Women In The Odyssey

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The Ideal Greek Woman The ideal Greek woman is someone who embodies the essence of Greek values and culture. This is a theme portrayed in the epic poem The Odyssey by Homer, which tells the story of Odysseus, who is king of Ithaca, and his wife, Penelope. The poem follows Odysseus and his long journey home after the Trojan War. Odysseus fights in the war and spends ten years trying to return home to Penelope and their son, Telemachus. His return should take about two weeks, but due to his antagonists, he undergoes multiple challenges that delay his journey home. During Odysseus’ absence, Penelope waits for him and stays faithful for his return. All the people of Ithaca assume that Odysseus is dead, but Penelope never loses hope. Penelope is …show more content…
It cannot be moved on. Penelope has wiles, which is a trait of an ideal Greek woman. Penelope exemplifies the great qualities of an ideal Greek woman and wife because of her loyalty to Odysseus, her display of xenia, and her wiliness. She is loyal to Odysseus because she waits very long for him, even despite the hardships. She stays faithful and does not feel complete without him. She is also loyal to Odysseus because she has not taken another husband or lover for all the years Odysseus has been gone. She shows Xenia because she allows all the suitors to stay at their home even though she does not want them there. She also shows Xenia by welcoming all the suitors into her home, no matter their role in society, giving them food, and letting them do whatever they want. Penelope expresses wiliness by giving the suitors a task only Odysseus can do and promising to marry the one who can complete it. Odysseus is the only person who can. This means she will not have to marry any of the suitors. She is also wily because, when she is suspicious of Odysseus’ identity, she tricks him with a test. She asks the maid to move the bed, knowing it cannot be moved since one post is an olive

Women In The Odyssey

In the long-enduring epic poem, The Odyssey, the main story is that of the hero Odysseus’ adventures on his twenty year voyage home. However, the poem also features very strong supporting female characters. The two women that will be highlighted both represent vastly different female tropes. Circe represents women as seductresses whereas Penelope, the wife of Odysseus, represents the ideal wife of ancient Greek society. In Greek mythology, Circe was regarded nymph (Book 11, 7) or more commonly as…

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Roles Of Women In The Odyssey

Women have been considered inferior to men throughout history. This can be seen especially in Homer’s poem, The Odyssey. In The Odyssey, all women are subservient to men, portraying them as property and tools of men. Although Kalypso was able to keep Odysseus on her island, she must obey demands given to her by Hermes, showing that she can be used as a tool by Hermes. With one short visit by Hermes, Kalypso is forced to let Odysseus go. “That goddess most divinely made” makes her resentment to this…

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Values Of Women In The Odyssey

Society In the modern world, women are given countless opportunities to make a change in people’s lives. However, women were not always viewed as these influential figures in society. Homer’s Greek epic, The Odyssey, describes how women were portrayed as inferior to men, for they were unable to be trusted, and brought endless pain and suffering. Values are part of every society, but the role of women was especially significant to the Greeks. Women in the Odyssey exemplify many actions that come…

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Ideal Women In The Odyssey

rich beyond measure. In Homer’s the Odyssey, the ideal man is courageous and honorable, and the ideal woman is loyal and a good housewife. Undeniably, the model person is different for each individual, culture, and time period, but even if centuries pass, certain values will always stay the same. The ideal ancient Greek man and woman, shown through Odysseus and Penelope, have similarities and differences to the ideal man and woman today. In Homer’s The Odyssey, the ideals presented are related to…

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Modern Women In The Odyssey

In Homer’s The Odyssey and The Iliad, women play a somewhat large role in the way that the men behave and make decisions. The women in these stories are a good representation of ancient Greece’s women and how they were treated or how they acted in certain situations. Also, those ancient women can be compared to modern women in the way they are treated by the opposite sex as inferior in many situations. However, it contrasts in the way that modern women are gaining power and probably are not as oppressed…

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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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Roles Of Women In Homer's The Odyssey

Women in ancient text are not known to have important roles, but in The Odyssey that has changed. Women are seductresses, wives, and goddesses. Women such as Athena, are considered heroes by the Greeks. Athena is a hero because of her social status. She is not a poor and weak character, but a goddess who is feared, influential, and respected. For example, when Odysseus was captured by Calypso, Athena was the one who convinced the gods to help. Also Athena, goddess of women and wisdom, is very wise…

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Roles Of Women In Homer's Odyssey

In the Odyssey women have played a big role when Odysseus was on his journey home. When Odysseus first landed on Calypso’s island he did not trust her in what she was offering him. She offered him immortality if he slept with her, but he refused the offer because he adored his mortal wife, Penelope. When Odysseus returned to Aeaea to bury Elpenor, Circe describes one last obstacle he will face before returning home. She tells him that he will encounter the lovely Sirens, and another woman monster…

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The Role Of Women In Homer's Odyssey

Women have always had a role of loyalty, cleverness and a way to help out one another. They did not just get that from evolution but by keeping the ways from the great women before them. Three women in particular come to mind, their names are Circe, Penelope and Athena. These women have done a lot to affect the way women have been and are portrayed today. The Odyssey is a great way to see the roles of these women and how they also reflect ancient Greek values. Women in ancient Greece were treated…

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A Comparsion Of Women In Homer's Odyssey

Women in today’s age are far different than what they are depicted like in the Odyssey. A major characteristic they shared was that they both were clever in their own respective lives. Penelope was smart to secretly unravel her cloth to buy her husband more time to return home. Odysseus’s cleverness was shown multiple times throughout the epic, for example telling the giant that his name was “Nohbody”, even though that cleverness vanished shortly after the event. Contrary to these similarities their…

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