In Homer’s Odyssey, Odysseus has several interactions with women on his journey back to Ithaca. No two women have the same exchange with Odysseus, but they all demonstrate different variations of the masculine-feminine relationship. Instead of the traditional masculine-feminine relationship, some women give Odysseus help instead, some don’t rely on depend on him entirely, but some however, swoon for him and give him her aid because of it. There is a strong masculine-feminine balance in the Odyssey, where the women are able to survive without depending on a man. The women all show individual versions of strength and all have contrasting relationships with Odysseus throughout his journey.
Penelope is one of the strongest feminine characters …show more content…
Although not a prevalent character, Nausicaa assists Odysseus by giving him crucial advice on his journey although she does originally swoon for him. While many of the other women in the Odyssey don’t fall for Odysseus and show different forms of the masculine-feminine balance, Nausicaa shows a more traditional version. When she first sees him after bathing in the river, she compares him to a god. This attraction she feels towards him plays a critical role in why she helps him to be welcomed by her people. When Nausicaa and her maids first see Odysseus, the girls turn and flee, but after Nausicaa tells them that “running away at the sight of a man” (Homer 6. 204) is foolish, they lend him their help. Odysseus finishes bathing in the river, and he approaches the girls who are awestruck by his beauty. Nausicaa likens him to “one of the gods in the sky” (Homer 6. 250) and wishes a man like him would be her husband. After this, she gives Odysseus advice on how to be accepted by the Phaeacians, a typically xenophobic people, and helps get into the palace. Without Nausicaa’s help, Odysseus wouldn’t have gotten the Phaeacian ships to take him home and he wouldn’t have been able to return to Ithaca. Although Nausicaa’s version of the masculine-feminine balance is different than some of the other women in the Odyssey, she is essential to Odysseus completing his
Penelope is one of the strongest feminine characters …show more content…
Although not a prevalent character, Nausicaa assists Odysseus by giving him crucial advice on his journey although she does originally swoon for him. While many of the other women in the Odyssey don’t fall for Odysseus and show different forms of the masculine-feminine balance, Nausicaa shows a more traditional version. When she first sees him after bathing in the river, she compares him to a god. This attraction she feels towards him plays a critical role in why she helps him to be welcomed by her people. When Nausicaa and her maids first see Odysseus, the girls turn and flee, but after Nausicaa tells them that “running away at the sight of a man” (Homer 6. 204) is foolish, they lend him their help. Odysseus finishes bathing in the river, and he approaches the girls who are awestruck by his beauty. Nausicaa likens him to “one of the gods in the sky” (Homer 6. 250) and wishes a man like him would be her husband. After this, she gives Odysseus advice on how to be accepted by the Phaeacians, a typically xenophobic people, and helps get into the palace. Without Nausicaa’s help, Odysseus wouldn’t have gotten the Phaeacian ships to take him home and he wouldn’t have been able to return to Ithaca. Although Nausicaa’s version of the masculine-feminine balance is different than some of the other women in the Odyssey, she is essential to Odysseus completing his