ipl-logo

Women's Roles In The Odyssey Essay

448 Words2 Pages

Odyssey Essay

Women are often pictured as an object, something that can only please men and do chores. Women have no power or voice over men,which means that men could do whatever they wanted with them. They did whatever they were told to do and they did not had an option. In the Odyssey, Homer describes the role of women to be much less than men’s, as something without value and instead should be recognized by many things, goddesses then get in the picture and change this point of view, giving women a very important role, a powerful and determined one. First, women did not have power, voice or rights,so men did whatever they wanted with them. They are not allowed to speak up and if they did their opinion was not as important as men’s. Women could not do much more than raise children and be home cleaning and doing chores. They were seen like this because women were portrayed as a flower, delicate and that they were not able to hurt anything or anyone. The goddesses play an important role and affect Odysseus’ plan. Circe gave him advice.Athena helped him fight in the battle of Troy. She helped him fight the suitors and she also disguised him so he could get back into his house and nobody knew or found out who he was. Odysseus’ plan of a good reencounter with his wife, his son, and his …show more content…

How everyone wanted to marry Penelope. And she thinking that Odysseus was long gone proposed something, a contest, and the winner would be her lover. The contest had two parts, first the suitors had to bend the heavy bow and string it, which requires immense strength and skill, and then they had to shoot an arrow straight through the holes in twelve axe heads set up in a row. This was a really difficult challenge and she knew only Odysseus was going to be able to complete it, and if he did she would not marry anyone but love Odysseus for the rest of her

Show More
Related

  • Roles Of Women In The Odyssey, And Clytemnestra

    1260 Words  | 6 Pages

    In Greek epics, tragedies, and mythology women are portrayed in various ways. Women are mainly considered to be weak and less important than men, but there are some women who are shown to be strong and heroic, despite the reputation that was placed onto them in Ancient Greek civilizations. There were two particular women that were strong and took the roles of their husbands while the men left to fight in the Trojan War. These two women were Penelope, wife of Odysseus, and Clytemnestra, wife of Agamemnon. These two women were different in how they chose to rule while their husbands were at war and how they acted once they got back.

    Read More

  • Powerful Women In Homer's The Odyssey

    678 Words  | 3 Pages

    Imagine this, you are a powerful women living in ancient Greece, immediately you are viewed as sneaky, because you are a dominant and controlling leader. In the Odyssey, by Homer, written in 800 bc, Odysseus is retelling the story of his journey after the battle of Troy. While on his journey, Odysseus and his men have various encounters with powerful goddesses and monsters. In the Odyssey, the characters believe that all women are evil, which reflects the belief of the ancient Greeks that most women cannot be trusted.

    Read More

  • Essay On Mortal Women In The Odyssey

    739 Words  | 3 Pages

    The treatment of women has always been different in different societies, cultures, and time periods. In the Odyssey, the treatment of the female gods is different than the treatment of mortal women because the gods are a powerful being, but the mortal women are property and owned by their husbands. If a women marries a man who she has more money then, they will live in her house, but he will be in charge of everything, including herself. In book 21 and book 3 show the power of the mortal women compared to the power of the goddesses. In the Odyssey, the mortal women are treated and used differently from the way that the goddesses are worshiped because of the gender and societal roles that each group of women are assigned.

    Read More

  • Odysseus Journey Summary

    591 Words  | 3 Pages

    Penelope chose Odysseus after several test, she wanted her bed removed from her room. Odysseus then said no because he made that bed out of a living oak tree and the chamber around the bed. Penelope knew that he was

    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

  • Women's Role In The Odyssey Essay

    522 Words  | 3 Pages

    By Zeus’s actions, it is evident that although Odysseus was held prisoner, women lacked this power and leverage in society compared to men and were subject to this treatment due to this gender

    Read More

  • Double Standard Of Women In The Odyssey

    432 Words  | 2 Pages

    In The Odyssey, Homer puts strong emphasis on the different roles of women through the characters. Homer uses mature women to show how strong women can still be weak, and he uses sexually active women to show the double standard between men and women. Women are portrayed to be nothing but housewife’s and used for sex, yet there is still emphasis that they need men around in order to be strong and kept together. Women are seen as nothing more than housewives and for sex and are seen as nothing more than an object.

