Maids In The Odyssey

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Throughout history women have been segregated against, and early history would show that women were nothing more than objects, something men owned. This idea was supported by the media through newspapers, and books. Specifically in classical literature women are seen as sexual objects, or property. In popular books these women, Penelope’s maids, Circe, and Gwynevere are all seen as sexual objects used by men especially by the main characters.
The maids in The Odyssey, by Homer, are treated as nothing more than property, both by Odysseus and by the suitors, they are used and then thrown out like trash. After Odysseus massacres all the suitors, except two, he realizes that he has made a mess of the great hall, then Eurycleia tells Odysseus …show more content…

Chairs and tables-scrub them down with sponges, rinse them clean. And once you’ve put the entire house in order, march the women out of the great hall-between the roundhouse and the courtyard’s strong stockade-and hack them with your swords, slash out all their lives-blot out their minds the joys of love they relished under the suitors’ bodies, rutting on the sly! (Homer 453).
Even if they were maids being forced to clean up a dirty mess right before you were to be slaughtered is sick, and sadistic, and all they did was sleep with someone they may or may not have wanted to. To further the point, the suitors were the ones who forced the maids to sleep with them by objectifying the maids as property and saying that they need to serve the guests of the house (the suitors). The Odyssey is a famous book that many have read and for it to include these ideals of objectifying women is awful no matter what time it was.
Along with the maids in The Odyssey, another woman known as Circe was used as a sexual object for a whole year by Odysseus. Soon after landing on Circe’s island Odysseus gets word that his comrades have been taken by Circe, Odysseus decides to confront her by himself. However before he goes into Circe’s home, Hermes, the giant killer appears, telling him that Circe’s magic can be avoided using special herbs which Hermes gives to Odysseus. After eating the herbs and confronting Circe, Circe asks one favour of …show more content…

After being treated badly by his peers, King Arthur determines that he needs to marry. King Arthur and Merlin are talking about who to pick for his wife when King Arthur mentions Guinevere:
‘I love Guenevere, the daughter of King Leodegrance of the land of Cameliard, who holdeth in his house the table round that ye told me had been given to him by my father Uther. And this damsel is the most valiant and fairest lady that I know living, or yet that ever I could find.’ ‘Sir,; said Merlin, ‘as of her beauty and fairness she is one of the fairest alive (The Marriage of King Arthur).
This might not be as bad as The Odyssey however the fact that King Arthur barely knows anything about her besides that she is attractive, and that she owns the round table, shows that King Arthur is merely using her to get to the round table. Both Arthur and Merlin agree that she is one of the fairest damsels, but even after warning from Merlin that the kingdom will fall if he chooses Guinevere as his Queen he still chooses her because of her

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