Essay On The Role Of Women In 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.

In ancient times, there is a general sense that women were simply items and slaves to their husbands. Ancient Greece specifically has a renowned reputation of favoring men. Men possessed the dominant role in public affairs and events while most women were pressured to stay at home. Very few records extensively discuss women; the records focus mostly on men. Despite the lacking records, it is certain how ancient Greeks viewed their women and their relationships with their male counterparts.

As proven by her actions in myth and her appearance in art, Aphrodite was truly an influential goddess. It is claimed that without Aphrodite there would be no joy or loveliness in the world. She was a misunderstood goddess but she deserves appreciation as one of the most powerful and important Greek deities. She produced many children from her many affairs with gods and mortals. Zeus had to solve many complications Aphrodite had with other goddesses.

Euripides’ The Trojan Women expresses the disbelief and hope of ancient Greek women during the Trojan war. The characterization and dialogue between Hecuba, Andromache, and Cassandra, shows the role of women in society during that time, as well as their different prerogatives towards the war and its consequences. Likewise, The Odyssey by Homer uses the main female character, Penelope, to convey the role of women and their opinions towards the social changes from the war. Both texts, collectively, use dialogue to develop hopeful and hopeless ideas within the women of ancient Greece. Euripides’ The Trojan Women tells the story of three women, Hecuba, Andromache, and Cassandra, who struggle with their lives after the murders of their husbands

Shakespeare’s Macbeth is set in a time of political upheaval, and it is a classic portrayal of human nature. Lady Macbeth and Lady Macduff are two ladies who each had profound influence upon their husbands; but their differences aside from this likeness are far more striking. The influence they both possessed was used in vastly distinct and dissimilar ways. Lady Macbeth exhibits childlessness, neediness for power, and manipulation; in contrast with Lady Macduff, whose character reflects motherhood, powerlessness, and innocence.

In the story, Esther is brave and clever and shows great strength, however, these characteristics are unnoticed. This is due the to the time period in which women were only seen by men for their beauty. Through historical criticism, the text is accurate, with regard to male sensuality over female intellect (K.Beal, 1997). In a traditional commentary, Lewis B. Paton, a scholar of the early twentieth century, viewed Esther as remarkable for her looks rather than for any abilities. As that Mordecai “supplied the brains while Esther simply followed his directions”.

The Weird Sisters answer to Hecate and her need for control is evident when she is infuriated by their dialog with Macbeth. By speaking of “riddles and affairs of death,” (Shakespeare 373) the Weird Sisters stepped out of line without their leaders’ permission. Being the “close contriver of all harms,” Hecate is enraged at the fact she was “never called to bear [her] part” (Shakespeare 373) in the handling of Macbeth’s prophesy. She wishes to control everything under the “umbrella” of spells and witchcraft. Although she is considered a goddess, the simple principle of her sexuality and influence coincides with female dominance.

Hester differed from a majority of other females at the time because she was determined, bold, and outspoken. The fact that women were thought of as inferior is exemplified by the fact that

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.

This demonstrates how woman were not trusted by themselves and not given the rights to be by themselves. Overall, the role of woman portrayed by leading aspects of society was diminished and suppressed by the government and

The main character may live in the medieval times but she is no simple portrait of a woman of those times. She is complex, she is shameless about sexual exploits, she is not afraid to speak freely or use her “sexual power to obtain what she wishes”. (Smith) She is a strong-willed and dominant woman who gets what she wants when she wants it. However this also brings back up the negative aspect of the female sexuality and being female in general during this time.

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.

The women in Odyssey are unique in their personality, intentions, and relationship towards men. All women in this book are different, but all of them help to define the role of the Greek woman. The book "The Odyssey" describes the world of women in the past of grace detecting apparent roles. Homer shows that this book was written at a time when women were taken as inferior

More Power Than A King 2 One can say that the active role women play in Beowulf is rather minimal and that they are confined to the task of playing hostess to the adventure seeking men. This, was not the case especially when one looks beyond the surface. Women throughout Beowulf play the important role of peacemaker and often give gifts and honor, both of which are very important in this culture. Without women the world Beowulf is set in would have been a maelstrom of chaos and war. Women who play the role of peacemaker usually abide by confinement .

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.