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Examples Of Calypso In The Odyssey

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Calypso’s Definition of a Woman

In “The Odyssey” by Homer, Calypso is a powerful and important figure in Odysseus’ 20 year journey. Poseidon is on a mission to keep Odysseus away from his home of Ithaca, and uses his power of influence as a god to do so. On the journey back home, Odysseus ends up at the island of Calypso, who is a nymph expected to obey the gods. She uses both her manipulative power and enticing femininity to trap him there. Calypso both reinforces and manipulates gender stereotypes with her femininity, power, and confidence. Calypso has an ability to both draw in and overpower a man, which can challenge and reinforce the stereotype of a desperate woman.

Women in the Odyssey are portrayed as fragile and naive, more like a useless side character than anyone of importance. Calypso, however, uses her emotions as a woman to fight and manipulate those who would be seen as a higher power. …show more content…

In the outcome of the book, Odysseus makes it home after 20 years and kills all of the suitors, taking over his palace. If Calypso didn’t have this delicate and womanly ability to draw him into her home, he may have never stepped foot into the island, and he would have made it home before the suitors had an opportunity to fully take over. Her stronger and more powerful ability to manipulate a brave leader like Odysseus also keeps him there for a year, unwilling. Her courage in speaking up to a stronger power, like the gods or Odysseus, affects our perception of weak women-like capabilities. This disposition, which she wouldn’t have if she were classically feminine, takes a year out of his journey, and weakens him simultaneously. Calypso's one chapter appearance changes the way we perceive power in relation to gender in the entirety of the Odyssey, and creates the storyline for this

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“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.

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For instance, Athena asked her father, Zeus, to force Calypso to release Odysseus so he could return home. Odysseus must also fend of many temptresses and temptations throughout the poem. Calypso is a Island

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There are different ways for women to be portrayed in the Odyssey. They can be disloyal, sexual, and loyal woman that gets used for these things. Could you ever grasp a point of how you would feel if you were the one being portrayed? In the first section of the Odyssey, women are presented to us as controlled by the culture of the day, and it is only within that area that we can consider the way Odysseus provides women to be admired or despised throughout his journey.

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Their roles in the epic were to be a homemaker, to be a temptress or fearless thinker, and to symbolize the many struggles Odysseus and his crew face. Penelope, Circe, and Calypso, three powerful women, were subjected to being meek housewifes after they come in contact with various men in the story. Homer portrays the lack of rights women maintain after a man enters their life. Circe, the various hypnotising maidens, and Athena all are powerful and intelligent temptresses and thinkers. Homer uses these characters to show the importance and strength of women.

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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.

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Greek mythology influences much of today’s art. Among the many myths, one of the most acclaimed is The Odyssey written by the blind poet Homer. The Odyssey highlights the hero Odysseus and his journey home from The Trojan war. On his way back home, Odysseus encounters an exiled enchantress Calypso, who seduces him to remain on the island with her. On the contrary, Modern day songwriter Susane Vega, depicts Calypso as more empathetic.

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The story of Odysseus would not exist if not for the strong female characters that all become a part of his journey. One of the women is the nymph, Calypso, who is forever banished to the island of Ogygia for her father’s wrongdoings. Odysseus ends up stranded on the island with her for seven years after being shipwrecked and lost at sea by Poseidon. Calypso ultimately acts a temptress to Odysseus, and serves as a constant reminder of everything he longs for back at home. Calypso means “to cloak”, which is basically what she is doing by hiding Odysseus away from the rest of world.

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Women in the The Odyssey played a intricate role in helping define what the Greeks thought women should be like. During The Odyssey the way Homer Presents the females charters, such as Penelope, Anticlia, and Naussica gives a glimpse into the stereotypes. “In the Homeric epics women seem to have little independence; they are always under the guardian-ship of a man… [but] because women can speak… Homer’s women still manage to exert a significant moral force” (Lefkowitz). The first was Penelope, who was the benevolent and steadfast wife of Odysseus, let Homer convey what the Greeks believed was wife material.

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Though women play a central role in the Odyssey the portrayal and characterization of said women is often times sexist and places most of the women in positions of power until Odysseus or one of the male gods comes along and puts a stop to it. All of the women are characterized with few traits, most of which only describe their looks, while the reader is constantly reminded of all of Odysseus good traits. Even Penelope, who is portrayed as the ideal woman, is only ever described as ‘beautiful’ and ‘faithful’. Though this does make sense considering the time period and how during the time women were considered property of men. With all of the different character and how they are written one would expect some variety in the description of women.

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Women are greatly judged by their looks throughout the book. They believe that a woman is successful if any of her direct family have an important position (e.g. King, God) or is a heroic figure. Even though Athena and Calypso are very different, one evident similarity, is their ability to influence and control men. Athena greatly interferes in Telemachus’ and Odysseus’ lives by utilizing her intellect. Her power, influence and control on men can either be seen as a positivity or as a negativity.

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Odysseus was in this island as a punishment from Poseidon for blinding his son Polyphemus the cyclops. Throughout this time, it was normal for Odysseus to be with various woman, it would be seen normal compared to a woman she'd lose all her reputation of being a loyal and good housewife. Calypso feel in love with a mortal and even though gods are known for having kids with mortal women, goddess don’t share the same freedom there seen as

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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.

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These women influenced the conditions of the journey by guiding Odysseus in different directions, and aiding him crucially. Their authority showed the idea behind an old proverb, which states, “Behind every great man there’s a great woman”. Throughout The Odyssey, the women exemplified their power during the course of Odysseus’ journey.     Odysseus’ wife, Penelope, bravely held down the front in Ithaca while her husband struggled to find his way back home. In Book 18, Penelope spoke to the ever-so-desperate suitors about what Odysseus “told” her before he left.

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