He is included in the poem so he will be represented as an ally and a foil for Odysseus to highlights the leadership of Odysseus. This will examine both the straight meaning and the deep meaning for what happened with Eurylochus and reasons he did what he did. One of
It is significant that nearly every major character makes an allusion to one or more Ovidian myths, suggesting their awareness, as well as the audience’s familiarity, with Ovid’s texts. This is made most obvious with Titus’ declaration of revenge, in which he invokes an Ovidian narrative, “For worse than Philomel you used my daughter, and worse than Procne I will be revenged” (Act V, Scene II). The characters are strangely and unnervingly aware that their lives are constructed and defined by Ovidian principles. Moreover, the characters employ the model of the Metamorphoses as a basis of their actions. For instance, Aaron, the primary villain of Titus Andronicus who first plants the machinations of Lavinia’s rape, instructs Tamora and her sons, “Philomel must lose her tongue today,” (Act II, Scene I).
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.
“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.
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
In Homer’s Poem, The Odyssey, Penelope is the exceptionally patient and clever spouse of the infamous hero, Odysseus, and the mother of Telemachus. One poignant factor of Penelope’s character is her patience and devotion which is displayed throughout the poem. With her husband absent for a great majority of her life for the later of twenty years and his location unknown, Penelope stays, patiently awaiting Odysseus’ return, all whilst preserving their estate and raising her son by herself. Throughout this time, she had many persistent suitors in pursuit of her, abusing her husband’s absence.
To accomplish this analyzation I have structured this paper into an intro paragraph, four body paragraphs, and a conclusion paragraph. The first body paragraph explains how Penelope’s forced marriage with Odysseus supports the patriarchy. The second paragraph analyzes Penelope’s character, and how the story diminishes her character to make men seem more powerful. The third paragraph dives into the relationship with the suitors and Penelope. I analyze how Penelope uses her situation to her advantage, and how that undermines the patriarchy.
1. Oedipus is a hero, but he represents most men at the same time. He has human characteristics and feelings, such as his curiosity towards the knowledge Teiresias possesses and his horror when he realizes his horrible actions. “If you know something about our pain tell us…Speak then! Tell us what will emerge.”
Ovid published a book titled “The Art of Love” to help men win over women they desired. This book gives inside on what must be done to win women, as well as the Ovid’s opinion of women. It also showcases the immoral he brings to the Roman Empire. Ovid believes that a man should focus on his appearance and his behavior to make women fall in love with him.
However, for a woman in Homer’s society, who belongs to either her father and her husband, she is the head of the household for 20 years in the absence of Odysseus. She does not preserve peace in the household, but she takes actions to prevent the destruction of ranks of the household by delaying her marriage so that when Odysseus come back home, he can reclaim the kingship, or when Telemachus is old enough, he can take the throne which is rightfully his. In the position where women have no power, she uses her intellectual strength to control the suitors. Penelope promises the suitors that she will choose one of them to marry after she finishes weaving the shroud for Laertes because it is shameful if she does not do anything for her father-in-law. The suitors eagerly comply to her request without knowing what Penelope plans to do.
Hermia is the character that plays an important role in the story and she is going to be who is focused on throughout this paper. Love is often unexpected. She is supposed to marry Demetrius, falls in love with Lysander, and tells us at the end that everything is well. Throughout the story Hermia is an extremely important character.
In this play, he has created a marriage that promotes respect towards women. Traditionally, women are not treated as equals in their society, but Sophocles believes otherwise and expresses his opinion through his plays. Sophocles presents that the marriage between Oedipus and Jocasta is respectable and equal. When Oedipus was going through a difficult time, Jocasta became aware of this and wanted nothing else but to help Oedipus find what he was looking for. Oedipus, who is in search of the truth regarding his birth, is questioning Jocasta, looking for answers.
Ovid demonstrates that Pyramus and Thisbe love is tragic when both lovers die because of an unfortunate action of Pyramus, caused by a misunderstanding of the situation. Pyramus and Thisbe flee their homes to finally be together, deciding to meet under a mulberry-tree. When Thisbe is on her way, she sees a lioness and hides, leaving her veil behind. The lioness, mouth drenched in cows blood, takes hold of the veil with her mouth, staining it. Pyramus finally appears and sees the bloody veil, immediately expecting the worst, “It is all my fault, I am the murderer, poor girl.”
It is often said that an anti-climax work is more admired than its counterparts. For reasons, the struggle of humans, the ultimate failure of a hero, and the corruption of mortal spirit have always hold its ground against classic comedy. From the ages of Oedipus Rex, a tragedy carries the irony of an egoistic giant trapped in predestined downfall. Oedipus was almost certain that he had escaped the arranged destiny. This confidence led him to pursue the murderer of Thebes until, at the end, he made the horrible discovery that his wife was his mother, and that his daughters were instead, his sisters.
Hesiod’s Theogony was no longer able to satisfy the higher minds among the nation. Thus, inspiring Aeschylus to write tragic poets such as Prometheus’ Bound in order to express his own ideology and pointing the moral of tragedy. It is no surprise that Hesiod viewed Zeus as a glorified olympian hero and Prometheus as a traitor who stole fire and gave it to mankind. Aeschylus’s idea of Prometheus was conflicting to Hesiod, whereby he viewed Prometheus as a god supporting the civilization of mankind.
