Essay On Women In The Odyssey

Throughout the Odyssey, written by Homer, women are portrayed much differently than they are in the present. Women today are independent and believe that they ar ebale to care and prortect themselves withput a man, and life can be fullfilled with no protection from a male. But, during the Greek times, women felt that they were required to have a man to provide them the necessary care and protection of a man. In the Odyssey, women are portrayed as desparate, weak, and less inteligent than men.
Women are portrayed as though they are very desparate though the Odyssey. During book 5, Odyssues was held captive on the island of Calypso, and Hermes arrives as a messenger of Zeus. “Upon her hearthstone, a great fire blaizing scented the farthest shores with cedar smoke and smoke of thyme.” Thsi shows that even though Calypso already has odysseus held captive, she attempts to impress all men that may arrive at her island. Also, during the tenth book, Circe finds odysseus’ men have arrived on her island. She turns the men into pigs, which forces odysseus to stay on the island and sleep with Circe for many nights. This further proves that women will go to desparate measures to have men in their lives. There are still cases of this that continue in the present day. Women who are “cleat
chasers” atttempt to look at their best by putting make up, dressing nice etc. Just like women did during the Greek times, they go to great lengths so that men will provide them care and protection.
Women are also portryaed as thopugh they are much much weaker than men are. The most obvious example of this is the fact that there are no women that are allowed to go to war and fight beside the men. Instead they stay in the home and provide chilld care and cleaning. Another exampke of this is while Odysseus is across seas fighting in the war, the sutors are attempting to stay and marry Penelope due to the unassured death of Odsseus. Penelope wishes that the mne would leave her home becasue she still has faith that odysseus is alive. But, Penelope had no choice of forcing the men to leave her home and await her choices. This portrays the superior stength of men over women. If men and women were equal in power, Penelope could’ve not only forced the sutors out of her home, but could’ve been fighting in the war along side Odyssues and Telemachus. This means that there wpuld’ve never been a reason for odusseus to return home and Telemachus could have been rasied with a positive father figure. Many questions are3 engendered about the story of odysseus if men and women are equal in power.
Thrpuighoput the story women are also portrayed as though they less inteligent than men. This portrayle of them is overall incorrect, as there are multiple times where women are out smarting men. This happens when Odysseus is forced into captivity with Circe after she turnes his men into pigs. Circe out smarts the men and finds a way to finds a loop hole that makes Odysseus stay with her, relating back to the despartion of women. Athena also out smarts the suitors when she realizes that Odysseus must be disguised from his family. She sees that he will be murdered by the suitors if he shows his face. Without this help, Odysseus would have been killed and all the time that Penelope and Telemachus would have been wasted. Penelope would have remarried and Telmachus would have never met his father. Since the Greek times, many things have changed in the sense of gender roles and perceptions.
While this is true, many things have stayed the same. Women are independent and belive that they can care and protect themsleves without a man, but many of the women today feel that they need the love and protection of a husband. In the present, Women are physically weaker in most cases, but men are required to respect that. And the inteligence of different genders is equally respected. Women no longer hold their ideas to themselves in fear of hate from men. In the Odyssey, women are portrayed as desparate for men, weaker than men, and less inteligent than men, but this is based on power over
women.