Women in Homers The Odyssey Essay - 627 Words

Homers The Odyssey Women are important to the plot and overall theme of the Odyssey. In fact, without many of the women there would not be a complex plot to this epic poem. In the narrative and in Greek society women played a variety of roles, as mothers, herons, and many other strong roles yet, they were treated as less significant, and were made to be loyal and submissive to men. The women were required to wait on and sulk for love, as Penelope did for 20 years. In Greek society, the women had very little authority but the little control that they did have was sort of a sexual power, which at times they could use to outwit the men. Obvious examples of this sexual power would be Circe and Calypso. Calypso and Circe however, are not the†¦show more content†¦She gets all the men all hot and bothered meanwhile, she is just cleverly using them up and buying time for Odysseus’ to return and subsequent vengeance. As I have stated many of the women had various diverse roles in this story, seducing men was not all that they did, however it is more so what Homer highlighted in his narrative. Take Eurycleia for example, she was a confidante to Telemachus upon his return as well as the long lost Odysseus upon his homecoming, she was a dependable, noble women who always stayed true to her masters whom she loved and had been like a second mother to. Though Penelope at times seemed to utilize her seducing power, she was much more than that; she was clever--in distinguishing the beggar to be Odysseus (when she laid down the challenge to the men in chapter twenty-one). She showed strength when she confronted the mob of suitors after having heard that they were plotting on Telemachus. Athena is also a great example. She was a hereon. Athena took the form of Mentor and inspired Telemachus to search for Odysseus. She was a strong supporter of Odysseus; she guided and watched over Odysseus and Telemachus. She was the savior of both, and even helped fight along side them in Chapter twenty-two, when the suitors had them outnumbered. There are several others like Nausicaa and her mother, Arà ªte who were much more than simply seductresses, however to an extent Homer’s perception of women in their society was correct, there are instances fromShow MoreRelatedThe Odyssey : The Role Of Women In Homers Odyssey966 Words   |  4 Pagesinteractions. The Odyssey portrays what is right or wrong in relationships between god and mortal, father and son, and man and woman. In the epic poem, the role of women is a vital demonstration of Ancient Greece. The women in the epic are unique in their personality, motives, and relationships towards men. In Homers, The Odyssey, all w omen are different, but all of them help to represent the role of the ideal woman. Homers epic describes the world of women in Ancient Greece, a time where women were seenRead MoreThe Role Of Women In Homers Odyssey1165 Words   |  5 Pages The Role of Women In The Odyssey In literature, are women used as important roles or only used as love interests and for their beauty? This question has been around for a long time and there is still no clear answer. One literary example is the women characters in Homer’s The Odyssey- the ancient Greek epic of Odysseus and his journey home to Ithaka. When on his journey, Odysseus meets many women who are ultimately used as alluring characters to distract Odysseus on his journey home. 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