Women's Role In The Odyssey Essay

The Odyssey is Homer’s second great epic after the Iliad and it tells the adventures, or misadventures, of a great mythical hero named Odysseus during his trip home after the Trojan War, his wife Penelope and his son, Telemachos who wait for him at home on Ithaca. The epic of Odysseus is more than just an entertaining tale about gods, monsters, and people, but it was some kind of cultural paradigm that showed human relationships. The poem gives a varied depiction of peacetime civilization of Achaean. The Odyssey gives an opportunity to understand what is proper or improper in relationships between the gods and men, father and son, servant and master, guest and host, and man and woman. Women's role is vital role in the development of this epic.

The women in the Odyssey are unique in their personality, intentions, and relationship towards men. All women in this epic are different, but all of them help to define the role of the ideal woman.
By observing the female characters of "The Odyssey", readers can understand the role of women in this epic. Along with the belief that women played a secondary role to men in Greek society, the female characters displayed certain traits that could not be shown by the men. Certainly, the male characters play the most significant roles in this poem, but without the support of the females in "The Odyssey", Odysseus would not have made it through his journey. Within the story there are three main types of women: the goddess, the seductress, and the good hostess/wife. Each particular female character adds a different element and is crucial to the telling of the story.
The most memorable and important women in the poem are Penelope, wife of Odysseus; Naussica, a young innocent maiden. Also such female characters as Arete, Circe, Calypso, and Athena are impressive and intriguing. Characters of there women help to understand the degree mortal women were respected and regarded in Ancient Greece.
All women of the epic poem are unique.

The goddesses play very demanding, controlling roles in "The Odyssey". By far, the most powerful is Athena, as she makes things happen during the entire story. The role of the goddess is one of a supernatural being, but more importantly one in a position to pity and help mortals. Athena, the goddess of wisdom, is the most obvious example of the role. As she is the Goddess of war and battle, so she understands Odysseus and the struggle he has been through which is probably why she loves him so.. Athena is a Goddess that is confident, practical, intelligent, and very crafty. She is a master of disguise, which is very important in Odysseus' world. Athena embodies strength, bravery, and justice. She is a strong leader and a very clever decision maker. She tries the help Odysseus in the most difficult situations, some would argue that she did all the heavy lifting while he cried about his story being told The reader understands, that she is the major reason that Odysseus was able to return home safely. Athena demonstrated the most intelligence and valor out of all the characters in "The Odyssey". Another goddess Calypso is also very powerful and she manages to hold Odysseus captive for many

years.
Penelope proves to be a central character throughout the poem by examining the roles of her as the wife of Odysseus and how she is represented reveals how a wife may have been treated in Homeric Greece. She proves to contain a complex, contradictory character, layered with meekness, submission and frailty, yet later on is strong, independent and shrewd. But firstly, Penelope has all the man-made qualities of an ideal Greek woman: loyalty, submission and fertility.
Women in Ancient Greece were considered inferior to men and they couldn't mix with men and be part of the action in society. Very few women had important roles, so that world was dominated by men. Yet in "The Odyssey" women played very important roles. Women were not meek little structures blended into the background, they were powerful and wise. They charmed and controlled the men, took care of them; they provided submission, loyalty and advice. Women were very wise in The Odyssey and it was rather different to the roles women most often played in other stories of that time. Characters of women in The Odyssey help to understand the degree mortal women were respected and regarded at least by Homer.