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Odyssey Essay: The Role Of Women In Homer's Odyssey

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Women are not present on Odysseus’ journey to protect him from Poseidon's wrath. Athena, daughter of Zeus, notices his suffering and becomes his unseen maternal figure. In The Odyssey Homer portrays Athena as maternalistic towards Odysseus, “...she checked the course of all the winds but one,/ commanding, “be quiet and go to sleep.”/ Then sent a long swell running under a norther/ to bear the prince Odysseus…” (V. 400-403). Athena is now seen by all to be a caring and compassionate woman. She helps Odysseus throughout his struggling period regardless to the fact that helping him creates struggles of her own.
The Phaiakian people have a history of not respecting the queens of their land because in the past women who have held these positions

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