Female Characters In Homer's Odyssey

Words: 349

Pages: 2

In order to understand how female characters are depicted in Homer’s work, it is necessary to look at mortal women and goddesses as two separate groups of people. This is because they are portrayed in two separate ways. For example, the queen of Ithaca, a mortal woman, Penelope, seems to be very attracting considering the fact she has multitudes of suitors pleading for her hand in marriage. However, it is later on in The Odyssey, that we see how low mortal women are in society. This is mainly shown when Telemachus has to choose a suitor for his mother to marry. It is not of modern society that a son has more power in the society than his mother. Also, another incident in which this is shown is when Telemachus tells his mother that he has all

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Fidelity In Homer's The Odyssey

In Homer’s the Odyssey, the author brings about the topic of fidelity by using a number of examples throughout the poem. Homer develops this position by showing how family members and others remain faithful or unfaithful to Odysseus as he sets out on his 20 year journey.In this essay, we will explore how Penelope and Telemachus remained faithful to Odysseus and how Odysseus remained faithful to the thought of returning home to his family. In the Odyssey, the theme of male and female fidelity is…

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Similarities and Differences in the Aeneid and the Odyssey. Essay

Both the Odyssey and the Aeneid describe the journeys of the two Greek heroes –Odysseus and Aeneas, as they struggle towards their goal through the crises and deadly situations caused by the wrath of the gods upon them. In the Odyssey, we see that Poseidon (god of the sea/earth shaker) has a grudge against Odysseus while Athena, god of wisdom, aids him throughout his journey. Similarly in the Aeneid, we see that goddess Juno dislikes Aeneas as he is destined to destroy the city of Carthage loved…

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Theme Of Motifs In The Odyssey

Themes and motifs occur in many places. In books, themes act as a thread binding the plot together. Homer’s The Odyssey presents its audience with a myriad of themes. The Odyssey especially presents the themes of perseverance, trust, and hospitality. Odysseus’ determination to make it home sets up the main conflict of the story. Because of his perseverance to see his family after a number of years, he is faced with obstacles, often posed by bored or angry gods. “She is always coaxing him…

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Archetype Odyssey

different roles and Homer’s The Odyssey is no exception. The men go to war and do heroic deeds, as opposed to most of the female characters, who seem to be not allowed to participate in such things. In The Odyssey by Homer, most female characters have a sexual role or one somehow related to beauty and represent the temptress archetype, and a few have a different type of role, but all of them are unified in that they add complexities to Odysseus’ journey; this is exemplified by characters like Calypso,…

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Greek Patriarchy Of Villains In Homer's The Odyssey

Villains in The Odyssey are villainous because they disrupt the Greek patriarchy by holding power over men. Most of the evil acts portrayed are women exercising control, such as Kirké’s spells, or Helen’s tantalizing beauty. This is a story of fiction and adventure, as much as it is a reflection of ancient Greek values. While being one of the greatest epics from history, Homer’s Odyssey is a product of society. The most prominent female character could be Helen of Troy, whose beauty brought about…

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Examples Of Femininity In The Odyssey

Homer portrays women in his own overgeneralized interpretation, and as objects rather than people. While both Helen of Troy and Circe are used as models of femininity in T he Odyssey, Homer separates Helen by showing her good intentions and wellmeaning ways. Helen of Troy represents a positive example of femininity in T he Odyssey b…

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Roles Of Women In The Odyssey Essay

Women in the odyssey are different from their personality and relationship with men. All of them are different but all help define the role of women in the odyssey. At the time men structured civilization was all put together and the women had position in society, that position was to serve the men and were dominated by what men allowed. Those women were valued in society but weren't important and had no power to control. Homer really depict women as a strong subject. In this epic poem women are…

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Comparing Love In Aeneid And Homer's The Odyssey

It is quite easy to say that romantic or sexual love in Virgil’s Aeneid and Homer’s The Odyssey serve as an obstacle to the main character achieving their eventual goals and perhaps even preventing the protagonists from achieving happiness. In Homer’s Odyssey, Odysseus is victim to women falling in love with him and obstructing his return to his home in Ithaca and in Virgil’s Aeneid, Aeneas is halted by one woman in particular on his journey as well. However, despite these examples of love being…

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Essay Odysseus

Angela Sun Reading Cultures 29 January 2015 Essay One Infidelity and revenge in The Odyssey as explored through a gendered lens In Homer’s epic poem The Odyssey, a war hero by the name of Odysseus attempts to return to his wife and son in Ithaca. Littered throughout the poem are short anecdotes told by humans, bards, and gods. From the suicide of Ajax to the revenge of Orestes, these recounts serve to enrich The Odyssey’s already fantastical and mythical tone. Interestingly, several of these tales…

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The Odyssey Essay

Five Hundred Pages of Greek Mythology Mrs. D’s class used The Odyssey as an example of Greek mythology. The Odyssey shows all thirteen steps of the hero’s journey and the four functions of Greek mythology. Even though this book is five hundred pages long, it is an exemplar of Greek mythology, which is in contrast to most other Greek mythology stories that tend to be short. In the book The Odyssey the main character Odysseus is an exemplar of the hero’s journey. To begin, the initiate is Odysseus…

Words 2082 - Pages 9