The Role Of Feminism In Homer's The Odyssey

Feminism has become a major topic of discussion in recent years. Phyllis Chesler and Donna M. Hughes from The Washington Post stated that, “Women’s economic and social participation is considered a standard requirement for a nation’s healthy democratic development.” There are marches all over the world, filled with people supporting women’s rights. However, most people do not realize that feminism is not just a 20th century concept. You can even see feminism in Homer’s, The Odyssey, suspected to be written around 8th or 9th century BCE (Britannica). Homer can be considered a feminist because of the way he went against the stereotype of women in Greek society, the power he gave the women, and the way he portrayed the male characters. First of all, Homer gave a different description of Greek society. The first way that he challenged the tradition, is by the amount of freedom he gave the women. Females in Greek society were not allowed to own land, chose their own husbands, vote, or inherit any

For example, with the suitors, Homer made them all very rude and unlikeable. He also made them act on impulse and only use brute force as a defense to undesirable situations. However, with the women, he gave them knowledge, which proved to be more powerful than force. This can be seen with Penelope when she tricked the suitors with Laertes shroud. She told them that she would marry when she was done weaving it, but she would unravel it at night, therefore, she never made progress. She got away with this for three years before an unfaithful maid told the suitors and Penelope was forced to finish the shroud. But, the cunningness of Penelope held the suitors off for three years, whereas brute force is only a temporary solution. So, in The Odyssey, Homer portrays the women as more desirable role models, and he shows the men as