• Home Page
  • Odysseus Powerful Women In Homer's The Odyssey

Odysseus Powerful Women In Homer's The Odyssey

Improved Essays
Show More
Intro: Odysseus got home because of his own bravery without the help of anybody else.Without all of the women in The Odyssey, Odysseus would have never been able to get back to Ithaca. In the epic poem The Odyssey, Homer portrays Odysseus as very god-like and an amazing hero who always is willing to help others. Homer describes the women as being very seductive and deceitful. But Homer also provides evidence that the women set up traps to test and help him. Homer states that Penelope and Circe are equally powerful as Odysseus himself. Without the women in this story, Odysseus would not have been able to get back home to Ithaca. The powerful women in this story greatly affect the course and outcome of Odysseus’s journey.

Penelope shows the

Related Documents

  • Improved Essays

    Telemachus Journey In The Odyssey
    • 579 Words
    • 3 Pages

    Telemachus Journey In The Odyssey

    In the epic poem ,the Odyssey, by Homer relates Odysseus’ heroic journey to his home in Ithaca after the defeat of Troy. His prideful boasting about the victory has the god, Poseidon, pitted against his voyage home, and in Odysseus’ absence, suitors take over his home and threaten his wife, Penélopê, and his son, Telémakhos. In her attempts to bring Odysseus home, Athena urges Telémakhos to begin his own travels in search of his father. During Odysseus’ trial to return to Ithika appearance reveals itself in diffrent ways to aid Odysseus and Telemachus.…

    • 579 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Improved Essays
    Read More
  • Improved Essays

    Roles Of Women In Homer's Odyssey
    • 339 Words
    • 2 Pages

    Roles Of Women In Homer's Odyssey

    Another example of a temptress woman is Calypso, a woman whom Odysseus was portrayed as a prisoner for seven years and pleas with him to stay with her if she were to make him immortal. This would be until the all-powerful Zeus would send a messenger to have Calypso release him to go home “Go tell that ringleted nymph it is my will to let that patient man Odysseus go home” (page 385). This example shows the power a woman has with her seductiveness to hold a man for seven years and also displays where a woman falls in this portrayed hierarchy when Zeus (a male God) demands the return and she must comply. There are many other women Homer brings into the tale of “Odyssey”, but the most powerful and constant one is Penelope (Odysseus wife). Penelope plays two roles, both a temptress to her suitors and a faithful wife to her husband regardless of his many infidelities (two set of rules for men and women).…

    • 339 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Improved Essays
    Read More
  • Improved Essays

    Examples Of Deadly Flaws In The Odyssey
    • 1852 Words
    • 8 Pages

    Examples Of Deadly Flaws In The Odyssey

    In The Odyssey, Odysseus, the king of Ithaca, and his battle-hardened crew face many challenges and perils, all while Penelope has problems to deal with herself. Penelope is crowded by power hungry suitors who…

    • 1852 Words
    • 8 Pages
    Improved Essays
    Read More
  • Decent Essays

    Roles Of Women In The Odyssey
    • 188 Words
    • 1 Pages

    Roles Of Women In The Odyssey

    In this chapter, Foley describes the ideas that other ancient Greek has about woman and how wrong those ideas were. He continues explaining that back in ancient Greek, people used to believe that men will always be superior to woman, and that the only role the woman had to fulfill was to take care of the men. Now he contrast those ideas with the role of women in The Odyssey; a clear example he gives is Circe and Calypso. Both of those goddess manage to control Odysseus while he was in their land. Odysseus was attracted by a unique virtue that only woman can have, beauty; it did not matter how strong or how smart Odysseus was, at the end he was captivated by the glorious looking those goddesses had.…

    • 188 Words
    • 1 Pages
    Decent Essays
    Read More
  • Improved Essays

    Odysseus Hero Analysis
    • 757 Words
    • 4 Pages

    Odysseus Hero Analysis

    When reading The Odyssey, most think of the main character, Odysseus, as a true and epic hero on his adventures. In reality, Odysseus is not as much of a hero as his made out to be. His decisions are cowardly and unwise of him to make. The Greek gods do most of the work during his venture to Ithaca. Plus, Odysseus’ motives are almost entirely for his own self gain.…

    • 757 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Improved Essays
    Read More
  • Decent Essays

    The Role Of Penelope In The Odyssey
    • 156 Words
    • 1 Pages

    The Role Of Penelope In The Odyssey

    Women in the Odyssey can be characterized as merely an object or a stepping stone for Odysseus to return to Ithaca. However, Odysseus's wife, Penelope contributes much more to the protagonist's character. Penelope is her own individual. Unlike common women in Ancient Greece, she is not defined by a man. Additionally, unfortunate circumstances have led Penelope to have a more doubtful and pessimistic view of life.…

    • 156 Words
    • 1 Pages
    Decent Essays
    Read More
  • Improved Essays

    Arrogance Quotes In Odysseus
    • 1104 Words
    • 5 Pages

    Arrogance Quotes In Odysseus

    Have you ever spent nearly 20 years trying to reach one goal? Have you’ve heard the great story of The Odyssey by Homer? This is a heroic story of a man and his determination to return to his homeland and to his family. Odysseus, the heroic man, that endures different obstacles that are in his way in order to return home to the life he once had. Throughout his journey, Odysseus loses friends and encounters Greek gods.…

    • 1104 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Improved Essays
    Read More
  • Improved Essays

