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.
Athena is a major character throughout the book of The Odyssey and is known as the goddess of wisdom and battle. Throughout the course of the book, it is evident that Athena has a weak spot for the main character, Odysseus. Odysseus is trying to return home after the Trojan War, as the other Greek hero’s have already done, however he faces multiple challenges a long the way. Fortunately, for Odysseus, Athena was there to guide him through a few of these troubling situations.
The epic hero Odysseus, in the epic The Odyssey, shows a lot different traits, but the most evident and important is the intellect. One of the situations in which Odysseus exhibits intellect occurs when he meets the Cyclopes Polyphemus. Polyphemus imprisons Odysseus and his men, but Odysseus tells him that his name is “Nobody” so when he contrives how to blind him and the Cyclopes yells to his brothers that the “Nobody” blinds him, his brothers don’t come to help him.
In Ancient Greek Civilization, women were viewed as submissive. A man always controlled the women; that either being the Father or Husband. Women were forced to stay in the house and complete all household duties. Women were not even granted the right to attend assemblies, participate in politics, or even represent themselves in court. Having little to no overall power in your society can have a huge burden on Women but this can also fuel certain Women to strive to change the society they live in.
Athena is portrayed as a spirit person that cares deeply for Odysseus without any sexual interest. Some of the events in the poem could not have happened without some magical intervention in the background. For example, Odysseus becoming taller and even better looking after the battle. The poem is supposed to have an element of fantasy and it would be less enchanting without her
A powerful leader shows the strength of a lion and the wisdom of an owl. One gets their men out of any predicament they may find themselves in while staying mostly intact. It’s difficult, but the main character Odysseus often makes the correct and moral decision. Intelligence is greatly valued in the world of ancient Greece and Odysseus is fortuitous enough to have it. In The Odyssey, intelligence is seen as an important trait to the Greeks because quick thinking and careful decisions shows a great likelihood of becoming a strong leader.
Here, Odysseus tells Athena that she is all he has left and through her immortal powers, she is the only god still on his side who can help him in his time of need. Therefore, through Athena’s encouraging words, she is able to make Odysseus feel uplifted and more useful, especially as Odysseus is, at this point, very hopeless and miserably
In The Odyssey, by Homer, Athena influences the lives of Odysseus and his family. In Greek mythology, gods challenge and control mortals. Gods also provide support to mortals and thus, mortals depend and act on behalf of the gods and their decisions. Athena, daughter of Zeus, is the goddess of wisdom, and both Telemachus and Odysseus benefit from her power. Athena possesses the ability to disguise herself and others, and this skill allows her to give advice and guidance.
Women are weak, helpless, and have no real purpose other than to serve men and take care of children. . . or so they were perceived in history. In the Odyssey, one can see that Homer’s portrayal of women challenges the depiction of women during that time period. Throughout the book, many women intervened in Odysseus’ journey home to Ithaca, for better or for worse. One will see Penelope, Athena, Circe, and other women impact Odysseus’ expedition home.
Eos was a Titaness and the Greek goddess of the dawn. She is portrayed as a winged goddess who would rise each morning from her home near the edge of Oceanus and ride her chariot across the sky, thus bringing in the dawn. Her chariot was pulled by two horses, as described by Homer’s Iliad. The names of the horses were Lampus and Phaethon. Eos is commonly described as having a rosy appearance, with rosy fingers, a light, and a flowing pink gown woven with flowers.
The Temple of Artemis at Ephesus, is also known as the Temple of Diana and also known as the Artemesium ,the ancient temple, constructed around 650 BC to the cult of Artemis, was built on a site already sacred to the Anatolian Mother Goddess, Cybele. The temple was financed by the wealthy king of Lydia and marshy ground was chosen for the building site as a precaution against future earthquakes and seismic tremors. it is located in Ephesus witch is turkey now , Antipater of Sidon included it on his authoritative rundown of landmarks and of monuments, partly because of its size and grandeur, but also because of its location .the temple soon attracted merchants, lords, and tourists , a considerable lot of donated jewelery and other treasures to Artemis and her temple. Its splendor also attracted many worshippers and travelers, strengthening the cult of Artemis.
Women’s roles has changed dramatically throughout history. By looking at the lives of women, it would be possible to tell how the civilians at that specific period of time were living. In this paper, women’s lives in mainly three civilizations would be discussed, the Sparta, the Athens, and the Hellenistic era. In Sparta, women were needed to live at home, while their husbands remained in military barracks until the age thirty.
She stayed present through the entire book playing a very important role in the story as she mentored both Odysseus and Telemachus in their journey to reach each other and regain their place in the palace. Above all Athena is the true hero in the Odyssey as multiple times she would be admired for her noble guidance, strategies, and loyalty. Right away in book 1 we see Athena showing her true heroism as she leads
In ancient times, there is a general sense that women were simply items and slaves to their husbands. Ancient Greece specifically has a renowned reputation of favoring men. Men possessed the dominant role in public affairs and events while most women were pressured to stay at home. Very few records extensively discuss women; the records focus mostly on men. Despite the lacking records, it is certain how ancient Greeks viewed their women and their relationships with their male counterparts.
Greek mythology can be viewed as a mirror to the ancient Greek civilization. Ancient Greek myths and legends often reflected how the Greeks saw themselves. Myths were used by Greeks to make justifications of every existing aspect of earth as well as their own society. In myths, Greek gods & heroes often represented key aspects of the human civilization. From Greek mythology, we can learn about the favorable characteristics of humans, such as their behavior and valuable skills that were approved of by the ancient Greek society.
