Penelopeia In Homer's The Odyssey

Homer's epic The Odyssey was more than an entertaining tale of gods, monsters, and people. It was a cultural paradigm that showed human relationships by giving a diverse depiction of Ancient Greece and an understanding for the reader of what was appropriate for the Greeks in the relationships between god and mortal, father and son, man and woman, and more. Although there were not many female characters in The Odyssey, the few women in the story played pivotal roles. Unlike the way Greek women were mistreated in their societies at that time, Homer portrayed women in his epic as tough and strong-willed, treated by the men with the respect and seriousness they deserved.

The goddesses played an essential part in the epic. The most prominent example

of this was Athena, the goddess of wisdom. Because she was also the goddess of war and battle, Athena understood Odysseus and the struggles he experienced. She had a soft spot for Odysseus and his son Telemachos and made a plea on behalf of Odysseus at a meeting with the gods, addressing her father by asking "Why, Zeus, are you now so harsh with him?". This action showed Athena's initiative and nerve, two traits the reader should greatly admire. Athena also displayed cleverness and ingenuity when she disguised herself and others on several occasions, appearing as Mentor, Telemachos himself, and various other forms. Not only was she the master of disguises, but she also had an incredible sense of when it was necessary to appear as someone else in order to achieve her goals. In addition to Athena's abilities, the traits which she valued gave great insight into her own virtues. For example, she considered hospitality to be of great importance. This was shown several times in The Odyssey: first, when she arrived in Ithaca and was received so well by Telemachos, and a second time when she assisted Odysseus by gaining the favor of Arêtê and Nausicaä. Athena also valued glory, which became clearer when she sent Telemachos on his voyage with the primary purpose for him to grow up. She did not seem to take into consideration the inevitable dangers of the trip because it was more important to her that he became a man and achieved glory. Athena was a central female character in this epic because of the way she embodied strength, bravery, and justice.
Penelopeia was the most important female character in the epic.

Odysseus's homecoming was centered on his love for her. She was not only his wife but also the mother of his son Telemachos. Since Odysseus had not returned from the war and was presumably dead, many suitors desired to replace him by taking Penelopeia's hand in marriage and Odysseus's property. The readers were constantly reminded of her faithfulness to Odysseus: not only did she wait many years for her husband to come home, but she also did not give in to the temptation of her many suitors. During the whole epic, Penelopeia showed her wisdom and cleverness. While she may have appeared weak at first, she proved to be shrewd, much like her husband, after tricking the suitors by claiming that she would choose one of them as her husband once she finished the burial shroud for Laërtês, her father-in-law. Every night she would undo the weaving she had done for the day, in order to delay her marriage to one of the

suitors.
Eurycleia, the old nurse of Odysseus and Telemachos, was portrayed in a very positive light. She was repeatedly shown to be noble and extraordinarily devoted to her masters. In fact, Laërtês, Odysseus's father, favored Eurycleia as much as his own wife, treating her with the same respect. Homer also mentions that she loved and cared for Telemachos more than any of the other women in the household did. These traits were admirable and again show the female characters as virtuous. Eurycleia was a trusted and loyal servant who was not only treated like one of the family, but also someone Telemachos was dependent on for help.
Among the mortal women, there were many wise and strong characters, such as Arêtê and Helen.

Arêtê was the wife of Alcinoös and the mother of his children, including Nausicaä. The Phaeacian queen was acknowledged by her daughter, and the reader can assume that others felt the same way, as the higher authoritative. Nausicaä told Odysseus to bypass her father and instead ask Arêtê for help. Arêtê was very hospitable toward Odysseus and helped him find his way home to Ithaca. Helen, the wife of Menelaos, was kidnapped by Paris, the young prince of Troy and she was the reason Menelaos and his brother Agamemnon attacked Troy and started one of the most famous battles in Greek mythology, the Trojan War. Not only was Helen the most beautiful woman of all, but she also was treated very respectfully by not only her husband Menelaos, who it seemed completely forgave his wife, but by all citizens of Lacedaimon. She was regarded and respected as highly as the

men.
Nausicaä was the princess of the Phaeacians, daughter of King Alcinoös and Queen Arêtê. She had the heart of a warrior when she encountered Odysseus: she had the courage to face Odysseus when he first appeared, while all of her companions fled. Nausicaä rescued Odysseus by providing him proper clothing and bringing him toward the palace to meet her parents, the king and queen. She gave Odysseus fundamental advice in order to gain his return home by telling him to bypass her father and supplicate her mother. Nausicaä was the first to save Odysseus, who acknowledged that she did indeed bring him back to life.
While the men appeared to be doing most of the action in The Odyssey, the women and goddesses had very critical roles as well. The female characters Athena, Penelopeia, Eurycleia, Arêtê, Helen, and Nausicaä were not only extremely influential because of their strength and intelligence in the epic, but their actions entirely impacted the peripatetic activities of the men. As depicted in The Odyssey, one can conclude that in their own way, women can rise above the binds of tradition: while these women lived under harsh constraints where their opinions were not accepted nor wanted, they should be applauded as revolutionaries for their actions in exercising their feminine power.