The Astounding Alteration of Feminist Role in Homer’s The Odyssey

1297 Words3 Pages
bulb-icon

Recommended: Women's role in odyssey

Throughout history, gender discrimination has taken away countless lives of women, lowering the overall social status of women in society. For example, Salem witch trials, a series of unreasonably prosecution of women accused of witchcraft, in Massachusetts are an ancient example of gender discrimination towards women. The Odyssey by Homer exemplifies a modern vision of breaking free from the obsolete cultural expectations of the Greek society as well as the world, seeking for gender equality and demanding for a more egalitarian society. Despite the restrictions on the role of female in a typical patriarchal Greek society, Homer innovatively breaks the barrier that persistently favors males over females, which results in a unique influence on his male characters as well as a strong female attitude behind each line of the epic poem. This feminist aberration from traditional Greek values is portrayed through the intelligence of Penelope, the tenacious assistance of Athena for Odysseus in spite of Poseidon’s antagonism, and the imprisonment of Odysseus by Calypso. Marriage is considered as one of the most important decisions and events in a woman’s life, even though; she has no direct control over this romanticized idea, especially in this typical patriarchal society. The wisdom and cleverness of Penelope, which she uses in The Odyssey to free herself from the traps set up by the greedy and ruthless suitors, have distinguished her from the female supporting characters in the epic poem and hence, dismissed her from the assigned role as a female in a patriarchal society that the Greek’s culture had unequally attached for thousands of years. Penelope demonstrates her intelligence at the beginning of the epic poem when she cleverly esc... ... middle of paper ... ...be faithful with their husbands for life. Being one of the temptresses of the epic poem, Calypso to a certain extent reflects a modern libertarian who believes in equality and supports changes or reforms if the traditional values are outdated. All in all, Homer’s The Odyssey has delivered an overall picture which portrays women holding inferior roles, in terms of domestic duties and social status. Men are free to roam and stay with strange women for a long period of time; however, women are expected to obey the strict social codes of conduct that the cruel ancient Greek culture had created for thousands of years. The female character development in The Odyssey obligates the readers to reevaluate the societal status of women in a patriarchal society which leads to having sympathy for their limited role compared to the dominant role of men in the society.

Show More
Related

  • Treatment of Women in Homer's Odyssey

    882 Words  | 2 Pages

    Judged by modern Western standards, the treatment of women by men in Homer's Odyssey can be characterized as sexist. Women in Homer's Odyssey are judged mainly by their looks. If important men and gods consider a woman beautiful, or if her son or husband is a hero or has an important position such as king, the woman is successful. The way women in The Odyssey are treated is based on appearance, the things men want from them, and whether the woman has any power over men. During Odysseus' journey to the underworld he sees many different types of women. We hear about their beauty, their important sons, or their affairs with gods. We hear nothing about these women's accomplishments in their lifetime. Odysseus tells how Antiope could "boast a god for a lover,"(193) as could Tyro and many other women. Epikaste was called "that prize"(195) her own son unwittingly married.

    Read More

  • Important Role of Women in Homer's Odyssey

    1720 Words  | 4 Pages

    For the Greeks, Homer's Odyssey was much more than just an entertaining tale of gods, monsters, and men, it served as cultural paradigm from which every important role and relationship could be defined.  This book, much more so than its counter part The Iliad, gives an eclectic view of the Achean's peacetime civilization.  Through Odyssey, we gain an understanding of what is proper or improper in relationships between father and son, god and mortal, servant and master, guest and host, and--importantly--man and woman.  Women play a vital role in the movement of this narrative.  Unlike in The Iliad, where they are chiefly prizes to be won, bereft of identity, the women of Odyssey are unique in their personality, intentions, and relationship towards men.  Yet, despite the fact that no two women in this epic are alike, each--through her vices or virtues-- helps to delineate the role of the ideal woman.  Below, we will show the importance of Circe, Calypso, Nausicaa, Clytaemestra, and Penelope in terms of the movement of the narrative and in defining social roles for the Ancient Greeks.

