Portrayal Of Women In Homer's Odyssey

What is the role of females in the Odyssey? Taking into consideration such characters as Penelope, Circe, Athena, Scylla and the Sirens. Discuss how women are portrayed in the epic. One would think that such a wise and educated man as Aristotle would realize that men and women are created equal. Surprisingly, Aristotle stated that, “the relation of male to female is by nature a relation of superior to inferior and ruler to ruled” (Aristotle). From this quote, it may seem that women had no rights and were required to stay home, tend their husbands, and bear children in Ancient Greek times. However, it is also important to remember that “there were also categories of women which are less well-documented than others, such as professional women”

These women go above and beyond the expectations set for them. An example of powerful temptresses were the Sirens and the Lotus Eaters. They not only used their own power to manipulate the crew, but they also preyed upon their emotions and played with their minds. Rather than using purely their own strengths, they utilized the men’s weakness, all while “seeming to do them no harm” (Homer 147). Another cunning temptress was Circe. She manipulated the crew by pretending to be a meek housewife and “bath[ing], anoint[ing] with sweet oil, and dressing [them] afresh in tunics and new cloaks with fleecy linings” (Homer 179). She allowed them to underestimate her and uses that to her advantage. When the crew believe dthat they were safe and that Circe, a mere woman, could do them no harm, she proved her power and strength by turning and capturing them. Circe is also an intelligent thinker and wise planner. She gives Odysseus and the crew advice and guidance in escaping from the Sirens and other sea monsters. The final example of the powerful and intelligent women in the Odyssey is the goddess Athena. She was the goddess of wisdom and tact in war, and was one of Zeus’s favorites. Athena was a helpful advocate for Telemachus and Odysseus, but she was also tactful and shrewd in deciding when to give her help. She helped Telemachus and Penelope by getting rid of the suites for a while, soothing

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. This is important because Homer really broke usual standards of the time and included female character to his epic that did more the cook and clean. They led fearlessly, helped selflessly, and pushed Odysseus and the crew to work their hardest, bravest, and with the most