ipl-logo

Roles Of Women In The Odyssey

966 Words4 Pages

Lucas Castro
Mrs. McCormick
English 1, 7
6 February, 2023
The Odyssey Essay What if the women in The Odyssey were not just objects of desire, but powerful players in their own right? The Odyssey is written by Homer and is set in Ancient Greece. Athena is the goddess of wisdom and helps Odysseus with his journey back from Troy, Penelope is Odysseus's wife who has been tricking the suitors because she has faith that Odysseus is still alive, and Circe. From the strong-willed Penelope to the cunning Athena, The Odyssey showcases the diverse roles and complexities of women. Athena helps Odysseus with his battle against the suitors in the hall. Athena guides all of Odysseus's arrows so then he can kill the suitors however he wants and without …show more content…

If Athena did not give Odysseus his disguise then the whole rest of the book would have been much different. (“She turned his shirt and cloak into squalid rags, ripped and filthy, smeared with grime and groot” (Fagles 300). Athena changed Odysseus’s appearance into an old beggar so then no one in Ithaca would recognize him. She did this so then Odysseus could get information about the people there to see if the suitors would treat the old beggar with royalty and hospitality. If the suitors do not treat the old beggar with that then Odysseus will kill them very slowly and painfully but if they did treat him good then they will die quickly. Whenever Odysseus arrives in Ithaca Athena helps him the entire time. Athena's guidance and protection was the sole factor in allowing Odysseus to conceal his true identity for an extended period of time. (“That left the great kind waiting in the hall as Athena helped him plot the slaughter of the suitors…”( Fagles 392). Ever since Odysseus arrives in Ithaca Athena has been helping him in multiple ways, like giving him his disguise. Athena also helped Odysseus plane the slaughter against the suitors, Athena is going to help Odysseus kill the suitors how Odysseus wants to kill

Show More
Related

  • Women's Role In The Odyssey Essay

    852 Words  | 4 Pages

    There are many huge roles to be displayed in society all throughout The Odyssey. The Odyssey was written by Homer and located in Ancient Greece. Women like Athena and Penelope play huge roles that initially help Odysseus throughout his struggles. The role of women in The Odyssey is to show how women could be obstacles, be great helpers, and show how they do it by being cunning. Penelope shows in different ways how she is cunning and loyal throughout the book.

    Read More

  • Theme Of Loyalty In The Odyssey

    1020 Words  | 5 Pages

    On his way home from the Cyclops’ island, Athena comforts Odysseus and assists obstacles he will encounter. Athena wants Odysseus to finally be able to rest, so she tells him “Odysseus, great strategist, it is time for your son to know the truth; together you have to plan to kill the suitors. Then both of you go into town. I will join you there soon myself; indeed I am itching to fight” (16.167-172). Athena is helping Odysseus plan the final battle on his journey.

    Read More

  • Strong Women In The Odyssey

    531 Words  | 3 Pages

    Also, when Odysseus returned home, she turned him into an old man, a homeless beggar. Homer narrates that, ¨Athena disguises Odysseus as a beggar and directs him to the hut of Eumaeus.¨ She plans with Odysseus and Telemachus, helping them to get revenge on the suitors. Athena had a huge amount of power, and the strength of her character helped Odysseus throughout his journey.

    Read More

  • The Role Of Women In Homer's The Odyssey

    954 Words  | 4 Pages

    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.

    Read More

  • Women's Role In The Odyssey Essay

    522 Words  | 3 Pages

    “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.

    Read More

  • Double Standard Of Women In The Odyssey

    432 Words  | 2 Pages

    In The Odyssey, Homer puts strong emphasis on the different roles of women through the characters. Homer uses mature women to show how strong women can still be weak, and he uses sexually active women to show the double standard between men and women. Women are portrayed to be nothing but housewife’s and used for sex, yet there is still emphasis that they need men around in order to be strong and kept together. Women are seen as nothing more than housewives and for sex and are seen as nothing more than an object.

    Read More

  • Athena Disguise In The Odyssey

    677 Words  | 3 Pages

    In The Odyssey, by Homer, Athena influences the lives of Odysseus and his family. In Greek mythology, gods challenge and control mortals. Gods also provide support to mortals and thus, mortals depend and act on behalf of the gods and their decisions. Athena, daughter of Zeus, is the goddess of wisdom, and both Telemachus and Odysseus benefit from her power. Athena possesses the ability to disguise herself and others, and this skill allows her to give advice and guidance.

    Read More

  • Oppression Of Women In Homer's Odyssey

    780 Words  | 4 Pages

    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.

    Read More

  • The Portrayal Of Women In The Odyssey

    1401 Words  | 6 Pages

    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.

    Read More

  • Athena Intervention In The Odyssey

    1056 Words  | 5 Pages

    Athena, knowing that she set up everything perfectly, helps Oddyseus finally get the help he needs from King Alcinous and his people in order to bring him closer to home. Another way Athena shows her cunning strategies is in Book 7 as she covers Odysseus in a mist and disguises herself as a little girl as they go into town to see the king and queen of Scheria. …says, “Pallas Athena, harboring kindness for the hero, drifted a heavy mist around him, shielding him from any swaggering islander who’d cross his path” (7.15-17). Athena, drifting the mist around Odysseus, helps him traverse smoother and easier into town. This allowed him to concentrate on how he is going to present himself to King Alcinous instead of

    Read More

  • Gender Roles In Homer's Odyssey

    491 Words  | 2 Pages

    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.

    Read More

  • Telemachus Journey In Odysseus In Homer's Odyssey

    279 Words  | 2 Pages

    The fact that Athena deigned to intervene directly on Odysseus’ half is remarkable enough, but it seems that she takes every opportunity to sing his praises as well. Her faith in Odysseus is so complete that she believes that Telemachus will prevail merely because he is his son, and in her eyes possesses all of Odysseus’ good qualities in equal measure. This is significant because it helps to further characterize Odysseus as an almost superhuman character with few to no faults, which fits into the traditional epic convention of a larger than life

    Read More

  • Conversation Between Athena And Odysseus In The Book 13

    797 Words  | 4 Pages

    The conversation between Athena and Odysseus in the middle of book 13 reveals how each of them feels and thinks about the other at this stage in the epic. When Athena is first coming to meet Odysseus, after he has landed on Ithaca, she decides not to appear as herself to Odysseus, but first as a “young man… a shepherd boy”, and she then changes back to herself (13.252). She does this to get an honest opinion from him, as if she had appeared as a god, he might not have been honest with her. She also wants to hear his story, and see if he is actually thinking about her. After he does not “recognize” her because of her “endless” shapes, she is angry with him and accuses him of “never getting tired of twists and tricks” (13.340,56,32).

    Read More

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

    1255 Words  | 6 Pages

    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.

    Read More

  • Athena's Role In The Odyssey

    776 Words  | 4 Pages

    Athena is known as the goddess of war. Odysseus was aided by her ideas on how to regain power through her tactical skills. The fact that the goddess warrior was on his side through the journey home, reclaiming his land, and killing the suitors was a huge advantage. Athena is very intelligent in how she strategizes and won wars in the past. Some may argue that Odysseus is the real hero but there were many times throughout The Odyssey where he needed Athena’s protection and input of logical ideas.

    Read More

More about Roles Of Women In The Odyssey

Open Document