Roles Of Women In The Odyssey

Because Ulysses angered the Gods, mainly Poseidon, he was told he would never return home to his loving wife Penelope and his homeland of Ithaca. Throughout the poem, many women play very important roles that make this story what it is, an epic journey. If even one of these women were not there it would have altered the whole story greatly. From start to finish Penelope is always on Ulysses mind and in his heart. Penelope is the loving and always faithful wife of Ulysses.

Although “The Odyssey” by the Greek poet Homer is very much an epic tale of a man’s heroic quest, women play an incredibly large role. Homer’s epic tale, “The Odyssey” revolves around Ulysses’ quest to return back to his wife, Penelope, so that he may be reunited with her and assume control over his palace, which has been overrun by suitors. Ulysses’ son, Telemachus attempts to regain authority in the presence of the many suitors but finds this difficult and embarks upon his own journey under the guidance of Athena and other deities. The main thrust of Homer’s “The Odyssey” centers upon the adventures of Homer as he endeavors to get back home, which he finally does. He overtakes the suitors through his cunning and the tale ends happily.

The Odyssey is an epic poem about the voyage of Odysseus who is trying to return home to Ithaca. Odysseus is the main character but there are several women that played a role in his adventure. Three of the women are Penelope, Circe, and Calypso. They each have different character traits but in some way they all help Odysseus in his journey home. One female character in this unit is Circe, the daughter of Helios.

Even though all the stories in this unit had a male as the main character, that doesn’t mean females went unnoticed. In fact, they were crucial to the plots of the stories, and some of the things that happened wouldn’t have happened if they weren’t around. For better, or worse, for the main protagonists. One of the female characters in this unit is Circe, who plays a unique role in Part 2 of “The Odyssey”.

When Odysseus’ mother is introduced in the Underworld, she is presented by name, followed by her father’s name. All the women who subsequently come forward are linked to a man or men in order to indicate their importance – Odysseus calls them “wives and daughters of the brave.” These Underworld scenes exemplify a social value evident throughout The Odyssey, that except where goddesses are concerned, whether a woman is virtuous or irredeemable is dependant on the state of her relationships with men.

In The Odyssey, by Homer, this time period sees women playing the role of housewives as opposed to men, who act as the figure keeping their families together. Although women have different positions from men, they play significantly large roles and wisely use their feminine delicacy. Throughout the novel, men expect women to “go back to [their] quarters, tend to [their] own tasks, the distaff and the loom, and keep the [other] women working hard as well.” While Homer evidently expresses the expectations of women, the expectations greatly contrast from the roles that they actually play. They use their chicanery to manipulate men, and to assist them. Although women use deception to their benefit, they also show loyalty

Women have been discriminated against by society for generations, but where is misogyny truly rooted? While there is no definite answer for when and where the practice started, Greek mythology constantly portrayed women as monsters rather than normal beings. An example is Circe, a nymph from Homer's The Odyssey. In the epic poem, she forces Odysseus, a married man, to sleep with her after imprisoning all his men. She forces him to sleep with her so that his men can be free once again.

The literature composed during the era when the Odyssey was written was directed by men. Woman characters were valued but the only participated in affairs when they had the permission of men. The men, for the most part, directed the women's lives. The themes used in literature were on the subjects that men would be interested in; combat; warriors, and rulers. Domestic affairs, for the most part, were not noted. There is a immense contrast between the Odyssey and other epic poetry of the period. There are several women characters in the Odyssey. All of them add to plot in significant ways and they are also treated with admiration. The women of the poem change the lives of the gods and men, and how they link in significant ways to one

“The Odyssey” by Homer is an epic poem about Odysseus’ return to his wife and son in Ithica after the Trojan War. Women play an exceptionally large role in this epic poem. Odysseus’s son, Telemachus attempts to gain authority in the presence of the suitors but it is difficult. Especially once he goes on his own journey under the guidance of Athena. Throughout the epic poem however, the women play their roles as mothers, servants, seductresses, some are a combination. These ones can be seen as women in power because they use these tools in order to control men.

The cultural role of women in the Odyssey In Homer’s Odyssey the cultural relevance of a preferred woman’s role in society generally stands out in the roles of the female characters of Athena and Penelope simultaneously rejecting the negatively viewed characteristics of Calypso and Circe. The entire structure of Ancient Greek culture boasts its men in more superior roles than that of women. Greek society was largely built upon an idea that good women were only around to faithfully serve and support their husband and that it was very important not to stray from those essential traits. Athena is a very involved character from the beginning of the book when she wants to help Odysseus get back home to Ithaca. However, as fate would put it

Often times in ancient works, women do what they must to reach their goals. In the Odyssey and the Theogony, women use deceit to achieve their goals, with the difference being that in times of trouble Penelope is able to create and enact multiple plans on her own while Rhea must ask for help. While Homer gives some agency to his female characters, Hesiod does not.

This shows that Helen knows she is responsible for the war and is the cause of many sufferings. She blames

Another example of how the rules and expectations for women did not apply to men in The Odyssey is when Eumaeus, the loyal swine herdsman of Odysseus, recounts how he came to Ithaca as a captive of a slave woman, Phoinikia. This woman was seduced by a roaming seafarer who, '…made such love to her as women in their frailty are confused by, even the best of them.'; The god Artemis later kills Phoinikia for her 'treachery.';

The Odyssey, by Homer, was written with the Greek mindset that women were supposed to be submissive. If the woman in question was not submissive enough, she was depicted as cruel, selfish, a monster, or a whore. This is true for both mortal women, such as Penelope, and immortal goddesses, such as Calypso. Mortal women were expected to be good faithful wives who listened to everything the head of the household said, while goddesses were expected to follow the gods every order and were called sexist slurs if they ever got involved with a mortal man.

Prompt: Compare and contrast the role of women as portrayed in The Odyssey. Consider how they are loyal, strong—or weak, hospitable, etc.