ipl-logo

Treatment Of Women In The Odyssey Essay

1179 Words5 Pages

In the text of The Odyssey there are many ideas that challenge the morals and sensibilities of the modern reader. By western standards, the treatment of women by men in Homer's Odyssey could be characterized as sexist. Not only this, but the main character, Odysseus, seems to be able to cheat on his own wife, pillage villages, and slaughter innocent people and still maintain his persona of a hero. His leadership also causes his his whole crew to lose their lives out at sea. These activities would seem quite deviant to our own social norms and morals. The women in Homer's Odyssey are judged largely by their appearance. If a certain man considers a woman beautiful, or if she is related to a man in an important position such as a nobleman or king, the woman is seen as successful. That is why Penelope has the kingdom but can do nothing with it without Odysseus by her side. Being a woman, Penelope has absolutely no power over what the suitors do and cannot get rid of them. The suitors want her wealth and her throne. They do not respect her enough to stop feeding on …show more content…

He plunders anything he can get his hands on, and as a side affect many people lose their lives. He was able to return home after his 20 year trip, but only after his entire crew was fatally lost. Most of their problems can from his poor leadership and arrogance. After they had escaped the Kyklops cave he had to shout out “Odysseus, raider of cities, took your eye: Laertes’ son, whose home’s Ithaka”(Homer 160). This inevitably enraged poseidon and cause his men's doom. Even when Circe tells him how to navigate Scylla and Charybdis, he doesn't tell his men that some of them will die and shows remorse.N ot only does this not match a modern view of what a hero should look like, but also shows Odysseus as not the cunning mastermind that many characters in the story perceive him

Show More
Related
522 Words | 3 Pages

“The Odyssey,” written by Greek poet Homer is an epic tale depicting the brutally enduring quest home of the Greek hero, Odysseus. Within this heroic story, women play a very large and pivotal role in Odysseus’s trip home from the Trojan War. In his attempt to get back to his wife, Penelope, Odysseus’s progress is constantly hindered by the intervention of women who will do anything in order to either convince the heroic figure to stay with them or have him killed. The intentions of the women in the epic are all very different but one of the most prominent roles lies in the seductresses and the alluring women who will deeply influence Odysseus. Most importantly, Penelope plays a large role in portraying the importance of women’s roles in the story.

Read More
231 Words | 1 Pages

The role of women in The Odyssey is to exhibit the many roles that women perform in the lives of men. There is a quote that states that behind every successful men there is a woman; to which homer would probably agree. As it was stated before, we can make reference to such quote by picturing The Odyssey without woman in the epic. Without woman, Odysseus would probably make it faster to Ithaca or would probably die in many of the obstacles that Zeus was putting in his way. Men’s position or respect, in ancient Greek mythology, was determinate by the things had successfully fulfilled in their life but no men had ever recognize that such success is part of the role that woman have in their lives.

Read More
477 Words | 2 Pages

Does Penelope exhibit any substantial moral agency in Homer’s Odyssey or is she just another pawn in the patriarchal game of getting glory for the guys? I SHALL ARGUE THAT Penelope plays a vital role in the way that the Odyssey plays out. Penelope, unlike other female characters in the classical world, shapes the way that her life unfolds. Through her actions in this epic poem, not only does Penelope create her own destiny, she gets her own glory. Penelope’s key dilemma centered on the instructions given to her by her husband, Odysseus, prior to his journey to fight in the Trojan War.

Read More
825 Words | 4 Pages

Always Submissive and Sexy Do you believe that the two sexes today are treated differently from one another? In the Odyssey, written by Homer, there is a constant comparison between the opposite sexes. Throughout this book, Odysseus struggles to get home to his submissive wife Penelope. He encounters challenges, one of which is beautiful tempting women who urge him to stay.

Read More
1148 Words | 5 Pages

There are different ways for women to be portrayed in the Odyssey. They can be disloyal, sexual, and loyal woman that gets used for these things. Could you ever grasp a point of how you would feel if you were the one being portrayed? In the first section of the Odyssey, women are presented to us as controlled by the culture of the day, and it is only within that area that we can consider the way Odysseus provides women to be admired or despised throughout his journey.

