Essay about The Women of Homer’s Odyssey - 1336 Words

The Women of Homer’s Odyssey Homer’s Odyssey, by, is typically seen as a male dominated poem: the hero is male and the majority of the characters are male. We follow the men on their attempt to return to Ithaca. However, even though women are not the main characters, they are omnipresent through much of the story. Women play a very important role in the movement of the story line: they all want to marry, help or hurt Odysseus. During the course of his journey, Odysseus meets three different women who want him to be their husband: Circe, Calypso, Nausicca, and finally one woman who is his true wife: Penelope. Each of these women has a profound effect on Odysseus journey home. Yet, even though these women are much more powerful†¦show more content†¦She is not depicted as an ordinary Greek female. She is described in Book 10 in this way: the nymph with lovely braids, . . .lifting her spellbinding voice as she glided back and forth at her great immortal loom (Homer 10: 241-245). She has many characteristics, which are praised in classical Greek society such as beauty, a wonderful voice, and talent at weaving. Yet, Circe is far from the ideal Greek woman who keeps her house and is relatively innocent of the ways of the world. She is far from innocent and tries to seduce Odysseus saying: Come, sheath your sword, lets go to bed together, mount my bed and mix in the magic work of love-well breed deep trust between us. This lengthy description is rather interesting considering Circe is female and females were not even spoken of by name at the time of their marriage (Kebric 140), however, she also has a profound effect on the outcome of the story. Odysseus having been persuaded to share Circes bed at her oath that she not harm him (Homer 0: 383-386) stays on her island for a year while Penelopes suitors ravage his house in Ithaca. It is also Circe who tells Odysseus he must descend to the underworld rather than sailing straight back to Ithaca. The next female who attempts to seduce and keep Odysseus on her island is the nymph Calypso. Again this woman is no ordinaryShow 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 women 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? 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