The Role Of Penelope In The Odyssey

When we think of a hero, we depict a strong, courageous and hardworking man. Many of us would not picture a woman to be the heroine, especially in the Ancient Greek novels and epics. Heroes would lead their city to victory, while women were at home probably making tea. Values that they held would always put woman at a lesser value than men. Women were expected to remain inside and uphold their husbands’ household. They were meant to be seen, not heard. Who would be a modern heroine in The Odyssey, what heroic qualities did she attain, and how was she treated poorly compared to the lead hero, Odysseus, when there was no feminism and equality between the two genders? Today, the world views women as almost equals to men. In Ancient Greece, the purpose of being a woman was to marry, and the purpose of marriage was to have children. Nowadays, many feminists would consider the lead female, Penelope, to be a heroine in The Odyssey. Penelope was smart, and knew that she would not marry any suitors while her husband

They saw them as only a necessity to repopulate their cities. Penelope had little freedom compared to her husband, Odysseus. She was treated awfully by everyone around her. Her husband was not loyal, she was shown no grief by her maidservant Melantho, and the suitors only wanted to marry her because of her kingdom. Odysseus would constantly cheat on her, for example with Circe, “come, sheathe your sword, let us go to bed together, mount my bed and mix in the magic work of love- we will breed deep trust between us” (Homer 10. 370-372). Because Odysseus was a man he could be unloyal, but it was a sin for a woman like Penelope. She was treated as merely an object, with people only showing her affection so they can gain an honorable position in Ithaca and rule the great city. Greek values gave women little option on what they were allowed to do, and little say on issues even if they are involved within the