ipl-logo

Patriarchy In The Odyssey

685 Words3 Pages

In Homer’s The Odyssey, Greek gods usually use their powers to control the life of the Ancient Greeks. They would help whoever was in their favour, doing things such as giving magical gifts, and punish those who wronged them. However, the men in their society are the people portrayed heroes. The fathers are expected to bestow their sons with a sense of heroism, or courage, and self-identity. By utilizing the character of Athena to play this traditionally masculine role, Homer challenges the patriarchy of Ancient Greek society.
Odysseus is missing as Telemakhos grows up, causing him to grow up without the vital paternal figure that Ancient Greek society emphasizes. Due to this, he also grows up without courage, which renders him incapable of …show more content…

Odysseus is the king of his land, and also a decorated war hero. However, when the war ends and he is away from home, neither of those titles fit him and he has no sense of self identity. Athena is then used to give him this self-possession, a characteristic that is essential to a hero. Odysseus is allowed to leave Kalypso’s island after Kalypso reluctantly agrees when Zeus orders her to let him go. Poseidon wrecks Odyssey’s ship, but Odysseus meets Ino, who gives him a veil that will keep him afloat. His ship goes down, but the veil saves him. In this quote, Odysseus survives a feat would have killed him, “now at last Odysseus would have perished, battered inhumanly, but he had the gift of self possession from grey eyed Athena” (V 455.) At this moment, Odysseus is lost at sea, yet the term "self possession" is used. In the sea, he has no solid perception of home, and hence no solid perception of himself. He doesn't have a defining label anymore - he is no longer the great warrior because the war is over; yet he is not the king because he is not home. When he's lost at sea with no one else around him, it actually causes him to find himself. Odysseus had to come to terms with not knowing who he was. Alone in the sea, he has a blank slate. This "self possession" also saves him from perishing, which stresses how important having a sense of self is. By giving him this self possession, Athena substantially saves

Show More
Related

  • How Does Odysseus Show Courage

    232 Words  | 1 Pages

    Odysseus is a man, who has been working on going home for twenty years. He is a leader of his men, and will never give up until he gets to his goal or going home to his family. He is faithful to all his men, and he never deceived them. The faithful Odysseus is very hard working trying to help his men get home.

    Read More

  • Odysseus Free Will In Homer's Odyssey

    476 Words  | 2 Pages

    In the novel "The Odyssey", by Homer, It is clear that Odysseus was a puppet of the gods and could not control his own fate because He needed the help of the goddess Athena and the God Zeus to be released from Calypso, and because Athena and the witch Circe helped him, he was able to escape Scylla and Charybdis.

    Read More

  • Roles Of Women In Homer's The Odyssey

    231 Words  | 1 Pages

    The role of women in The Odyssey is to exhibit the many roles that women perform in the lives of men. There is a quote that states that behind every successful men there is a woman; to which homer would probably agree. As it was stated before, we can make reference to such quote by picturing The Odyssey without woman in the epic. Without woman, Odysseus would probably make it faster to Ithaca or would probably die in many of the obstacles that Zeus was putting in his way. Men’s position or respect, in ancient Greek mythology, was determinate by the things had successfully fulfilled in their life but no men had ever recognize that such success is part of the role that woman have in their lives.

    Read More

  • Humility In Odysseus In Homer's The Odyssey

    846 Words  | 4 Pages

    Odysseus has grown from the man he was before, as now he finds comfort and safety in obeying the gods when in the past he did not consider their wishes. Odysseus has only returned due to Athena and he has recognized that and his compliance is founded in his appreciation and respect for her. Odysseus is now a hero due to the obedience he now has to the gods, founded in a sense of humility. Through Odysseus’ experiences on his journey, he learns the value of obedience and dangers of arrogance and ultimately, become a hero through the lessons learned.

    Read More

  • The Role Of Women In Homer's The Odyssey

    954 Words  | 4 Pages

    In the epic poem, The Odyssey, by Homer, there are many female characters who play the role of a villain. Calypso, Scylla, Charybdis, and the sirens are among the women with the largest, negative impacts on Odysseus’ journey home. Though some women, such as Athena, Eurycleia, and Penelope, are loyal to Odysseus throughout the poem. With such a wide range of female characters, they all contribute different things throughout the book, whether the impact of their actions is negative or positive. Regardless of the outcomes, Homer has quite a modern view of female representation in his poem.

    Read More

  • Essay On Athena In The Odyssey

    1515 Words  | 7 Pages

    Athena is a major character throughout the book of The Odyssey and is known as the goddess of wisdom and battle. Throughout the course of the book, it is evident that Athena has a weak spot for the main character, Odysseus. Odysseus is trying to return home after the Trojan War, as the other Greek hero’s have already done, however he faces multiple challenges a long the way. Fortunately, for Odysseus, Athena was there to guide him through a few of these troubling situations.

    Read More

  • The Ideal Greek Man In Homer's Odyssey

    1055 Words  | 5 Pages

    . . was sitting there among the suitors, a boy, daydreaming”(5). Homer presents three different problems within a single sentence, but also gives one solution for all of them. Telemakhos needs to become a man. Once he has reached manhood, Telemakhos will use his newfound assertiveness to drive away the suitors that plague his home, no longer will he be a boy, and he will not daydream. The experiences, however, needed to achieve becoming an ideal man, takes a much different path than Odysseus’s own journey.

