. In Ancient Greece, little is known about female rights compared to their male counterparts, and as a result, women are negatively …show more content…
The outside appearance of a woman was the basis of how they were “chosen” to be a person’s wife. They are chosen by their looks and status. Females were only seen as objects or possessions to be talked about and “shown off.” Women did not have a say in what things should happen and what changes should be made. Even if a woman has a very good idea and understanding about something, it does not matter and they are not listened to. A female does not have a say, a choice, or a life. These are all ways that women's rights can be described as in the time of ancient Greece. In Greek Society, "making decisions must be men's concern, and mine in particular: for I am master in this house" (Wilson, Book 1, Lines 358-359). This idea shows how few things women were allowed to do or what their rights were. There was a drastic difference between males and females during the time of ancient Greece. Females “ had few rights in comparison to male citizens. Unable to vote, own land, or inherit, a woman's place was in the home and her purpose in life was the rearing of children” (Cartwright Par. 1). The adage of the
Women in ancient Greece are an interesting subject and only so much is known about the exact day to day lives of them however from what records remain it would seem that they were kept at a relatively low level on the social hierarchy. Even in Pericles ' Funeral Speech which seems to be an almost utopian discretion of aspects of Greek life Pericles himself states that “Great will be your glory in not falling short of your natural character; and greatest will be hers who is least talked of among the men whether for good or for bad.” Pericles states that the greatest of women should be the ones whom are not noticed but still preform there tasks while not catching the attention of men. Adding to this even the great philosopher Aristotle bags on the women of Greece simply by stating that ”female [souls are] inoperative” With this simple statement Aristotle makes it seem that women are somehow broken and can never live up to the same standards as men. Even Xenophon, The Economist rambles on...
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.
Although Jason and Heracles both accomplished amazing feats, the way they treated women would make them the worst heroes in Greece because they besmirched the sanctity of marriage and disrespected women. Jason abandoned Medea, who loved him and sacrificed many things for his success, and Heracles was unfaithful and defiled many women in Greece, using them for his own pleasure. Although Odysseus had an affair with two other women, he can still be considered the best hero as he treated women with respect and relentlessly attempted to return home to his wife in Ithaca. As he was tempted by two beautiful and powerful women, he is considered to be the most loyal out of all the
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.
Odysseus plans to tiptoe back into his hall through various schemes, one of which is to become beneficial and amiable to the maidservants. With this motivation, he offers to guard the hearth so that the fire won’t dwindle, but the response he receives is more than unwelcoming. Melantho, a beneficiary of Penelope, spurns him saying:
Odysseus ' principles and characteristics are a prototype of an ideal Homeric Greek leader. Odysseus is noble, clever and loyal. Through his distress and blunders, he gains knowledge that was not only crucial for his survival but for his companions too. Odysseus’s cleverness constantly allowed him to avoid death because he relied on trickery, rhetoric and disguise. “The society depicted in The Odyssey is one where male values were dominant and where all socially relevant transactions took place between the male members of the community”. (Whittaker 39) While males’ dominance takes the forefront in society, their principles are continuously being challenged by the allurement of women. In The Odyssey, many instances of such seduction reveals
The women presented throughout The Odyssey provide a respectable representation of women in ancient Greece in general. There are several women introduced in The Odyssey, all of various backgrounds and social classes. The most notable women or type of women in this epic include goddesses, Penelope, and the housemaids and servants.
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
The Theme of Women in The Odyssey by Homer In the Homer's epic poem the Odyssey, there are many themes that serve to make a comment about the meanings of the story. The theme of women in the poem serves to make these comments but also establishes a point of view on women in the reader. From this point of view, a perspective is developed into the "best" and "worst" in women. Achievement of this is through the characterization of many women with single notable evil qualities.
Since the beginning of human civilization, women have often occupied inferior roles in society while the dominant role has been played by men. In Homer’s The Odyssey, gender roles in Greek society are emphasized, showing how men controlled society while women were undervalued and constantly disrespected. Although it may be argued that Homer poses some rather feminist views, it is evident by several elements that The Odyssey is a misogynistic text. First, women in the Odyssey were continually oppressed by men, never having true free will.
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.
In the epic of Odysseus, the story tells us about how men and women play very different roles in greek culture. Women can have very powerful roles that range from goddesses to Queens. Many times in this epic, they display that they have control over men and they can influence a man to do anything they want. But men have different views on different classes of women and they shift the power back and forth between men and women. When a man and woman marry, the women is expected to be loyal to him when he is away.
The main character in the story, “Odyssey”, is a male named Odysseus. Along his very long journey home to Ithaca he encounters many woman characters along the way. Each of them has different characters, parts, and roles in the story. Three of the female characters are Circe, Athena, and Penelope.
Since the beginning of time, men have always been portrayed as stronger and beyond more powerful than women. Throughout the epic poem, The Odyssey, women's role in society is made clearly evident. Homer wrote the poem somewhere between 1200-500 B.C.E in Ancient Greece. During that period, women weren’t seen and treated extremely differently than they are today.
Ancient Greece was a man’s domain; women possessed little to no rights in comparison to their male counterparts. Unable to vote, own land, inherit, or have a say in marriage, “a woman’s place was in the home and her purpose in life was the rearing of children” (Cartwright). Astounding inequality was clearly evident in literary works written during that time; however, Homer, a prevalent storyteller and author in ancient Greece, “paints a quite different picture of women” (Jones). The Odyssey, a popular work by Homer, possesses core feminist values, yet by today’s standards, it would not be considered genuinely feminist. Homer exhibited feminist qualities through the characters Penelope, Athena, and Calypso.