Comparing Women In Ancient Greece And The Odyssey

World Literature Paper – Role of Athena and Penelope in The Odyssey Homer’s, The Odyssey is an epic which was written many years ago. At that time, in Ancient Greek society, the dominant role was played by men and the women were considered and given an inferior position. But The Odyssey was often considered a women’s epic because women played an important role. Women in The Odyssey are portrayed as powerful, wise and controlling because they ensure that the illusion of male success will go on - they speak as men through women. Amongst the many women portrayed in the book, the two most important women are Athena and Penelope.

If women disobeyed the rules that men had made there would be consequences. Women in Sparta were treated better than women in Athens because they had more freedoms, more rights, and the men were always at war so they had responsibilities and. Women in Sparta had more and better freedoms because Aristotle says that in Athens women are not allowed to go anywhere without

“The nobles rejoiced: ‘A hero has appeared for the man of proper mien! For Gilgamesh, the godlike, his equal has come forth’” (lines 66-70). “Gilgamesh is most splendid among the heroes, Gilgamesh is most glorious among me” (lines 149-150). Due to… The role of women in The Epic of Gilgamesh can be construed as a peculiar role when only reading the surface of the text, but once the text is examined and interpreted deeper, the role of women is similar to the role that they have in today’s society. Women have been applaud for shaping society as a whole.

Despite the lacking records, it is certain how ancient Greeks viewed their women and their relationships with their male counterparts. Sadly, most of how women lived away from their husbands’ world and how they interacted with other female companionship remains a mystery. Even the Olympic Games were under a males only policy, with the exception of a small event women held in honor of Hera in Olympia . Contrary to most ancient cities and popular belief, some women in ancient Greece were actually able to hold more than just the title of housewife. Although they were still secondary to men, in some Greek city-states, such as Sparta, women held much more freedom and a larger role in society .

The goal of this essay is to evaluate Odysseus’s conduct with the nymphs, the sirens, and his wife, Penelope. The role of women in the Odyssey is paramount and very well represented. In fact, there are more female characters in the Odyssey than a typical Hollywood movie would ever have. I personally do not believe that Odysseus was some kind of a woman-hating monster who used women to get what he wanted in life instead his mission in life was to get home to Penelope his wife and son Telemachus but was forced into some very difficult situations and circumstances along the way. For example, when he is almost completely seduced by Calypso and inevitably stay on her island for several years due to lust and lavish opportunity delaying his journey home.

The role of women in ancient greek society is evident through their myths. Women are expected to sit still and behave for men and if they didn 't they were considered a terrible person, or, they would do nothing and still get punished for doing what the men of the house wanted them to, woman as the stories were told sound like objects and they are people they need to be treated like everyone else, not like things that you can push around and do whatever men want. To begin with i will explain one of the many love stories this is one of my favorites to see how the greeks visioned woman. Pygmalion and galatea, this sculpture named pygmalion, hated all women (actually, he couldn 't find one that he could love) so one day ironically, he sculpted a beautiful woman named galatea, he fell absolutely, head over heals, in love with her. Now every time he went out he would get galatea jewelry and clothes, food, he went crazy over this sculpture he had made.

Homer’s The Odyssey tells the story of a man’s journey to return home but women play a significant role in the epic nonetheless. In particular, female characters Penelope, Circe, and Athena all play vital roles in Odysseus’ journey to Ithaca. To begin, Penelope is crucial because her character allows the reader to keep informed with the happenings in Ithaca. Penelope is depicted with cunning and wit traits similar to those of Odysseus although she is subjected to being downgraded and forced to follow the norm for women. Despite having to obey the orders of Telemachus as the man of the house, Penelope is able to curb the marriage proposals from the suitors by tricking them on multiple occasions into believing she will marry one.

Feminism plays a major role in hundreds of cultures, as it raises attention to civil liberties of women across the globe. Applying this to Antigone, it was certainly against the norm of a typical ancient Greek woman to rebel against a male authority. This is reason to believe that Antigone may have shown signs of early feminism. Women in ancient Greece were generally fearful that rebellion against male authority would lead to unfortunate circumstances. The fact that Antigone went against the orders of Creon shows definite female power.

It shows us what people thought of the gods and goddesses and also what they thought of one another. One thing Greek mythology does show us is the role and perception of women in ancient Greece. It represents how women were treated and respected. Mythology shows us that women, unfortunately, were subject to sexism and inferiority from men. Many of the Greek gods showed their superiority over some of the

This could suggest that misogyny was prevalent during this specific time period and perhaps that women shared similar roles in society and in Greek mythology. Works and Days can suggest to us that women during this time were not as viewed as significant as their male counterparts. Generally, Greek mythology depicts men as strong and

The common view in ancient societies was often that this was a world of men; that women were inferior. There’s often debate on the role of women in society, but in reality, women play an important role in any type of society, whether it is good or bad. Women in ancient Greece, China, and the Roman Empire were able to exercise influence into their culture despite the discrimination toward them. Although each society was different, women shared similar influences in their power, and restrictions in the aspect of marriage. Although most of these ancient cultures viewed women similarly, of these three locations, the women in the Roman Empire had it best.

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. In addition, 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. The author depicts women as strong subjects, they are real substantive characters. Most women in this poem are treated with the respect and seriousness they deserve. Despite traditions of ancient society, the author characterizes the women as the real counterparts of men, they have real feelings, real plans and are able to accomplish men on their own.