ipl-logo

Calypso's Treatment Of Women In The Odyssey

1062 Words5 Pages

In the Odyssey, there are typically two ways women are depicted - the pure, devoted housewife, or the enticing, irresistible seductress. For the most part, the housewives are seen as useless without men, only there to do household chores, domestic tasks and to take care of the children. Penelope is seemingly a great example of that; she’s seen as weak and very loyal towards Odysseus, in hopes that he will return. The seductresses mainly exist as trouble for men - drawing them off course and “forcing” them to be unfaithful to their wives. This is the case with Calypso as she traps Odysseus and refuses to let him go until a god interferes.
Calypso, in simplest terms, is a femme fatale - attractive, seductive, and without a shadow of doubt, will reign disaster and bring calamity to any man who gets involved. She shows female dominance and knows that although she is a woman, she is equal to Odysseus, and refuses to be overpowered by him (similarly to Circe). After she traps Odysseus on her island, Calypso comes off as very selfish and obsessive. She …show more content…

Until then, she is very demanding, and forces Odysseus into a position of, essentially, a sex slave. For seven years, he is trapped on Ogygia, obeying her every command and desire. This is proven when the story tells us, "By nights [Odysseus] would lie beside her, of necessity, in the hollow caverns, against his will, by one who was willing, but all the days he would sit upon the rocks, at the seaside, breaking his heart in tears and lamentation and sorrow as weeping tears he looked out over the barren water" (5.152-158). Odysseus craved his home, he

Show More
Related

  • Double Standards In The Odyssey

    864 Words  | 4 Pages

    Calypso’s speech draws attention to the fact that Gods have been able to court women/ goddesses and it would have never been a problem but when Calypso tries to court Odysseyus, Zeus immediately forces him to leave her island. Calypso tries to explain how she gave him hospitality and saved him from being stranded, disregarding the fact that she was more holding him hostage than keeping him safe in her hospitality while she forces him to sleep with her. “ So when Demeter the graceful one with lovely braids gave her way to her passion and made love with Iasion, bedding down in a furrow plowed three times- Zeus got wind of it soon enough, I’d say, and blasted the man to death with flashing bolts. ”- Calypso(5.156.138-141).

    Read More

  • 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

  • Gender Roles In The Odyssey

    962 Words  | 4 Pages

    They took and drank the mixture. Then she struck them, using her magic wand, and penned them in the pigsty” (10.233-240). This quote indicates that Circe is evil and manipulates men, like all goddesses in the Odyssey. Calypso has power over Odysseus by detaining him for seven years on the island of Oygia. Calypso is displayed as clingy throughout the narrative for example, “Calpyso held me in

    Read More

  • Women's Role In The Odyssey

    426 Words  | 2 Pages

    Women in the The Odyssey played a intricate role in helping define what the Greeks thought women should be like. During The Odyssey the way Homer Presents the females charters, such as Penelope, Anticlia, and Naussica gives a glimpse into the stereotypes. “In the Homeric epics women seem to have little independence; they are always under the guardian-ship of a man… [but] because women can speak… Homer’s women still manage to exert a significant moral force” (Lefkowitz). The first was Penelope, who was the benevolent and steadfast wife of Odysseus, let Homer convey what the Greeks believed was wife material.

    Read More

  • The Portrayal Of Women In Homer's Odyssey

    1148 Words  | 5 Pages

    There are different ways for women to be portrayed in the Odyssey. They can be disloyal, sexual, and loyal woman that gets used for these things. Could you ever grasp a point of how you would feel if you were the one being portrayed? In the first section of the Odyssey, women are presented to us as controlled by the culture of the day, and it is only within that area that we can consider the way Odysseus provides women to be admired or despised throughout his journey.

    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

  • Gender And The Homeric Epic Analysis

    1078 Words  | 5 Pages

    They both uphold the general values society places on their sexes, but through their hardships they are able to gain a fluidity in these roles not often given in their society. Odysseus was able to express emotion without undercutting his masculinity, and was able to appreciate his wife for more than her domestic accomplishments. While Penelope became a paradigm of fidelity, she also embodied inner-strength as she dealt with the turmoil of her missing husband, rowdy suitors, and the destruction of her kingdom; which allowed Odysseus to come to appreciate her ingenuity and his marriage in

    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

  • The Submissive Women In The Odyssey

    825 Words  | 4 Pages

    Soon after Kalypso gives Odysseus permission to leave, she tries to convince him that he should stay. She tells him that she is better than his current wife and she is not any “less desirable than she is” (5.220). This lures Odysseus in and he agrees with her saying that “death and old age being unknown to [her], while [Penelope] must die” (5.227). During this scene, Kalypso is using her beauty, sexual appearance, and immortality to lure in Odysseus. This image of women constantly succeeds in attracting men.

    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

    These women influenced the conditions of the journey by guiding Odysseus in different directions, and aiding him crucially. Their authority showed the idea behind an old proverb, which states, “Behind every great man there’s a great woman”. Throughout The Odyssey, the women exemplified their power during the course of Odysseus’ journey.     Odysseus’ wife, Penelope, bravely held down the front in Ithaca while her husband struggled to find his way back home. In Book 18, Penelope spoke to the ever-so-desperate suitors about what Odysseus “told” her before he left.

    Read More

  • Odysseus Loyalty To Penelope In Homer's Odyssey

    1181 Words  | 5 Pages

    ”(5.91-96). which Calypso is the cause of. This quote supports the reason because it shows that Odysseus does not like being trapped on Ogygia, especially with a woman he did not like. If he truly liked Calypso, he would have decided to stay with her forever, and forget his wife. But, he did not which proves his true loyalty to his wife Penelope.

    Read More

  • Calypso's Role In The Odyssey

    514 Words  | 3 Pages

    The story of Odysseus would not exist if not for the strong female characters that all become a part of his journey. One of the women is the nymph, Calypso, who is forever banished to the island of Ogygia for her father’s wrongdoings. Odysseus ends up stranded on the island with her for seven years after being shipwrecked and lost at sea by Poseidon. Calypso ultimately acts a temptress to Odysseus, and serves as a constant reminder of everything he longs for back at home. Calypso means “to cloak”, which is basically what she is doing by hiding Odysseus away from the rest of world.

    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 Calypso In The Odyssey

    803 Words  | 4 Pages

    So all right, he can go, if it’s an order from above,” in an attitude which made it seem that, “words flew from her mouth like screaming hawks”(73, Homer). She was able to be controlled here—for the first time in eight years—because she feared retaliation by Zeus. Although Calypso was more welcoming and kind, as she fed Odysseus well, she, like Castro was not controllable. For over ten years, Castro was a maniac, starving, chaining, and raping these women daily. If he could control himself, he would have never taken these women into captivity and never have traumatized them.

    Read More

More about Calypso's Treatment Of Women In The Odyssey

Open Document