The Odyssey: The Power Of Sexuality In The Odyssey

In the Odyssey women are normally seemed to be not as strong and hold significantly less power than their male counterparts. In essence it is historically proven that the males are the controllers and the females are in contrast, the controlled but one cannot simply forget that women are known to have exponential influences on the men around them. With that being said female sexuality seems to be dangerous and even fearful toward men which is why I feel like this is why Homer uses this “talent” that women have with their sexuality and multiples it within the story of the Odyssey in which he turns these influential powers and characteristics into goddesses. One can argue that men have this fear inside of them that they cannot control and this …show more content…
Calypso was an extremely sexual and very powerful person. She was so powerful that she was ultimately able to control Odysseus and make him weep. This is direct evidence that women can use sexuality as a control device. When women were allowed to express their sexuality however they felt necessary, they had the power to make men act different than they normally would and definitely act out of character. Penelope is a great example of this; she would simply flaunt her body around which created a huge disturbance for men which made them lash out and act much differently than they normally would. Throughout the entire epic it was not her fault that the suitors were acting the way they were but she was definitely indirectly responsible. One of the only reason that the men were there and acting so rowdy was because of her. This was a form of immense control in an era where men were the controllers and when women were the controllers it was definitely going against the social norm in Homeric society. One reason women are portrayed in a bad light is because of the fear men have for these powerful women. By not praising them as much there is arguably less intimidation that the men have to face. But at the same time, women in Homeric society were supposed to remain “pure” for their husbands. Women of any prestige or worth were to remain virtuous. Since men were always the takers during this time, it basically didn’t matter how many women they had been with because they were the receivers of the gift, not the woman. The main reason why Odysseus is allowed to be so sexually “free” during his long journey home is because of the thought up nature of men during this time period. Men have always been considered conquerors and due to this they are judged in terms of their wealth and power. With more money, land, war victories, and even women that a man has the more of “man” that they are, which is