    Essay On The Hero's Journey In The Odyssey
    • 867 Words
    • 4 Pages

    Essay On The Hero's Journey In The Odyssey

    In “The Odyssey by Homer, Odysseus, King of Ithaca, goes through several obstacles on his journey home after a long fight in the Trojan War. The “Hero's Journey” by Jason Campbell represents an outline of what Odysseus must go through to deem himself a king and hero. Through the epic, readers learn how important each stage of the Hero's Journey is to Odysseus and his need to become a hero. There are three main events Odysseus goes through to meet requirements of the “Hero's Journey.” These requirements are: Entering the Unknown, Allies/Helpers, and he is put through Tests and Supreme Ordeal.…

    • 867 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Improved Essays
    Read More
  • Improved Essays

    Role Of Women In The Odyssey
    • 1286 Words
    • 5 Pages

    Role Of Women In The Odyssey

    Throughout The Odyssey, Homer enlightens us in the tribulations Odysseus faces as he fights to return home to his loving wife and son. He uses his mind and cunning abilities to outwit the creatures he encounters along the way. As we follow his travels, he faces many different types of women. Including Athena-the protector, Penelope-the loving wife, and Calypso-the devastatingly beautiful goddess-nymph.. These women are all so different, yet all so alike as well.…

    • 1286 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Improved Essays
    Read More
  • Superior Essays

    Selfishness In Odysseus In Homer's Odyssey
    • 1566 Words
    • 7 Pages

    Selfishness In Odysseus In Homer's Odyssey

    Odysseus says, “’I wanted to see [the Cyclops] and claim the stranger’s gift… So we lit a fire and made our thank-offering, and helped ourselves to as many cheeses as we wanted to eat; then we sat inside till he should come back with his flocks’” (111). Odysseus is impulsive and does not think before he acts. He is very selfish and only wants to see what glory the Cyclops gives him. He expects everyone to bow down to him, let alone know who he is, contrasting Odysseus when he fights the suitors at the end of the story and receives glory from his city. When Polyphemus, the Cyclops who happens to be Poseidon’s son, returns home, he traps Odysseus and his crew in his cave.…

    • 1566 Words
    • 7 Pages
    Superior Essays
    Read More
  • Improved Essays

    Odysseus's Misfortune For The Eye Of The Odyssey
    • 631 Words
    • 3 Pages

    Odysseus's Misfortune For The Eye Of The Odyssey

    The characters understand that their lives depend on the mercy of the gods. In the Odyssey the gods played a vital role to the plot of the story. Throughout Odysseus’s amazing travels, it’s the hope of seeing Penelope and his son Telemachus that often brings him the courage and strength to succeed. Without the help of Athena, and her wisdom and devotion to Odysseus, his challenges would be far more extreme. Although some gods were against Odysseus, many were in favor of him and his return home.…

    • 631 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Improved Essays
    Read More
  • Improved Essays

    Misogyny In The Odyssey Essay
    • 892 Words
    • 4 Pages

    Misogyny In The Odyssey Essay

    If his wife had pulled that, she probably would not be alive. Odysseus’s actions are hypocritical because Penelope herself represents the idea of “home.” Throughout his grand journey, the only goal is to return home, which is presented as the whole city and house and wife and son. Penelope is really the only important guiding factor to Odysseus—even while cheating with Circe he speaks of his love for his wife. The journey traveled in The Odyssey is both physical and mental, somehow strengthening the relationship between Odysseus and Penelope.…

    • 892 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Improved Essays
    Read More
  • Superior Essays

    Odysseus Homecoming In The Epic Poem, The Odyssey
    • 1244 Words
    • 5 Pages

    Odysseus Homecoming In The Epic Poem, The Odyssey

    The epic poem, The Odyssey, is written by Homer in 800 B.C.E., and is full of adventure, including ships lost at sea, terrible monsters and gods who take out their revenge on mortals, and even a hero named Odysseus who after twenty long years eventually makes it back home to Ithaca. But really, Odysseus’ homecoming is what The Odyssey is all about. Time and time again, Odysseus desires to return to Ithaca, the land of his heritage, and he longs to return to his wife, Penelope, and his son, Telemachus. Everything that happens in The Odyssey revolves around this desire, including his mistakes. His cunning, strength, and even divine intervention eventually bring Odysseus home again.…

    • 1244 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Superior Essays
    Read More
  • Improved Essays

    The Virtues Of Odysseus In Homer's The Odyssey
    • 788 Words
    • 4 Pages

    The Virtues Of Odysseus In Homer's The Odyssey

    In Homer’s “The Odyssey”, Odysseus goes through a twenty year struggle to return back home to Ithaca. Poseidon delayed Odysseus’ homeward return from the Trojan War. Through his long journey to return to his home, his people, and Penelope and Telemachus. Odysseus reveals many virtues and vices, that he struggles with. His men also struggle with vices, which at the end costs them their lives.…

    • 788 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Improved Essays
    Read More
  • Improved Essays

    Differences Between Homer And Hesiod And Homer's Theogony
    • 984 Words
    • 4 Pages

    Differences Between Homer And Hesiod And Homer's Theogony

    He also believes that women are nuisances to society and are only useful if they are in some way benefiting a man. Most of the women in the Odyssey are painted as either manipulative, untruthful, or unfaithful. By the end of his journey, Odysseus is under the impression that he should not even trust his wife Penelope even though she is the epitome of a perfect woman. The overall theme conveyed by Homer is that women are more trouble than they are worth, which is demonstrated continuously throughout the…

    • 984 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Improved Essays
    Read More

Related Topics

Ready To Get Started?
Discover
Company
Follow
©2024 Cram.com
Privacy Policy |  About Ads |  Site Map |  Advertise  | 
  • Cookie Settings