    Read More

  • Women's Role In The Odyssey Essay

    522 Words  | 3 Pages

    “The Odyssey,” written by Greek poet Homer is an epic tale depicting the brutally enduring quest home of the Greek hero, Odysseus. Within this heroic story, women play a very large and pivotal role in Odysseus’s trip home from the Trojan War. In his attempt to get back to his wife, Penelope, Odysseus’s progress is constantly hindered by the intervention of women who will do anything in order to either convince the heroic figure to stay with them or have him killed. The intentions of the women in the epic are all very different but one of the most prominent roles lies in the seductresses and the alluring women who will deeply influence Odysseus. Most importantly, Penelope plays a large role in portraying the importance of women’s roles in the story.

    Read More

  • Telemachus Relationship In The Odyssey

    1330 Words  | 6 Pages

    In the Odyssey, the book explores different themes as well as depicts what the community was like at that time period. Though only a story, the reader can use the Odyssey to understand more about cultural practices and daily life to help expand their knowledge of the Homeric age. Themes such as Xenia and masculinity were highlighted throughout the book, but the most prevalent theme was the importance of the father and son relationship. The book emphasizes the negative impacts of a son not having a father figure for guidance and shows how Telemachus needed Odysseus. Through reading about the effects of Odysseus not being in Telemachus’ life, it is evident that one of the most significant relationships in the Homeric age was between father and

    Read More

  • Athena Disguise In The Odyssey

    677 Words  | 3 Pages

    In The Odyssey, by Homer, Athena influences the lives of Odysseus and his family. In Greek mythology, gods challenge and control mortals. Gods also provide support to mortals and thus, mortals depend and act on behalf of the gods and their decisions. Athena, daughter of Zeus, is the goddess of wisdom, and both Telemachus and Odysseus benefit from her power. Athena possesses the ability to disguise herself and others, and this skill allows her to give advice and guidance.

    Read More

  • Odysseus Crew In The Odyssey

    1764 Words  | 8 Pages

    In the book called The Odyssey by Homer, it mainly follows the story of a king of a village called Ithaca, hundreds of years ago-This man, is named Odysseus. Odysseus goes through many adventures after the victory of the Trojan War. However, this is where Odysseus, is not being as strong as a great war hero and a king as he should be. Although Odysseus was seen as a very strong person, physically and mentally, he lacks the appreciation and the care of his crew throughout the trials and didn’t think through many of his actions thoroughly and how they would affect not only his crew but people around him.

    Read More

  • Oppression Of Women In Homer's Odyssey

    780 Words  | 4 Pages

    In many societies today, individuals are led to believe that the concept of women possessing their own strength or independence is abnormal. As a result, women experience the world in a constrained way in comparison to men, even if they are in higher classes of society. However, these extensive aspects of females are contradicted in some ancient Greek literature. In the epic poem, The Odyssey, Homer portrays women as a vital and powerful force through the characters Penelope and Circe, who counter the normality of misogyny in Homer’s time. Penelope’s character displays how some women are able to exceed society’s standards and show strength and cleverness when it is necessary.

    Read More

  • The Transformation Of Odysseus In Homer's Odyssey

    688 Words  | 3 Pages

    The Odyssey by Homer revolves around the character, Odysseus, and his ten-year struggle to return home after the Trojan War. As the epic’s idol, he displays the combination of a clever, handsome, and courageous man popular among the mortals as well as the gods. Essentially, he embodies the ideals of the ancient Greek culture, being adorned with many favored characteristics of the era. However, an intriguing aspect of Odysseus lies in his personality. As the protagonist, he does not manifest the entirety of a stereotypical hero because Odysseus has a fatal flaw—his arrogance.

    Read More

  • Athena Intervention In The Odyssey

    1056 Words  | 5 Pages

    The Odyssey is an epic poem written by the blind, illiterate poet Homer. It takes place in ancient Greece and tells of a man’s journey home from war. The topic, intervention of the gods, is seen throughout the book numerous times as the gods who are in favor of Odysseus lend a helping hand. It is well-known that the gods are very important to the Greeks. In this epic poem, The Odyssey, Homer demonstrates the importance of the positive and encouraging intervention of the gods in Greek culture; the brave actions, encouraging words, and cunning strategies of Athena as she assists and guides Odysseus on his journey back home.

    Read More

  • The Odyssey Essay: The Role Of Women In Homer's Odyssey

    1255 Words  | 6 Pages

    In spite of the fact that Homer’s Odyssey is an epic story of a man’s gallant journey, women play a huge part throughout. Their unique yet controversial personalities, intentions, and relationships are vital to the development of this epic and adventurous journey of Odysseus. The poem by Homer was written at a time when women had an inferior position in society, yet that didn’t stop them from being any less influential. All of the women throughout the Odyssey possess different qualities, but all of them help to define the role of the ideal woman.

    Read More

More about Patriarchy In The Odyssey

Open Document