Portrayal Of Women In The Odyssey

Homer portrays different women in different ways depending on who the women were during ancient Greece. Women along the lines of maids and the old, faithful, nurse of Odysseus, Eurycleia, are often talked down upon and that their opinions do not matter much. Women of higher ranking such as princesses and queens like Penelope and Arete, Queen of the Phaeacians depicts a spitting image of having respect as well as portrayed as objects to win over instead of people. Homer delineates women such as Athena, god of war and wisdom, Calypso, a nymph, and Circe, an enchantress, as having more power than mortal men due to them being immortal. Throughout the book Odysseus journeys on his way home back to Ithaca but encounters many conflicts and dangers …show more content…
Homer’s portrayal of women varies due to the status of the women. In the case of goddesses and female immortal beings, he portrays them as strong and powerful women who mortal men look up to and do not question. Homer portrays Athena, goddess of war and wisdom, as powerful no matter what form she comes in throughout The Odyssey. Athena comes to aid Telemachus and Odysseus while they both journey around the world, once both, Telemachus and Odysseus arrive in public the townspeople do not believe Odysseus is truly Odysseus, Athena calms down the townspeople and “on this pale fear [everyone quiets down] they [become] so frightened that their arms [dropped] from their hands and [fall] upon the ground at the sound of the goddess’ voice, and they [leave] back to the city for their lives” (Homer 250). In spite of that fact that the townspeople are extremely mad about the deaths of their brothers and sons, once Athena uses her voice the crowd becomes silent and leaves in a hurry due …show more content…
Higher ranked women such as Queen Penelope demands the utmost respect while the suitors do everything they can within their power trying to win her over and become King of Ithaca. Penelope decides to talk to the suitors and tries to get presents out of them, one of the suitors speaks up telling Penelope to “take as many presents as [she pleases] from anyone who will give them to [her]; it is not well to refuse a present; but [the suitors] will not go about [their] business nor stir from where [they] are, til [Penelope will marry] the best man among [the suitors] whoever that may be” (Homer 192). Antinous shows respect to Penelope by saying that she can take a gift from anyone who gives her one but shows trying to win her over by refusing to leave until one of the one hundred and seventeen suitors marries Queen Penelope. Them refusing to leave shows that the suitors view her as an item to win over, they go against one another to compete for her hand. The suitors do not compete against one another for fun and games but rather for becoming the best man out of all of those men in the Kingdom at the time until Odysseus arrives. Acting as though a woman is a prize to win over is seen very clearly when many men fight over a lady of higher ranking whether the woman wants any of the men or not. None of the suitors