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Family In The Odyssey

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Importance of Family In Homer’s “The Odyssey,” a valiant soldier-Ulysses-took twenty years to return home from war (Sentence 7a). He had left behind his wife and unborn child. Ulysses overcame a plethora of obstacles throughout his journey. It was dangerous and difficult and frightening (Sentence 4a). However, he persevered through it all and eventually made it home to his family. Ulysses’ family motivated him to come home because of his desire to come home to Telemachus, defend his Penelope, and return to his beloved spouse. One of the reasons Ulysses wanted to come home: his absence ensued him missing his son's whole childhood (Sentence 11). “Penelope was pregnant with Telemachus when Odysseus left their island home of Ithaca for the battle …show more content…

As explained before, he had the courage to kill 108 men for her. In “The Odyssey,” Ulysses was a striking man that attracted a plethora of women. The nymph, Calypso, for example, liked Ulysses so much that she held him against his will on her island for 7 years. “His eyes kept never dry he did so mourn, and his waste his dear age for his wish’d return; which still without the cave he us’d to do, because he could not phase the goddess so, at night yet, forc’d together took their rest the willing goddess and th’ unwilling guest.” (Homer 515). Although they weren’t under the most romantic circumstances, she truly did love him. Ulysses, on the other hand, couldn’t wait to get back home. Another woman was Circe who was a deceitful witch that knew how to treat a man good Ulysses could have been with (Sentence 15). “...Men sometimes may be something delicate. Bath’d, and adorn’d, she led me to a throne of massy silver, an of fashion exceeding curious. A fair foot-stool set, water appos’d and every sort of meat set on th’ elaborately-polish’d board,...”(Homer 612). Circe knew exactly how to please him. She was an obviously charming woman that he had relations with. The third woman that was allured by him was Nausicaa. “He shall be sure her husband… It may be, praying hard, when her heart ran on some wish’d husband, out of heav’n some god dropp’d in her lap;” She was an enchanting virgin who had a

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Penelope, his wife, is greatly affected; as many greedy suitors disrespect her and move into their home to try and win her hand in marriage. 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.

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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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In the epic story the Odyssey by Homer, Odysseus is returning from the Trojan war, and on his way home he finds many obstacles ahead of him. Odysseus is the ruler of Ithaca and he is trying to return home to his land. Many creatures try and stop him from achieving his goal of returning home, but he and his crew have to push through and get home. Odysseus portrays bravery and courage leading his crew through these tough challenges. Odysseus heroically leads his crew and himself through dangerous obstacles, but also foolishly endangers them during the journey home.

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780 Words | 4 Pages

While men are generally known to take advantage of women, Circe misleads and overpowers them for her own gain. Her need to show dominance helps build her strong and formidable character that has a vital impact on the lives of Odysseus and his men. Throughout the poem, Circe’s character establishes how women are able to conquer and prevail over others with their own strength and

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The respectable male characters such as Odysseus treat women well, but mostly for their appearance and marriage potential. Near the beginning, after washing up on the island of the Pheaecians, he meets a girl and says, “Mistress: please: are you divine, or mortal? If one of those who dwell in the wide heaven, you are the most near to Artemis, I should say,” (8). To

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Parent-child relationships are very prevalent in works of literature especially in the pieces written in Ancient Greece and Rome. Some examples of these are the works we have read in class such as the Iliad, the Odyssey, the Electra plays, and Aristophanes’ the Clouds. Although mother-daughter relationships are important throughout each of these works; father-son relationships are even more so. The father-son relationship is one of the most important aspects of these societies especially in the Odyssey written by Homer. The significance of all of the father-son relationships depicted in the Odyssey itself is for the purpose of exploiting its themes of family, xenia and tradition.

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When Odysseus left for Troy during the Trojan war, he left his whole life behind. He left behind his very young son, Telemachus, and his wife, Penelope. After the war, Odysseus started his journey back. Odysseus’ whole journey home was prompted by the fact that he wants to get home to his family and kingdom in Ithaca. Odysseus made it through the many trials and tribulations he was faced with to see his family.

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Mothers: Mothers in the Odyssey, are determined figures. They are seen as the suppliers of compassion and distress, instead of genuine “supporters” of their children and spouses. Throughout the Odyssey, some of the females need backing and direction as they are weak, fragile, feeble and delicate. Without a tough male figure to guide them, these females seem to be sad and lost. Mothers in the Odyssey depend highly on their son’s devotion to them.

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Penelope proves that women can be just as smart, if not smarter, than men. She outsmarts the suitors that invade her home to escape marriage. For example, she weaves each day for years and tells the suitors that when she is done she will marry. Homer writes, “This was her latest masterpiece of guile: she set up a great loom in the royal halls and she began to weave, and the weaving finespun, the yarns endless, and she would lead us on: ‘Young men, my suitors, now that King Odysseus is no more, go slowly, keen as you are to marry me, until I can finish off this web…” (Homer). She deceives them because she undoes all of her work after every day with the knowledge that they are too busy with feasts and wine to notice.

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1041 Words | 5 Pages

In an epic poem, The Odyssey, by Homer, Odysseus struggles to come back home while his wife, Penelope, faces barbarous suitors who plague her house to court her for the marriage in order to claim the kingship of Ithaca. With an absence of the man of the household and a son who is not old enough to rule over the country and handle the domestic complications, Penelope endeavors to keep the household orderly and civilized. In order to prevent further chaos in the household, Penelope maintains her role as the Queen of Ithaca and Odysseus’s wife through her loyalty and cunning. For a woman who does not know when her man will return home, Penelope is extremely strong to keep hope and wait for her husband; thus, her unwavering loyalty to her husband

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755 Words | 4 Pages

Imagine being apart from your family for over ten years, fighting for your life in a war, and in the many battles and problems you will face on your way home from war. Would you be able to fight a cyclops, pass a dangerous whirlpool and have to face the fact that your crew betrayed you? In the novel The Odyssey written by Homer, Odysseus must do all of these things and more. He has been away from his wife, son and many other family members for over ten years now, fighting for his life on his journey home after fighting in the Trojan war.

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803 Words | 4 Pages

We are proud of the love we give and receive, for our children and the habits, emotional responses, obligations and values that we teach them. In The Odyssey, Odysseus is no different and the importance of his family is demonstrated as he weeps tears of sadness in their absence and rejects Calypso’s offer of immortality in exchange for his companionship. “‘My lady goddess, here is no cause for anger. My quiet Penelope—how well I know—would seem a shade before your majesty, death

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1401 Words | 6 Pages

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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677 Words | 3 Pages

A man should be courageous, brave and be willing to fight and protect his family. A man with a good reputation brought great honor to his family. All of these qualities were modeled in Homer’s heroic characters. Women benefitted from Homer’s writings, as well. Especially emphasized in the Odyssey was the importance of a wife being faithful to her husband and supporting him.

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In this episode Leopold makes misjudgment regarding the beauty of a girl named Gerty that he sees on the beach, making divine beauty out of her character. Here we have Leopold, as modern Ulysses, who got hit by her ball, just like the original Ulysses was washed ashore on the land of Phaeacians got hit by a ball that Princess Nausicaa lost during a game. (BLAMIRE:40) Gerty as modern Nusicaa sees Leopold, modern Ulysses, as a dark exciting stranger whom she found on the beach. Both of them, Leopold and Ulysses, were shipwrecked on the beach in need of spiritual and physical comfort. This is shown through Gerty`s attempt to save him from his pain and sympathetic desire to offer him love.

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