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Roles Of Women In The Odyssey

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Lucas Castro
Mrs. McCormick
English 1, 7
6 February, 2023
The Odyssey Essay What if the women in The Odyssey were not just objects of desire, but powerful players in their own right? The Odyssey is written by Homer and is set in Ancient Greece. Athena is the goddess of wisdom and helps Odysseus with his journey back from Troy, Penelope is Odysseus's wife who has been tricking the suitors because she has faith that Odysseus is still alive, and Circe. From the strong-willed Penelope to the cunning Athena, The Odyssey showcases the diverse roles and complexities of women. Athena helps Odysseus with his battle against the suitors in the hall. Athena guides all of Odysseus's arrows so then he can kill the suitors however he wants and without …show more content…

If Athena did not give Odysseus his disguise then the whole rest of the book would have been much different. (“She turned his shirt and cloak into squalid rags, ripped and filthy, smeared with grime and groot” (Fagles 300). Athena changed Odysseus’s appearance into an old beggar so then no one in Ithaca would recognize him. She did this so then Odysseus could get information about the people there to see if the suitors would treat the old beggar with royalty and hospitality. If the suitors do not treat the old beggar with that then Odysseus will kill them very slowly and painfully but if they did treat him good then they will die quickly. Whenever Odysseus arrives in Ithaca Athena helps him the entire time. Athena's guidance and protection was the sole factor in allowing Odysseus to conceal his true identity for an extended period of time. (“That left the great kind waiting in the hall as Athena helped him plot the slaughter of the suitors…”( Fagles 392). Ever since Odysseus arrives in Ithaca Athena has been helping him in multiple ways, like giving him his disguise. Athena also helped Odysseus plane the slaughter against the suitors, Athena is going to help Odysseus kill the suitors how Odysseus wants to kill

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