In ancient Greek society, the roles of women play a key role. Women were supposed to be loyal and respected, but the men were not held to the same standards. The men could have as many concubines and mistresses as they wanted, but the women had to remain loyal to their husbands. There has been a long history of women being disloyal while their husbands have been at war. The different types of women presented to the readers throughout the poem all add to the different aspects of societal women in Greece. Homer uses the women Odysseus encounters and many more mortal and immortal women to reflect on the significant roles women played in ancient Greek society in his famous epic, The Odyssey. The first influential woman that is learned about in
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She was an example of a stereotypical woman whose husband had gone to fight in the Trojan war. She had an affair with the suitor and allows him to persuade her into helping him kill her husband when he returns. Before Agamemnon returned, Zeus sent a messenger to warn Aegisthus about his plan to kill Agamemnon. Agamemnon eventually comes home from the war. When he arrives, he is unsuspecting of what is awaiting him at home. He also finds out that his loving wife has changed so much since he left for the war. Hermes’ first warning told Aegisthus to not “murder the man [or] court his wife” (1.47). Clytemnestra and Aegisthus succeed in killing Agamemnon, only to pay the ultimate price. These exact events perfectly mimic Hermes’ warning to Aegisthus that “revenge will come from Orestes” (1.48). This story is brought up a lot throughout the poem because it relates to many women in The Odyssey, including Penelope. There is a chance that Penelope will marry one of the suitors to keep power over the kingdom of Ithaca. If Penelope is not loyal, Odysseus is put in the same position as Agamemnon and she will be known as a typical woman in Greek society, disloyal. Odysseus could come home and walk straight into the trap of one of the suitors. This also means that Telemachus would be put in
She was an example of a stereotypical woman whose husband had gone to fight in the Trojan war. She had an affair with the suitor and allows him to persuade her into helping him kill her husband when he returns. Before Agamemnon returned, Zeus sent a messenger to warn Aegisthus about his plan to kill Agamemnon. Agamemnon eventually comes home from the war. When he arrives, he is unsuspecting of what is awaiting him at home. He also finds out that his loving wife has changed so much since he left for the war. Hermes’ first warning told Aegisthus to not “murder the man [or] court his wife” (1.47). Clytemnestra and Aegisthus succeed in killing Agamemnon, only to pay the ultimate price. These exact events perfectly mimic Hermes’ warning to Aegisthus that “revenge will come from Orestes” (1.48). This story is brought up a lot throughout the poem because it relates to many women in The Odyssey, including Penelope. There is a chance that Penelope will marry one of the suitors to keep power over the kingdom of Ithaca. If Penelope is not loyal, Odysseus is put in the same position as Agamemnon and she will be known as a typical woman in Greek society, disloyal. Odysseus could come home and walk straight into the trap of one of the suitors. This also means that Telemachus would be put in