The Odyssey: The Struggle Between Men And Women

Words: 1125
Pages: 5
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Alexis Esi
LA 1 Honors
11/2/2015
Period 5

“If a man is highly sexed he’s virile if a woman is she’s a nymphomaniac. With them it’s power but with us it is a disease”- Gemma Hatchback. Unfortunately this idea is relevant and true in our world today. Whether seen in books, television, or simply in the streets women are often treated unfairly and disrespectfully. At the rate that this problem increases, it is difficult not to take note of the fact that many of the struggles women face every day are not shared by their male counterparts. It is highly unlikely that a single person will comment on the extremely sexual lifestyle of a 20-year-old man, however people do not think twice before pointing out a “revealing” skirt to a woman of the same …show more content…
When Odysseus and his crew enter the lair of Circe the witch turns his men into pigs and immediately poses a formidable problem. However, like all other female characters in The Odyssey Circe is smitten with Odysseus and offers him a night in her bed, to which he replies “‘ Mount your bed? Not for all the world. Not until you swear, goddess, a binding oath you’ll never plot some new intrigue to harm me’”(Homer 241)! Then Odysseus finally gives in and “at last, [Odysseus] mounted Circe’s gorgeous bed”(Homer 241). In spite of the fact that Odysseus is a married man with a wife at home pining for him, Odysseus still chooses to bed a woman who poses a great threat to his crew. This kind of affair does not affect the way people will look at Odysseus, however his wife, Penelope, is being made out as angelic for her celibacy in Odysseus’ absence. It is okay for Odysseus to practice his sexuality with a woman who is not his wife because he is male, a man cannot be expected abstain from carnal activities for twenty years. But a woman should not even think of doing something so licentious. The double standard that exists in Penelope and Odysseus’ marriage is telling of double standards that existed in Greek
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