Importance Of Women In Homer's The Odyssey

Very few women had important roles, so that world was dominated by men. Yet in "The Odyssey" women played very important roles. Women were not meek little structures blended into the background, they were powerful and wise. They charmed and controlled the men, took care of them; they provided submission, loyalty and advice. Women were very wise in The Odyssey and it was rather different to the roles women most often played in other stories of that time.

A great example of this is found in the medieval literature “The Canterbury Tales.” In the tale “The Wife of Bath's” the wife gloats about the power she has over all five of her husbands. “I kept my husbands well in hand. I told them they were drunk and their unfitness to judge my conduct forced me to take witness that they were lying” (Canterbury Tales, page 268.) The Wife’s deception against her husband gave her the upper hand in marriage. Stating that trickery was instinct in a woman.

Other than women who are goddesses have the advantage compared to others who are often disrespected because of their status. Women were represented as worthless human beings to stratify a man sexual pleasure. Therefore women only contribute to heroes by either using their bodies as an object, giving guidances and a word of advice. But also women do have thematic significance in expressing the truth about the nature of a woman and of male-female relations. As for instance in Shamhat case, the temple prostitute.

So, he seeks revenge. After Odysseus reveals himself and they start fighting, Telemachus kills a suitor just to save his father. Odysseus loves his family and would fight till the death to save them. In “The Odyssey” written by Homer, it shows how much Odysseus cares about Penelope just to risk his life to be with her. In my essay you learned how I think Odysseus is loyal, trustworthy, strong-hearted, and a hero.

The Odyssey embodies the proverb in the intro about women and men, which states that men are only successful when women support them. Without Penelope, Circe, Athena, and Calypso, Odysseus’ journey would have continued in agony and ended ultimately in his death. Many powerful women today, like Michelle Obama and Malala, inspire men and women alike to stand up for what they believe in and support others. Without their influence and that of other strong women, many celebrities, who people look up to, would not be who they are

Because of Zeus’s infedelities, Hera always watches out for him and she can never stop being jealous. To get revenge on him, “she drugs his drink; they (the other gods) surrounded him as he slept and bound him with rawhide thongs.” Her jealousy caused her to punish her husband. She was right in doing so but it did backfire on her.

What sets them apart is the way they respond to their situations they are put in. They each have their own unique characteristics. Helen, the most stunning mortal woman in The Odyssey, is enchanted by a goddess to have an affair with Paris. She is stolen from her husband, which leads him to start a large war. Helen is hated by

Prior to the bloody battle, Odysseus’s wife, Penelope, has been constantly harassed throughout the absence of her husband by the obnoxious suitors. Hoping to win over her heart and royalty, the men have crowded the halls of her home. Upon Odysseus’s long awaited return home to Ithaca, the powerful warrior is enraged due to the suitors mistreating of his home and his family. As a result, he gathers a small army and leads the push to destroy the threat. During the

He was risking his life to get a high place in the kingdom. He went to a fight with Humbaba (70). Also, Gilgamesh is more focusing to have the idea sex and women; for example, “Gilgamesh, who sounds the tocsin alarm bell for his amusement and takes virgins from their lovers (62). In addition, we can see that Gilgamesh is guilty in different places and selfish king “he takes what he wants

Throughout ‘The Odyssey’, the greed and folly of men play a huge part in increasing the difficulty and severity of Odysseus’s situations and ultimately change his fate and the directions of his journey. The greed and folly of men are largely represented by Penelope’s suitors. In the very first book of The Odyssey, the disgusting actions of the suitors were introduced to the readers. Odysseus’s son, Telemakhos discussed the problem of the suitors to Athena. The suitors believed Odysseus to be dead, and decided to try and marry Penelope so they can inherit Odysseus’s wealth and kingdom.

In order to win his approval, each woman begins to attempt to bribe him. While Hera offers to make him king and Athena offers him wisdom in war, Aphrodite offers him the most beautiful woman in the world. He picks Aphrodite and she tells him he will receive Helen, the wife of the King of Sparta, for his prize. His kidnapping of this woman begins the Trojan War. Not only are the three goddesses completely selfish and naive in their quest for beauty, but so is Paris.