Read More
1622 Words | 7 Pages

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

Read More
780 Words | 4 Pages

In many societies today, individuals are led to believe that the concept of women possessing their own strength or independence is abnormal. As a result, women experience the world in a constrained way in comparison to men, even if they are in higher classes of society. However, these extensive aspects of females are contradicted in some ancient Greek literature. In the epic poem, The Odyssey, Homer portrays women as a vital and powerful force through the characters Penelope and Circe, who counter the normality of misogyny in Homer’s time. Penelope’s character displays how some women are able to exceed society’s standards and show strength and cleverness when it is necessary.

Read More
491 Words | 2 Pages

Women in The Odyssey Gender roles, specifically of women, were a little different back in 700 B.C. They played more of a typical role, expected to get married and have kids at a young age. They were expected to take care of the house and children, while their husbands were out fighting wars. However, while women in The Odyssey were greatly valued for their beauty, Homer reveals that they also had to be intelligent to be successful in their lives.

Read More
662 Words | 3 Pages

in both Ancient Greece and modern society, the lives of men are perceived to be of higher importance due to their masculinity. Meeting societies views on masculinity helps men do as they please. Their masculinity is made to be a very important thing, so when men have a physique they think they will not be told anything because their looks give them an excuse. With an image, men begin to feel higher up because of their strength, they do incorrect actions and also cheat. In The Odyssey we can see this masculinity portrayed by none other than the archetypal hero, Odysseus.

Read More
1255 Words | 6 Pages

In spite of the fact that Homer’s Odyssey is an epic story of a man’s gallant journey, women play a huge part throughout. Their unique yet controversial personalities, intentions, and relationships are vital to the development of this epic and adventurous journey of Odysseus. The poem by Homer was written at a time when women had an inferior position in society, yet that didn’t stop them from being any less influential. All of the women throughout the Odyssey possess different qualities, but all of them help to define the role of the ideal woman.

Read More
954 Words | 4 Pages

In the epic poem, The Odyssey, by Homer, there are many female characters who play the role of a villain. Calypso, Scylla, Charybdis, and the sirens are among the women with the largest, negative impacts on Odysseus’ journey home. Though some women, such as Athena, Eurycleia, and Penelope, are loyal to Odysseus throughout the poem. With such a wide range of female characters, they all contribute different things throughout the book, whether the impact of their actions is negative or positive. Regardless of the outcomes, Homer has quite a modern view of female representation in his poem.

Read More
1007 Words | 5 Pages

The Odyssey by Homer contains multiple moments where female characters are oppressed or fit into a patriarchy, but there are several moments where these character show signs of rebellion against this oppression. Applying a critical lense of feminism to these characters and relationships create complexities and conflicts within the novel that shine meaning on the world. The character Penelope offers many of these moments. Analyzing the actions, situation, and comparisons with other characters using a the feminist critical lense will show a more enriched version of Penelope and offer a deeper insight of the patriarchy, and how is affects the world.

Read More
1958 Words | 8 Pages

In The Odyssey, Homer paints a picture of not only how a man should act, but how a woman should act. A woman must be good, and to be good she must have no faults whatsoever. To be a true Greek woman, she must be perfect in every way. Homer's misogynistic view of women is that women have to be so full of virtue that they end up having no substance. These women of no substance are deemed as ideal because they have no visible flaws.

Read More
1401 Words | 6 Pages

These women influenced the conditions of the journey by guiding Odysseus in different directions, and aiding him crucially. Their authority showed the idea behind an old proverb, which states, “Behind every great man there’s a great woman”. Throughout The Odyssey, the women exemplified their power during the course of Odysseus’ journey.     Odysseus’ wife, Penelope, bravely held down the front in Ithaca while her husband struggled to find his way back home. In Book 18, Penelope spoke to the ever-so-desperate suitors about what Odysseus “told” her before he left.

Read More
1293 Words | 6 Pages

Classics 101 Kristen Brenda Walker Friday 8.40 g15w1964 Due: 08 April 2016 Tom Dichmont The Odyssey Discuss the subject of sexual fidelity/infidelity as it occurs in Homer’s Odyssey, using examples from the text. (Refer to several relationships in your answer.) Introduction In the Odyssey by Homer the famous Epic poet, sexual fidelity as well as sexual infidelity are recurring themes throughout his work.

Read More

More about Treatment Of Women In The Odyssey Essay

Related Topics

Open Document