The American author Susan Faludi once said, “The system of heroism depends on women to be weak so men can be strong.” This quote fits many situations in The Odyssey by Homer, from gods to mortals, and through truths or lies. Odysseus and zeus’ actions and heroic moments are from the weakness and faults of women from physical strength to will power. One of the main examples is how the female gods give into the power and orders of male figures. To continue the weakness of will and strength of the women puts them in a situation that odysseus saves them from and makes right. To begin with, the weakness of will power and strength of Calypso and Circe allow for the men 's strength to shine through. Calypso’s lack of authority is prevalent when
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Zeus sent Hermes to demand Calypso let Odysseus go, Calypso is outraged that the gods would separate her from her love, and is irritated that the gods can sleep with whoever, but in the end she gives in. Hermes tell Calypso, “Now the command is: send him back in haste [...] [Calypso says] oh you vile gods, in jealous supernal! You hate it when we choose to lie with men in mortal flesh [...] [Calypso telling Odysseus] Here you need give no more, you need not feel you life consumed her, I have pondered it, and I shall help you go”(Homer. V. 118, 125-127, 169-171). This shows how Calypso gives into the wants of males and does not retaliate and Zeus saves Odysseus by appealing to Calypso 's weakness. This has a very commanding tone by Hermes but a child like, complaining mood from Calypso, it 's as though she is helpless and feels it is unfair and hypocritical but she has no say in it no matter what. In the end she does not only send Odysseus home, but sends him home with materials and provisions. Furthermore, Circe is powerless to Odysseus when he overpowers her and demands the restoration of his men. Circe turned Odysseus’ men into pigs and was going to drug Odysseus and bed him, but Hermes warned him of it, so Odysseus ate an herb that Hermes told him …show more content…
The maids that disobeyed Odysseus’ kingdom are going to be killed. Odysseus asks who betrayed him, and he kills the maids that bedded with the suitors to make the kingdom honest again, Eurycleia starts by saying “your female slaves trained by your lady and myself in service, wool carding and the rest of it, and taught to be submissive. Twelve went bad [...] [Telemachus says] I would not give a clean death of a beast to trulls who made a mockery of my mother and of me too-you sluts, who lay with suitors [...] so now in turn each woman thrusts her head into a noose and swung, yanked high in air, to perish there most piteously”(Homer. XXII. 471-474, 514-516, 523-525). The maids lacked the willpower to deny the suitors and tainted the kingdom in the eyes of Odysseus and he did what he thought would make it free of the suitors. The words they use such as “mockery” and “sluts” carries a very impacting tone that in turn leads to a very negative connotation of the women and what they did. They also very vividly describe their death when they say “thrusts her head” and “swung, yanked high in the air”, it is very brutal and gruesome where the suitors death was not described in this way. Furthermore, Penelope spends years being tormented by the suitors and helpless against them, nothing
Zeus sent Hermes to demand Calypso let Odysseus go, Calypso is outraged that the gods would separate her from her love, and is irritated that the gods can sleep with whoever, but in the end she gives in. Hermes tell Calypso, “Now the command is: send him back in haste [...] [Calypso says] oh you vile gods, in jealous supernal! You hate it when we choose to lie with men in mortal flesh [...] [Calypso telling Odysseus] Here you need give no more, you need not feel you life consumed her, I have pondered it, and I shall help you go”(Homer. V. 118, 125-127, 169-171). This shows how Calypso gives into the wants of males and does not retaliate and Zeus saves Odysseus by appealing to Calypso 's weakness. This has a very commanding tone by Hermes but a child like, complaining mood from Calypso, it 's as though she is helpless and feels it is unfair and hypocritical but she has no say in it no matter what. In the end she does not only send Odysseus home, but sends him home with materials and provisions. Furthermore, Circe is powerless to Odysseus when he overpowers her and demands the restoration of his men. Circe turned Odysseus’ men into pigs and was going to drug Odysseus and bed him, but Hermes warned him of it, so Odysseus ate an herb that Hermes told him …show more content…
The maids that disobeyed Odysseus’ kingdom are going to be killed. Odysseus asks who betrayed him, and he kills the maids that bedded with the suitors to make the kingdom honest again, Eurycleia starts by saying “your female slaves trained by your lady and myself in service, wool carding and the rest of it, and taught to be submissive. Twelve went bad [...] [Telemachus says] I would not give a clean death of a beast to trulls who made a mockery of my mother and of me too-you sluts, who lay with suitors [...] so now in turn each woman thrusts her head into a noose and swung, yanked high in air, to perish there most piteously”(Homer. XXII. 471-474, 514-516, 523-525). The maids lacked the willpower to deny the suitors and tainted the kingdom in the eyes of Odysseus and he did what he thought would make it free of the suitors. The words they use such as “mockery” and “sluts” carries a very impacting tone that in turn leads to a very negative connotation of the women and what they did. They also very vividly describe their death when they say “thrusts her head” and “swung, yanked high in the air”, it is very brutal and gruesome where the suitors death was not described in this way. Furthermore, Penelope spends years being tormented by the suitors and helpless against them, nothing