ipl-logo

How Does Margaret Atwood Challenge Traditional Gender Roles In The Penelopiad

1112 Words5 Pages

To what extent does Margaret Atwood's “the Penelopiad” challenge traditional gender roles and power dynamics as exemplified in Homer's the Odyssey through its nuanced portrayal of Penelope and other marginalized female characters? Abstract: Margaret Atwood’s “The Penelopiad” challenges typical gender roles and power, unlike “The Odyssey”. This is shown by the reinterpretation of the story from the perspective of Penelope and other marginalized characters. Through the retelling of “The Odyssey” by Homer, Atwood highlights the unfairness of the patriarchal system. The retelling critiques the original narrative and offers deeper insight into modern gender issues; an example of the modern gender issues discussed in “The Penelopiad” includes …show more content…

Margret Atwood's “The Penelopiad” offers a retelling of Homer's Odyssey from the perspective of Penelope, the faithful wife of Odysseus. By giving Penelope and other marginalized female characters a voice, Atwood challenges the traditional gender roles and power dynamics that are exemplified in The Odyssey. This essay will explore how The Penelopiad reinterprets Penelope's character along with the maids and other marglinised female characters. and experiences of the maids to subvert the conventional portrayal of women and offer a critique of the patriarchal structures in The …show more content…

The maids are severely punished for their supposed disobedience and disloyalty, this therefore a harsh reminder of the harsh gender and social hierarchies of the time. Atwood’s, “the penelopiad,” however, brings the maids' perspectives to the foreground of these marginalized women. The chorus of maids serves as a powerful narrative device, providing commentary and reflection on the events of the story. Their voices, rendered in poetic interludes, highlight their victimization. The silencing and brutal murder of the maids highlights the “limits of recognition” of the maids within society, highlighting that the maids are speaking about what Penelope hides. (Reuter, 2014) By centering their narrative Atwood exposes the brutal realities of their lives and criquets the power dynamics that lead to their execution. This shift not only challenges the traditional portrayal of the maids but also leads to many questions about the fairness of their treatment and the broader patriarchal structure within the “odyssey” (Scanlon, 2015). Furthermore, the maids' perspectives reveal deep seated double standards inherent in the societal norms of the time. While Odysseus and other male characters are often praised for their actions, the maids are harshly judged and punished. This highlights the systemic inequalities and harsh realities faced

Show More
Related
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
1277 Words | 6 Pages

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.

Read More
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
825 Words | 4 Pages

Meanwhile, Penelope is in Ithaka busy dealing with the suitors who vie for her hand in marriage, tending to her loom, and directing her serving maids at work. In Homer’s epic poem, women, and goddesses are treated differently than men and gods when it comes to their freedom, expectations, and image. One common occurrence in this epic poem is unequal freedom for women,

Read More
919 Words | 4 Pages

The purpose of this parallel theme in common is to draw attention to Penelope’s struggles in the time of the Odyssey, which helps the responders to empathize with Penelope during her times of weeping, and distress. Hence Atwood’s modern perspective benefitting contemporary readers to enjoy the concepts and

Read More
2082 Words | 9 Pages

In the journal article “Rewriting The Odyssey in the Twenty-First Century”. The idea of Penelope taking control into her own hands, in a time when women did not stand up for themselves but rather were emotionally constricted is shown. Penelope’s demeanor is of a woman that does not let society rule what she can or cannot do, and because of this thinking she is able to have an advantage over other women and of men who are the ones in charge of any decision-making (Suzuki). Penelope is the second female character that is not a god that is able to maintain authority of her own in The Odyssey. This is ultimately Homer’s way of expressing his views towards the male societies of his time and their

Read More
1148 Words | 5 Pages

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.

Read More
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
1571 Words | 7 Pages

Lily Yezdanian Ms. Sandt English I Honors 10 April, 2024 The Odyssey Essay: An Analysis of Penelope’s Role in Society Literature often asks the quintessential question of what it means to be an ideal woman. The answer to this question varies greatly depending on which society is being studied and what qualities they value. Homer’s epic poem, The Odyssey tells the story of Odysseus’ twenty year long journey home, where he is faced with extreme adversity and learns many important lessons. Although not present for the majority of the story, his wife, Penelope plays a crucial role in the poem, as she is the essence of what the Ancient Greeks value, especially in a woman, and wives Through her loyalty, wisdom and independence, Penelope serves as

Read More
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
445 Words | 2 Pages

Zillow is a small company that serves one of the largest sectors within the US economy, namely, the Real Estate industry. Though the company is small with only 1,215 employees(reported 12/2014), Zillow is a very data and technological-driven company in which it uses its infrastructure, internet website and mobile applications to provide vital information to their consumers. Their main consumers would be those in the market looking to buy, sell, or rent houses, as well as real estate professionals who are looking at the market in which they are selling in to stay competitive with others in the field. On the note of competition within the industry, Zillow has three top competitors in the business of online real estate management, these are Zaio, Homegain.com, and Market Leader, as of current, Zillow remains the largest business. Businesses such as Zillow rely on the trend of the real estate market, this being said these trends are the seasonal trend and that of population and construction of new living areas.

Read More
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
1007 Words | 5 Pages

The Odyssey by Homer contains multiple moments where female characters are oppressed or fit into a patriarchy, but there are several moments where these character show signs of rebellion against this oppression. Applying a critical lense of feminism to these characters and relationships create complexities and conflicts within the novel that shine meaning on the world. The character Penelope offers many of these moments. Analyzing the actions, situation, and comparisons with other characters using a the feminist critical lense will show a more enriched version of Penelope and offer a deeper insight of the patriarchy, and how is affects the world.

Read More
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

Read More
1380 Words | 6 Pages

World Literature Paper – Role of Athena and Penelope in The Odyssey Homer’s, The Odyssey is an epic which was written many years ago. At that time, in Ancient Greek society, the dominant role was played by men and the women were considered and given an inferior position. But The Odyssey was often considered a women’s epic because women played an important role. Women in The Odyssey are portrayed as powerful, wise and controlling because they ensure that the illusion of male success will go on - they speak as men through women.

Read More

More about How Does Margaret Atwood Challenge Traditional Gender Roles In The Penelopiad

Open Document