The Portrayal of Women in the Odyssey Essays

The Portrayal of Women in the Odyssey Essays The Portrayal of Women in the Odyssey Paper The Portrayal of Women in the Odyssey Paper Essay Topic: The Odyssey Women play an important role in the epic, The Odyssey, written by Homer. Set in a period subsequent to the Trojan War, the accounts of Odysseus and his trials and tribulations feature four main types of women: the goddess, the seductress, the witch and the good wife. Each of these portrays the role of women in a different way, some in complete contrast to the actual civilization of the period. Ancient Greece was very much a patriarchal society. Men were regarded as of higher status than women, and were seen as the stronger gender. Sports were reserved purely for men, as were literature, politics and philosophy. Typically, a woman was judged, not by her own achievements, but by the wealth and status of her father or husband. A woman would be forced to be married at a young age, keep the house for her husband and have children. Usually, ancient Greek women were not educated, although in Athens, women were taught to read, at school or at home, simple facts on mythology, religion and occasionally musical instruments and as with most other places in ancient Greece, they learnt the basics of the household; spinning, weaving, sewing, cooking and other household jobs. The immortal goddesses contrast with the distinctive characteristics of an ancient Greek woman in the Odyssey. Athena, goddess of wisdom, for example, addresses the Gods, including her father, despite the traditions of status. By ignoring these traditions, Athena shows her strength and confidence. It seems she is outspoken, and is more a typical representation of a modern day woman than that of ancient Greece. Throughout the book, Athena shows considerable pity for Odysseus, despite the fact that men were supposedly the stronger gender: she used her persuasion to encourage the gods to reconsider their destiny for him, and set him free from Calypsos island, and she inspired thoughts for Odysseus when he is enduring the wrath of Poseidon on his journey to the island of the Phaeacians. At this point, Athena interrupts Odysseus negative thoughts of being colliding with rough rocks, to give him the idea of holding onto one of the rocks as the waves crashed against them. Not only does she stir notions within Odysseus, but Athena aids him more subtly by promoting thoughts in other people. For example, when Odysseus is washed up on Scherie, Athena appears in Nausicaas dream as one of her friends. She persuades her that she should go and wash her clothes in the river, which is where she first encounters Odysseus, and aids him in his ongoing quest by taking him to her parents for hospitality. The second of woman is the seductress. The Nymph Calypso saves Odysseus when he is washed upon the shore of her island, and keeps him as a sexual prisoner for 7 years, offering immortality in return for him staying with her. She is a perfect example of how women could be powerful against man, yet still be overruled. This is because when she keeps Odysseus captive on Ogygia, Odysseus has no power to do any different. However, it is Zeus final decision that he should be released from her island, and Hermes, messenger to the gods, who tells her. These are both men making her do something she doesnt want to, but she has to obey them, which is a reflection of the ancient Greek traditions. Additionally, Calypso is also seen as the model hostess, offering her guest ambrosia, nectar and clothes. She does this with ease and pleasure, as she even offers Hermes these things before asking why he had come to see her. She is seen to be immoral by sleeping with a married man, yet to simultaneously have good manners, portraying the complexity of women which wasnt recognised in ancient Greek society. Also a seductress, but concurrently a witch, Circe is firstly portrayed as deceitful and cunning. She lures Odysseus men into her house before turning them into pigs. Her trickery shows her to be independent and strong-minded, although she is then proven to be weaker than men when Odysseus arrives. Contrasted against his bravery in Book 10, Circe displays cowardice when confronted by Odysseus after he has eaten the drug of real virtue from Hermes to protect him from the witches black magic. Circe then tries to seduce Odysseus, but he abstains until he can secure an oath between himself and the witch. She, however, shows a complete disregard for men by turning them all into pigs, then putting her own desires before their freedom, and this shows that Circe also possesses completely contradictory characteristics from the ancient Greek women. On the other hand, when Odysseus demonstrates his power by pulling out his sword, Circe collapses to her knees and bursts into tears, proving that it is Odysseus who holds the authority at this point. Daughter of King Alcinous, Nausicaa, is presented as a mature person, as she is unmarried, therefore young, and yet she doesnt run away when she sees Odysseus naked by the river. She instructs her maids to give him clothes, and he responds to this by not hugging her knees and begging for help, like he first thought of doing. This shows that Nausicaa is well-respected. She also cares about her image as a virtuous woman, because when Odysseus travels to the palace with her, he has to walk behind her, so that people didnt think they were together. Also, when Nausicaa takes Odysseus to meet her parents so that he can receive help from them, she insists he meet her mother first as opposed to her father. This demonstrates her respect for her mother, and her understanding of the way in which the system should work, but the knowledge of how it actually does. Finally, the good hostess and wife are portrayed by Penelope. Even after 20 years, she has stayed loyal to Odysseus by stalling the suitors. This is also quite devious, as she leads them into thinking that once she finishes her weaving, shell marry one of them, except every night she undoes all that she achieved that day. This is the side of her which seems unlike that of the women of ancient Greece. However, parallel to the ancient Greek traditions of statuses between genders, Penelope is reprimanded by her own son. She is told to go to her room and stop making decisions because that was his concern as he was the man of t he house. Without any confrontation, she resigned as returned to her room. This shows that Penelope is contrasted with the other women portrayed in The Odyssey, because she is comparable to the ancient Greek society, whereas Athena, Calypso, Circe and Nausicaa are dissimilar. In conclusion, women in The Odysseus are mostly portrayed as strong-willed and open-minded people with their own thoughts and opinions. Although some are immortal, and supposedly free of human emotion, they feel loss, anger and fear, and can make love to mortal men. Their strength of character is displayed with their ability and willingness to differentiate from the periodic stereotypes of women, although in the end, they almost always surrender to the ancient Greek patriarchal culture. If these charcters were to be placed in the ancient Greek society, I think that they would be discarded from the civilization, except for Penelope who would integrate into the culture with her conceded attitude towards the men around her.