    Read More

  • Feminine Psyche in The Odyssey

    693 Words  | 2 Pages

    Homer reveals the feminine psyche in Penelope, a loving and faithful wife to Odysseus. She was loyal to Odysseus the entire time he was away on his journey, and even when it appeared that he would not return she still had faith that he would. Penelope resisted the advances of the suitors because she loved Odysseus and could not see herself with another when he could still be alive. She was smart and cunning when it came to resisting the suitors. Penelope shows us an insight to the feminine psyche when we learn she has avoided having to choose a new husband by telling the suitors she would choose a one of them once she finished the shroud she was weaving for Odysseus’ father. Penelope worked all day on the shroud and would unravel the weaving by candlelight at night while the suitors slept. This shows her dedication to Odysseus and that she does not want to tell the suitors no and be disrespectful to her ...

    Read More

  • The role of Women in Greece

    1539 Words  | 4 Pages

    Greek women, as depicted as in their history and literature, endure many hardships and struggle to establish a meaningful status in their society. In the Odyssey, Penelope’s only role in the epic is to support Odysseus and remain loyal to him. She is at home and struggles to keep her family intact while Odysseus is away trying to return to his native land. The cultural role of women is depicted as being supportive of man and nothing more. Yet what women in ancient Greece did long ago was by far more impressive than what men did.

    Read More

  • Women in The Odyssey by Homer

    1025 Words  | 3 Pages

    Throughout time women have had to fight hard for respect and the rights that come with it. Many societies have potrayed women as second class citizens, teaching that they should be subservient to men. There have been those who have spent entire lifetimes working to break beyond the traditional concepts of women and power. It is very challenging, however, for the sex to achieve higher status, when a society teaches not to speak out or against men’s wishes. How can one try to express a more enlightened view when he or she is not allowed a voice with which to make it? In The Odyssey, Homer shows the reader an ancient Greek society where women are given specific roles and are often underestimated simply because of gender. Characters, such as Penelope, who keeps quiet at the epic’s beginning about her wishes for the suitors to leave, and Odysseus’ nurse, who obediently washes his feet, are examples of the chauvinist mind set. Despite the unfairness of the period in which the story takes place, certain women try in their own way to rise above the binds of tradition and show feminine power. In The Odyssey, through cunning manipulation and plotting three women stand their ground in individual protests to get what they want; Penelope’s trickery in evading the impatient marriage proposals by suitors, Helen’s deceit over Menelaos during the Trojan War, and finally the control that Nausicaa seems have upon first meeting Odysseus each illustrate power possessed by females of the epic.

    Read More

  • Female Role In The Odyssey

    1080 Words  | 3 Pages

    In the era of Homer, women played a very specific role in society, and even in literature. Women of this time were basically put in a box, and expected to never step out of line. If they did go against the arbitration of men, then they would face serious consequences. However, female characters play a huge role in both aiding, and delaying, Odysseus’s journey home. I will proceed to analyze, and interpret, the actions and intentions of every major female character in The Odyssey.

    Read More

  • Feminism and the Power Struggle of Women in Ancient Greece

    1352 Words  | 3 Pages

    Women are a very prominent part of the Greek society. Their role has influenced and shaped the Greek society to a very large extent. Women have been shown in many different lights in the Greek works of Odyssey and Iliad which we have covered in our class. The works that I will be citing in this essay, namely Homer’s poems Odyssey and Iliad talk about many prominent women such as Helen of Troy, Penelope and also many other Goddesses. Homer’s poems talk about the various traits of Greek women and portray their characteristics by describing their traits and the events they were involved in. Through this essay, I would like to illustrate how women were treated as objects of desire for the males in Greek history as well as not being able to fully utilize their power. I will be using specific quotes from “The Odyssey”, related to Penelope, Helen of Troy as well as Nausicaa. I will also support my argument against Odysseus by using quotes of his travels from “The Odyssey”.

    Read More

  • The Odyssey Shows Who Woman Reallly Are

    855 Words  | 2 Pages

    Women, like foxes, display beauty on the outside yet work cunningly on the inside. The Odyssey incorporates many such beautiful, clever women as these. The Odyssey begins with Odysseus who loses himself getting home from the Trojan War. He must journey the seas to overcome many obstacles including angry Olympian gods and the one-eyed giant Cyclops. Along with these tribulations, a variety of Machiavellian women try to create havoc so as not to allow him the pleasures of home. In The Odyssey, Homer portrays women as sly, easily-wooed, and troublesome creatures.

