Women have always been portrayed as the weaker sex compared to men. It has been demonstrated in history itself and throughout literary works. Shakespeare’s Macbeth and Homer’s The Odyssey, however, portray women to be more powerful than men, even when their society thought otherwise and underestimated them because of their gender. Lady Macbeth, The Three Witches, Queen Arête and Penelope demonstrate the astute, charming, and ambitious side of women that was overlooked by men when it came to having power and making decisions. Both works show the hardships of being a woman in power. At the same time, they give their perspectives of the power women disclosed.
Homer demonstrates how women in The Odyssey possess power over men. In the epic poem, is it seen how queen Arête has the upper hand over her husband and is the one in charge of making decisions. When Odysseus talked with Nausikaa about a way to get back home, she responded with:
“Go straight through the megaron to find
My mother… My father’s great chair faces
The fire, too; there like a god he sits and
Takes his wine, go past him, cast yourself before
My mother, embrace her—and you
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In the journal article “Rewriting The Odyssey in the Twenty-First Century”. The idea of Penelope taking control into her own hands, in a time when women did not stand up for themselves but rather were emotionally constricted is shown. Penelope’s demeanor is of a woman that does not let society rule what she can or cannot do, and because of this thinking she is able to have an advantage over other women and of men who are the ones in charge of any decision-making (Suzuki). Penelope is the second female character that is not a god that is able to maintain authority of her own in The Odyssey. This is ultimately Homer’s way of expressing his views towards the male societies of his time and their
In The Iliad, by Homer, the characters Helen, Athena, and Hera assert that women may not have power, but by embracing the roles given to them, they are able to leverage their
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.
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.
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.
Femininity vs. Masculinity : An Internal Balance The Odyssey by Homer tells the story of Odysseus, the king of Ithaca’s treacherous journey home after the Trojan War. Throughout the novel, Odysseus faces and narrowly escapes many perils along with the help of his patron Goddess, Athena. Athena, the goddess of wisdom and craft, serves as a patron goddess to not only Odysseus, but also his family who share his skill in trickery and wisdom. The similar talent in wisdom, deceit, and weaving shared by Odysseus and Penelope allows for a harmonious relationship.
Odysseus has the same hospitality from the Phaeacians and others. On the other hand, Penelope also accommodates suitors at her palace, where they ate, drank and stayed. 12. The contrast of different characters of women use in The Odyssey, shows the difference kinds of individuals that a person must meet and conquer in life. Homer uses women
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.
“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.
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.
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.
In the epic poem, The Odyssey by Homer, the men and women has a double standard. Throughout the poem, the male characters such as the protagonist Odysseus are the ones fighting, leading and known as hero’s. On the other hand women are serving under the males and shown to be the seducers and prizes by Homer. Even a strong and cunning answer to a man.
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.
In an epic poem, The Odyssey, by Homer, Odysseus struggles to come back home while his wife, Penelope, faces barbarous suitors who plague her house to court her for the marriage in order to claim the kingship of Ithaca. With an absence of the man of the household and a son who is not old enough to rule over the country and handle the domestic complications, Penelope endeavors to keep the household orderly and civilized. In order to prevent further chaos in the household, Penelope maintains her role as the Queen of Ithaca and Odysseus’s wife through her loyalty and cunning. For a woman who does not know when her man will return home, Penelope is extremely strong to keep hope and wait for her husband; thus, her unwavering loyalty to her husband
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.
The Odyssey by Homer contains multiple moments where female characters are oppressed or fit into a patriarchy, but there are several moments where these character show signs of rebellion against this oppression. Applying a critical lense of feminism to these characters and relationships create complexities and conflicts within the novel that shine meaning on the world. The character Penelope offers many of these moments. Analyzing the actions, situation, and comparisons with other characters using a the feminist critical lense will show a more enriched version of Penelope and offer a deeper insight of the patriarchy, and how is affects the world.