In a patriarchal society, women often have to use other ways than force and brawn to achieve power. In The Odyssey, by Homer which takes place in patriarchal Ancient Greece, the female characters are faced with the same problem. Odysseus’s crew is a group made up of many strong men, but Circe still challenges their power by using her sexuality to lure Odysseus and his crew into her caves. Athena, although less powerful than Poseidon, still counters his attacks on Odysseus in order to save Odysseus’s life. Another example are the suitors, a group of about one hundred men that could never be challenged by a single person’s strength, yet Penelope uses tricks to fend off the many suitors and manipulate them to get what she wants. Although men
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Odysseus sent twenty of his men to explore Circe’s island, and Circe lured them into her caverns by “singing, lifting/ her spellbinding voice as she glided back and forth/ at her great immortal loom, her enchanting web” Diction such as her “spellbinding voice,” “immortal loom,” and “enchanting web” all demonstrate how she begins to use her sexuality to lure Odysseus crew in (X.242). Circe then tricked them all, sneaking her magic potion in their food and turning them into pigs. Odysseus then went to try and save his crew and on the way got an antidote and instructions to save his crew from Hermes. With the help of a god, Odysseus manages to avoid the spell that would turn him into a swine, and overthrow Circe’s power, saying that Circe “screamed, slid under my blade, hugged my knees/ with a flood of warm tears”(X.357). Powerless under Odysseus’s sword, Circe has to think of a new way to regain power. Odysseus seems to be in control of the situation, but Circe uses her sexuality to save herself and gain control, saying “Come, sheathe your sword, let’s go to bed together,/ mount my bed and mix in the magic work of love”(X.370). Sheathing his sword, literally and figuratively, would be giving up power to Circe, but Circe is hoping that Odysseus will do it for sex. Doing this demonstrates how Circe uses her sexuality to obtain power from …show more content…
After blinding Poseidon’s son Polyphemus, Poseidon makes it his duty to do everything he can to keep Odysseus from journeying home. Since “not even the gods/ can defend a man… from that day/ when fate takes hold and lays him out at last”, Athena must come up with other ways to help save Odysseus from Poseidon, a more powerful god, on his journey(III.269). On his way back from Ethiopia, Poseidon sees Odysseus and tries to kill him, “churning the waves into chaos, whipping/ all the gales from every quarter, shrouding over in thunderheads/ the earth and sea at once” (V.322). Athena then “countered him at once”, stopping the winds. Athena’s assistance demonstrates how Athena rises up to Poseidon’s power by fighting for Odysseus. In the calm, one more huge wave was sent to destroy him, which “swept him toward the rocky coast/ where he’d have been flayed alive, his bones crushed/ if the bright eyed goddess Pallas had not inspired him now”(V.469). Odysseus had noticed Athena saved him earlier from Poseidon which gave him the urge to survive, Athena saved Odysseus’s
Odysseus sent twenty of his men to explore Circe’s island, and Circe lured them into her caverns by “singing, lifting/ her spellbinding voice as she glided back and forth/ at her great immortal loom, her enchanting web” Diction such as her “spellbinding voice,” “immortal loom,” and “enchanting web” all demonstrate how she begins to use her sexuality to lure Odysseus crew in (X.242). Circe then tricked them all, sneaking her magic potion in their food and turning them into pigs. Odysseus then went to try and save his crew and on the way got an antidote and instructions to save his crew from Hermes. With the help of a god, Odysseus manages to avoid the spell that would turn him into a swine, and overthrow Circe’s power, saying that Circe “screamed, slid under my blade, hugged my knees/ with a flood of warm tears”(X.357). Powerless under Odysseus’s sword, Circe has to think of a new way to regain power. Odysseus seems to be in control of the situation, but Circe uses her sexuality to save herself and gain control, saying “Come, sheathe your sword, let’s go to bed together,/ mount my bed and mix in the magic work of love”(X.370). Sheathing his sword, literally and figuratively, would be giving up power to Circe, but Circe is hoping that Odysseus will do it for sex. Doing this demonstrates how Circe uses her sexuality to obtain power from …show more content…
After blinding Poseidon’s son Polyphemus, Poseidon makes it his duty to do everything he can to keep Odysseus from journeying home. Since “not even the gods/ can defend a man… from that day/ when fate takes hold and lays him out at last”, Athena must come up with other ways to help save Odysseus from Poseidon, a more powerful god, on his journey(III.269). On his way back from Ethiopia, Poseidon sees Odysseus and tries to kill him, “churning the waves into chaos, whipping/ all the gales from every quarter, shrouding over in thunderheads/ the earth and sea at once” (V.322). Athena then “countered him at once”, stopping the winds. Athena’s assistance demonstrates how Athena rises up to Poseidon’s power by fighting for Odysseus. In the calm, one more huge wave was sent to destroy him, which “swept him toward the rocky coast/ where he’d have been flayed alive, his bones crushed/ if the bright eyed goddess Pallas had not inspired him now”(V.469). Odysseus had noticed Athena saved him earlier from Poseidon which gave him the urge to survive, Athena saved Odysseus’s