    Read More

  • Gender Roles In The Odyssey

    585 Words  | 2 Pages

    In The Odyssey by Homer, the worlds of Odysseus and Ithaca is a complete surreal world in which is unimaginable. This is a tricky epic that twists the true and makes the lies a reality. Odysseus is shown to be an untrustworthy man who uses others for his own success, specifically women. Not only does he take advantage of them but uses the limited gender roles to enhance himself. Even though Odysseus is king and has a lot of power, he still exhibits gender roles and claims that females are inferior to males. Gender roles are used to his advantage allowing him to become powerful and giving him the ability to control what he needs in order for him to triumph.

    Read More

  • Roles Of Women In Homer's The Odyssey

    715 Words  | 2 Pages

    The “Odyssey” is an mythological epic poem by the author Homer. In this epic poem many female and male characters are played. Some female characters fall in love with Odysseus. One even taking care of him when he was a baby. There is also one that helps him to get back home to Ithaca, but also protects him. These women come in through the story very often. Three women are Calypso, Eurycleia, and Penelope that each have unique character traits and roles in the epic poem of The “ Odyssey”.

    Read More

  • Portrayal of Women in Homer's Odyssey

    451 Words  | 1 Pages

    The Odyssey: Portrayal of Women How does Homer portray women in the epic, The Odyssey? In order to answer this question you must look at woman and goddesses as two separate groups of people who are "people". This is because they are portrayed in two separate ways. You see, a regular woman like Penelope is looked at as beautiful but has.

    Read More

  • Treatment Of Women In The Odyssey Essay

    1034 Words  | 3 Pages

    In Homer’ The Odyssey, a controversial topic is the portrayal of women and whether or not female characters are underdeveloped, sexist interpretations, and are represented as second-rate humans. But at a closer analyzation, one may come to realize in fact, the depiction of women is relatively positive, especially considering the era at which The Odyssey was written. If read farther than the text, one can discover a much deeper person than may be expressed through the words. The female figure is found to be strong, independent, and intelligent through close examination of prominent characters and how they interact with the protagonist.

    Read More

  • Oppression Of Women In The Odyssey

    2728 Words  | 6 Pages

    Over centuries, Ancient Athenian women were tough to be inferior to men and were seen as second class citizens. The role of women in ancient Greek was considered to be insignificant compared to Greek men. Society created rules to keep women oppressed to create the “perfect women”. Women are supposed to be loyal, obedient, dainty, fearful, a mother, and a wife. Women needed to be obedient daughters and housewives, and remain lower class citizens obligated to the men who owns them. Although the rules held women to a lower status, they refused to be subordinated by men. Women were often written as major characters, revealing insights on how they were treated and thought of in society. Through literary texts such as Euripides’ Medea and Homer’s The Odyssey, women have shown that they will not be imprisoned by the rules their society cast upon them. Women have shown they can be rebels. Oppression did not subdue women, hence why they were able to rise above Greek social domination of the male gender, and the laws and

    Read More

  • Women in The Odyssey

    1471 Words  | 3 Pages

    ...ow Greek civilization was founded by women; they were the ones who gave birth to the heroes. Similarly, The Odyssey is a story created by women. The plot revolves around the actions of women. Athena orchestrates all the events. The seductresses, such as Circe, the sirens, and Calypso, attempt to stop Odysseus from reaching home. The helpmeets, such as Nausicaa, Arete, and Athena, aid Odysseus in his homecoming. The wise and virtuous Penelope is the object of Odysseus’ quest. Unlike Helen who forsakes her husband, Penelope remains faithful. Unlike Clytemnestra who assassinates her husband, Penelope patiently waits for Odysseus. She becomes a model of female patience and of female intelligence. Her craftiness is the only one which can match up to Odysseus’. The Odyssey presents a wide array of women and demonstrates the influence that women have in the life of a hero.

    Read More

  • Masculinity In Homer's Odyssey

    1514 Words  | 4 Pages

    The notion of masculinity in Homer’s Odyssey is synonymous with heroism, intellectual aptitude, and physical strength. It could not exist without the presence of the weak females in the story. It is ironic that masculinity is depicted on the surface of the text as procuring dominance over the inferior females because it is from the women that these masculine qualities are derived. The men presented in the Odyssey are not just mentioned as male, but also rather assumed male, because of the “masculine” qualities they possess. All of the significant men in the story like Odysseus and the suitors contain many, if not all of these qualities. The women, whether divine or human, are able to control the degree of these

    Read More

More about The Astounding Alteration of Feminist Role in Homer’s The Odyssey

Open Document