Important Role of Women in Homers Odyssey Essay examples

For the Greeks, Homers Odyssey was much more than just an entertaining tale of gods, monsters, and men, it served as cultural paradigm from which every important role and relationship could be defined. This book, much more so than its counter part The Iliad, gives an eclectic view of the Acheans peacetime civilization. Through Odyssey, we gain an understanding of what is proper or improper in relationships between father and son, god and mortal, servant and master, guest and host, and--importantly--man and woman. Women play a vital role in the movement of this narrative. Unlike in The Iliad, where they are chiefly prizes to be won, bereft of identity, the women of Odyssey are unique in their personality, intentions, and†¦show more content†¦Some have argued that one of the principal motivation behind the Greeks disparaging attitude towards their women stemmed from fear of female sexual power. In both The Odyssey and other myths, we hear of men imprisoned by their passio ns for nymphs. For instance, the Homeric Hymn to Aphrodite (5) reports that Anchises frets after sleeping with Aphrodite for no man retains his full strength who sleeps with an immortal goddess (Morford 140). Greeks feared the mental side effects of sexual domination as much as the physical effects. The Odysseys nymphs Calypso and Circe epitomize this fear of mental domination. Though Odysseus longs for home, he finds it hard to move from the embrace of either of these two nymphs. His men have to force him off Aeaea, where he has been staying with the powerful Circe. Similarly, Homer describes Odysseus on Ogygia as sitting, still, weeping, his eyes never dry, his sweet life flowing away with the tears he wept for his foiled journey home (Fagles 5:166). This scene shows the Son of Laertes utterly miserable, yet unable to tear himself away from carnal delight. The very same man who dragged his men away from the land of the Lotus-Eaters seems to prove that women are his drug of choice. Circe and Calypso, throughShow MoreRelatedThe Odyssey, by Homer Essay1150 Words   |  5 PagesHomer’s Odyssey was written around 700 BC. During this time there was major social and economic change, which brought the development of new cities, as well as new laws to govern them. Political rights and citizenship in Greek society truly defined the roles of women in this time period. All of the laws governing the population of Greece were not only written by men, but also enforced by men. Homer’s Odyssey is the product of a society in which men played the dominant role. Women were held atRead MoreThe Penelopiad Analysis958 Words   |  4 Pagesnovel ‘The Odyssey’ . 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While there are not many female characters in the Odyssey, the few that there are, play pivotal roles in the story and one can gain a lot of insight by analyzing how those women are portrayed. Homer portrays the females in contradictory ways: the characters of Athena and Eurykleia are given strong, admirable roles whileRead MoreAnalysis Of Homer s The Iliad And The Odysseys1428 Words   |  6 PagesHomer’s poems, play a key role in Ancient Greek culture and many important moments or scenes from Homer’s The Iliad and The Odysseys are depicted on the vases. Each vase has a story and the painters depict the moments or events in the poem in the exact way Homer describes. However, some depictions on the vases could be dramatized by the painters because the painter brought their imagination from t he story of Homer. Through the Ancient Greek vases, we can get new information or background informationRead MoreHistory, Symbolism, and Characters in Homer’s The Odyssey 1118 Words   |  5 Pages In The Odyssey, it takes Odysseus twenty years to make it home from the Trojan War. On his journey home, he runs into many obstacles and creatures that he must overcome. He encounters the sirens, the Cyclops, and others. Each event in this epic poem has a symbolic meaning behind it. Homer writes about the history, symbolism, and the characters in The Odyssey. The Odyssey is about the Greek gods and heroes and their adventures (Makman). Odysseus is the main character, and he is going on a questRead MoreFeminism and the Power Struggle of Women in Ancient Greece Essay1350 Words   |  6 Pagespower struggle of women in Ancient Greece Women are a very prominent part of the Greek society. Their role has influenced and shaped the Greek society to a very large extent. Women have been shown in many different lights in the Greek works of Odyssey and Iliad which we have covered in our class. The works that I will be citing in this essay, namely Homer’s poems Odyssey and Iliad talk about many prominent women such as Helen of Troy, Penelope and also many other Goddesses. Homer’s poems talk aboutRead MoreEssay on Women In The Odyssey803 Words   |  4 Pagesera when the Odyssey was written was directed by men. Woman characters were valued but the only participated in affairs when they had the permission of men. The men, for the most part, directed the womens lives. The themes used in literature were on the subjects that men would be interested in; combat; warriors, and rulers. Domestic affairs, for the most part, were not noted. There is a immense contrast between the Odyssey and other epic poetry of the pe riod. There are several women characters inRead MoreThe Changing Roles of Women in Literature from Late 8th Century B.C. to 4th Century A.D.683 Words   |  3 PagesThe Changing Roles of Women in Literature from Late 8th Century B.C. to 4th Century A.D. The changing role of women in literature from the late 8th century B. C. to the 4th century A. D. is evident in that women become even more subservient in later works. This is portrayed in the works The Odyssey by Homer and Sakuntala by Kalidasa. Women are treated more like slaves in Sakuntala, while they are seen more like equals in The Odyssey. However, in Sakuntala, women are given more responsibilities