The role Women was very essential for the momentum of the plot of Homer’s Odyssey. There were several female personas, like Calypso, Cerci, Penelope and Athena, in Odyssey. Some became an obstruction in the Odysseus’s return journey and some facilitated his return journey. On one hand, Calypso and Cerci serve as obstacles to Odysseus's quest to return home. On the other, Athena and Penelope facilitate the return journey.
While coming back home from Troy, Odysseus lands on the island of Ogygia. On this island he meets Calypso who is daughter of the Titan god Atlas and Tethys. Calypso is impressed by Odysseus’ rugged good looks and noble character. Due to these qualities she falls in love with him. She then develops a desire to make him stay …show more content…
In the way he faces many problems and overcomes them, but eventually reaches Cerci’s Island. Cerci is the sister of “murderous minded Aeetes” (10.151). She is also one of the women who hold him back from going home. Cerci had the knowledge of potions and herbs. By using the potions she transforms men into animals. Enthralled by Cerci’s voice, men go in Cerci’s cave and Eurylochus stays out. The men drink the “wicked drugs” (book 10, p 237, 259) offered by Cerci, turn into swine and forget about going back. As Odysseus’ men reach Cerci’s cave, she offers them food, a pottage of cheese and meal, sweetened with honey and laced with wine, laced with one of her magical potions. Odysseus could not leave without his men, so he decides to go to Cerci when Eurylochus informed him that his men turned into swine. On his way there, Odysseus meets Hermes. Hermes told Odysseus to use the holy herb moly to protect himself from Circe's potion and then to draw his sword and act as if he were to attack Circe. Hermes also cautioned Odysseus that from there she would ask him to go to bed, but he should not trust her and ask her to take oath and free his men. The fact that Hermes tells Odysseus to make Cerci take oath shows that she was not a reliable woman. Odysseus followed Hermes' advice and freed his men. Cerci succeeds in holding Odysseus by turning all his men into swine as he would not leave without his men. She further succeeds when Odysseus …show more content…
Athena, the goddess of wisdom, helps Odysseus whenever he is in danger. Athena has a soft spot for Odysseus because she thinks he is like her, brave. It is due to her that Odysseus was able to escape Calypso. If she didn’t have convinced Zeus, Odysseus would have probably lived there forever. When Poseidon sends a storm to delay Odysseus on his raft, Athena calms the winds and drifts Odysseus towards Scheria where he will find help from the Phaeacian people. She appears in dream of Nausicaa and asks her to go the river to wash her clothes. Hence, Naussicaa falls in love with him and tells the way to approach the queen. Athena then disguises herself as a little Phaeacian girl who advises him to entreaty Queen Arete for help. These were a few ways in which Athena helps Odysseus to tackle all the problems that he faces during his return journey. Moreover, even when Odysseus gets backs, she helps though various strategies to kill the suitors.
One can argue that the most powerful woman in the Odyssey is Penelope, Odysseus's wife whom he hasn't seen for twenty years. Throughout his stays with Calypso and Circe, Odysseus has never lost sight of his goal of returning to Penelope and his son, Telemachus, and it is Penelope's image that repeatedly draws him back to his original goal, which is to return to Ithaca and re-establish his life as husband, father, and king. Throughout the narrative, she remains faithful
While coming back home from Troy, Odysseus lands on the island of Ogygia. On this island he meets Calypso who is daughter of the Titan god Atlas and Tethys. Calypso is impressed by Odysseus’ rugged good looks and noble character. Due to these qualities she falls in love with him. She then develops a desire to make him stay …show more content…
In the way he faces many problems and overcomes them, but eventually reaches Cerci’s Island. Cerci is the sister of “murderous minded Aeetes” (10.151). She is also one of the women who hold him back from going home. Cerci had the knowledge of potions and herbs. By using the potions she transforms men into animals. Enthralled by Cerci’s voice, men go in Cerci’s cave and Eurylochus stays out. The men drink the “wicked drugs” (book 10, p 237, 259) offered by Cerci, turn into swine and forget about going back. As Odysseus’ men reach Cerci’s cave, she offers them food, a pottage of cheese and meal, sweetened with honey and laced with wine, laced with one of her magical potions. Odysseus could not leave without his men, so he decides to go to Cerci when Eurylochus informed him that his men turned into swine. On his way there, Odysseus meets Hermes. Hermes told Odysseus to use the holy herb moly to protect himself from Circe's potion and then to draw his sword and act as if he were to attack Circe. Hermes also cautioned Odysseus that from there she would ask him to go to bed, but he should not trust her and ask her to take oath and free his men. The fact that Hermes tells Odysseus to make Cerci take oath shows that she was not a reliable woman. Odysseus followed Hermes' advice and freed his men. Cerci succeeds in holding Odysseus by turning all his men into swine as he would not leave without his men. She further succeeds when Odysseus …show more content…
Athena, the goddess of wisdom, helps Odysseus whenever he is in danger. Athena has a soft spot for Odysseus because she thinks he is like her, brave. It is due to her that Odysseus was able to escape Calypso. If she didn’t have convinced Zeus, Odysseus would have probably lived there forever. When Poseidon sends a storm to delay Odysseus on his raft, Athena calms the winds and drifts Odysseus towards Scheria where he will find help from the Phaeacian people. She appears in dream of Nausicaa and asks her to go the river to wash her clothes. Hence, Naussicaa falls in love with him and tells the way to approach the queen. Athena then disguises herself as a little Phaeacian girl who advises him to entreaty Queen Arete for help. These were a few ways in which Athena helps Odysseus to tackle all the problems that he faces during his return journey. Moreover, even when Odysseus gets backs, she helps though various strategies to kill the suitors.
One can argue that the most powerful woman in the Odyssey is Penelope, Odysseus's wife whom he hasn't seen for twenty years. Throughout his stays with Calypso and Circe, Odysseus has never lost sight of his goal of returning to Penelope and his son, Telemachus, and it is Penelope's image that repeatedly draws him back to his original goal, which is to return to Ithaca and re-establish his life as husband, father, and king. Throughout the narrative, she remains faithful