    Read More

  • The Submissive Women In The Odyssey

    825 Words  | 4 Pages

    Meanwhile, Penelope is in Ithaka busy dealing with the suitors who vie for her hand in marriage, tending to her loom, and directing her serving maids at work. In Homer’s epic poem, women, and goddesses are treated differently than men and gods when it comes to their freedom, expectations, and image. One common occurrence in this epic poem is unequal freedom for women,

    Read More

  • Oppression Of Women In Homer's Odyssey

    780 Words  | 4 Pages

    While men are generally known to take advantage of women, Circe misleads and overpowers them for her own gain. Her need to show dominance helps build her strong and formidable character that has a vital impact on the lives of Odysseus and his men. Throughout the poem, Circe’s character establishes how women are able to conquer and prevail over others with their own strength and

    Read More

  • The Portrayal Of Women In The Odyssey

    1401 Words  | 6 Pages

    Women are weak, helpless, and have no real purpose other than to serve men and take care of children. . . or so they were perceived in history. In the Odyssey, one can see that Homer’s portrayal of women challenges the depiction of women during that time period. Throughout the book, many women intervened in Odysseus’ journey home to Ithaca, for better or for worse. One will see Penelope, Athena, Circe, and other women impact Odysseus’ expedition home.

    Read More

  • Gender Roles In Homer's Odyssey

    491 Words  | 2 Pages

    Women in The Odyssey Gender roles, specifically of women, were a little different back in 700 B.C. They played more of a typical role, expected to get married and have kids at a young age. They were expected to take care of the house and children, while their husbands were out fighting wars. However, while women in The Odyssey were greatly valued for their beauty, Homer reveals that they also had to be intelligent to be successful in their lives.

    Read More

  • Comparing Women In Aristophanes Lysistrata And Homer's Odyssey

    1005 Words  | 5 Pages

    Aristophanes Lysistrata and Homer’s Odyssey both show how women can thrive in their society and fight for what they believe in, even if that goes against the gender roles portrayed in Greek Civilization. In Aristophanes Lysistrata, the author portrays how one woman can fight for what she believes in and make a difference in society. Lysistrata ultimately wanted to end the Peloponnesian War, she knew the only way to do so was to take advantage of the Men. Men were dying day after day because of this war and Lysistrata had enough, she wanted to end it. Lysistrata decided to take a stand; she voiced her plan to

    Read More

  • Odysseus Traits In Homer's Odyssey

    1125 Words  | 5 Pages

    When Odysseus finally returns home, he has Athena disguise him so he can look at how his home has been going without him. Everyone besides his wife, son, and two other of his men have been disloyal to him and there is a group of suitors there who have overstayed their visit trying to get Penelope to be their wife. Odysseus locks the suitors all in one room where the

    Read More

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

    1255 Words  | 6 Pages

    Women are greatly judged by their looks throughout the book. They believe that a woman is successful if any of her direct family have an important position (e.g. King, God) or is a heroic figure. Even though Athena and Calypso are very different, one evident similarity, is their ability to influence and control men. Athena greatly interferes in Telemachus’ and Odysseus’ lives by utilizing her intellect. Her power, influence and control on men can either be seen as a positivity or as a negativity.

    Read More

  • Examples Of Patriarchy In The Odyssey

    1007 Words  | 5 Pages

    To accomplish this analyzation I have structured this paper into an intro paragraph, four body paragraphs, and a conclusion paragraph. The first body paragraph explains how Penelope’s forced marriage with Odysseus supports the patriarchy. The second paragraph analyzes Penelope’s character, and how the story diminishes her character to make men seem more powerful. The third paragraph dives into the relationship with the suitors and Penelope. I analyze how Penelope uses her situation to her advantage, and how that undermines the patriarchy.

    Read More

More about Women's Roles In The Odyssey Essay

Open Document