“The Odyssey” Essay
Do women get enough respect? Are they more frequently treated like objects, or are they given freedom? In an epic poem titled “The Odyssey”, the protagonist Odysseus is struggling to travel home, and through this story we are able to be shown the intricate and important roles of women, and how they were treated. During “The Odyssey”, although many women guided and made an impact on Odysseus, women and the traits of women were portrayed negatively because many of them had possessive, rude, and powerful traits, and because in the greek culture, a women’s place in society was to be treated like an object.
The first reason why women often were portrayed negatively in “The Odyssey” is because they were mostly described as possessive, …show more content…
After Odysseus comes home at the end of the story, and Penelope sees Odysseus, she doesn’t run to him and embrace him because she wants to make sure it is him. Her son, Telemachus, doesn’t understand this and accuses his mother, saying, “Mother, cruel mother, do you feel nothing, drawing yourself apart this way from father?...What other women could remain so cold? Whos shuns her lord, and he come back to her from wars and wanderings after twenty years? Your heart is as hard as flint and never changes!”(pg. 30). Women had very high expectations, and were not given the respect that they are given now. The reputation of women became so neglected that it was acceptable for children to accuse their mothers. Her son mentions her being cold hearted and cruel, when really, he just didn’t know the whole story. In “The Odyssey, Penelope proves to her suitors and her whole household that women can be clever, too. “...let me finish my weaving before I marry...so every day, I wove on the great loom, but every night by torchlight I unwove it; and so for three years I deceived the Achaeans. But when the seasons brought a fourth year on, they caught me…”(pg. 27). Another example of women being portrayed negatively is how much they lived under the men’s shadow. Yes, there were many great, heroic men that changed many people’s lives and used strategy and wit, but how often were the women recognized for their skill and cunningness? Not much. In this excerpt, Penelope is amazingly able to prove how strong a will of a women can be. She was steadfast in her belief that if she waited faithfully, her beloved Odysseus would come home. And she showed her skill by not just sitting and waiting, but coming up with a plan to delay the suitors until Odysseus got back. Not only do the big things suggest that women are treated unfairly
Do women get enough respect? Are they more frequently treated like objects, or are they given freedom? In an epic poem titled “The Odyssey”, the protagonist Odysseus is struggling to travel home, and through this story we are able to be shown the intricate and important roles of women, and how they were treated. During “The Odyssey”, although many women guided and made an impact on Odysseus, women and the traits of women were portrayed negatively because many of them had possessive, rude, and powerful traits, and because in the greek culture, a women’s place in society was to be treated like an object.
The first reason why women often were portrayed negatively in “The Odyssey” is because they were mostly described as possessive, …show more content…
After Odysseus comes home at the end of the story, and Penelope sees Odysseus, she doesn’t run to him and embrace him because she wants to make sure it is him. Her son, Telemachus, doesn’t understand this and accuses his mother, saying, “Mother, cruel mother, do you feel nothing, drawing yourself apart this way from father?...What other women could remain so cold? Whos shuns her lord, and he come back to her from wars and wanderings after twenty years? Your heart is as hard as flint and never changes!”(pg. 30). Women had very high expectations, and were not given the respect that they are given now. The reputation of women became so neglected that it was acceptable for children to accuse their mothers. Her son mentions her being cold hearted and cruel, when really, he just didn’t know the whole story. In “The Odyssey, Penelope proves to her suitors and her whole household that women can be clever, too. “...let me finish my weaving before I marry...so every day, I wove on the great loom, but every night by torchlight I unwove it; and so for three years I deceived the Achaeans. But when the seasons brought a fourth year on, they caught me…”(pg. 27). Another example of women being portrayed negatively is how much they lived under the men’s shadow. Yes, there were many great, heroic men that changed many people’s lives and used strategy and wit, but how often were the women recognized for their skill and cunningness? Not much. In this excerpt, Penelope is amazingly able to prove how strong a will of a women can be. She was steadfast in her belief that if she waited faithfully, her beloved Odysseus would come home. And she showed her skill by not just sitting and waiting, but coming up with a plan to delay the suitors until Odysseus got back. Not only do the big things suggest that women are treated unfairly