Wome in the Odyssey
In reading Homer's Odyssey, it is interesting to compare the roles of women as opposed to men, and to discover the differences between the two. By drawing conclusions from the text about the views of women held by the author, a bigger picture of the role of women in ancient Greek culture can be drawn. In The Odyssey we learn that women were placed on pedestals, as beautiful creatures, but were often subordinate to men, had little input and involvement in government, and often had to resort to deceit and trickery to get what they wanted. The glorification of the appearances of women is well illustrated by the way that Athena speaks of the esteem the people hold for Arete, when she speaks to Odysseus in Phaeacia. "No lady in the world, no other mistress of a man's household, is honored as our mistress is, and loved, by her own children, by Alcinous, and by the people. When she walks the town they murmur and gaze, as though she were a goddess. No grace or wisdom fails in her; indeed just men in quarrels come to her for equity" (Homer p.288). They think this highly of her, and yet, she is a subord
In The Odyssey, women do not even have jurisdiction over their own lives. Some examples of this include an arranged marriage, when Menelaus is having a wedding feast for his daughter, whom he had pledged to the heir of great Achilles, and the ultimatum issued by the suitors to Telemachus. "Dismiss your mother from the house, or make her marry the man her father names and she prefers"(Homer p.223). Menelaus’s daughter has no choice as to who she will marry, and Penelope's son has the ability to make his mother leave the house. By looking at The Odyssey and its portrayal of women, we can begin to get an idea as to how the ancient Greeks regarded their women. Men treated them almost as though they were possessions, and not people, and many times women had to resort to deceit to accomplish things.
Some topics in this essay:
Nausicaa Zeus,
Telemachus Dismiss,
Homer's Odyssey,
Odysseus Phaeacia,
Penelope Wise,
Odysseus Arete,
Lady Homer,
women odyssey,
Alcinous Arete,
women odysseus,
,
resort deceit,
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Approximate Word count = 747
Approximate Pages = 3 (250 words per page double spaced)
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