Role of Penelope in The Odyssey Essay

Princess Nausicaa. Graciously she granted the lost hero anything he needed and brought him to her father’s vast palace. Nausicaa’s role within The Odyssey exemplifies the pinnacle of female Greek virtue through her unearthly beauty, hospitality through motherly care, and unwavering purity.…

Gender Roles in Heroism Heroism is a concept found throughout all cultures. Throughout each culture its defining characteristic remains the same, bravery. Other characteristics of heroism change depending on what time period or culture is being referenced. Although the modern concept of heroism incompasses traits both men and women can carry, in Ancient Greece the concept of heroism was divided by gender, changing the defining factors of a hero for each gender. While courageousness can be…

was a hero named Odysseus, from Homer’s Odyssey. He conquered Troy and made a long and dangerous journey to his home. He faced many menacing creatures throughout his adventure, but nothing stood in his way. He is one of the first epic heroes ever to be known of in history. I will prove that Odysseus is an epic hero and how the characteristics that he has, has helped him throughout the challenges and obstacles along his journey home. In Homer’s, Odyssey, Odysseus proves to be and epic hero…

concoction or hard truth specifically in regards to there ideals on valor, staunchness, and precocity. Literature of the past gives fortuity to allow us to develop an understanding of prior civilizations, and this is most certainly the case with The Odyssey by Homer. Through Odysseus’ endeavors, Homer gives insight on the Greek value of valor. Being a patriarchal society, men notably would strive to accommodate their actions as such: “Victory will only approach if strength, and might are…

only be judged for how they acted on the way towards meeting their fate. The concept of individuals meeting their fate is extremely prevalent in the great epic The Odyssey. This epic is one in which human lives are continuously manipulated by the gods, the one thing that the gods cannot do though is alter the individuals fate. In The Odyssey, fate governs the relationship between the central character Odysseus and the goddess of wisdom Athena. Though Athena cannot alter Odysseus’ fate her…

central plot of Homer’s Odyssey follows Odysseus and his quest back home, another powerful message reveals itself in the subplot regarding Telemachus, Odysseus’s twenty-year old son. As the man of the house, he has to take on the responsibility of running the household and defending his mother Penelope and himself from the dangerous appetites of the hundreds of suitors who nag Penelope. Even though he still has a long ways to grow, Telemachus, from what we see in Homer’s Odyssey, has potential…

Disguises in Homer’s epic, the Odyssey, play a role in influencing the characters and their stories by deceiving their senses. They are important to the story as Athena and Odysseus manipulate the other characters in order to get what they want. Although it may not sound like they are using their disguises for good, the Odyssey puts the use of camouflage in a different light and the deception is actually tremendously heroic. The reoccurring theme of disguise is used in the Odyssey to influence…

The Odyssey Loyalty is the devotion towards a person that can bring both prosperity and shortcomings, depending on the actions a person takes to remain loyal or disloyal. Loyalty is like a double-edged sword that can be used to protect loved ones; however, it can also be used to betray close companions. Life offers many challenges and temptations; however, loyalty can be used to fight against these appeals or to fight towards these desires. In epic poem The Odyssey by Homer, loyalty is…

In the epic poem, The Odyssey, by Homer, Penelope, the wife of Odysseus and mother of Telemachus, is a modern hero because she remains patient, intelligent, and devoted throughout the poem. For nearly twenty years, she waits for her husband Odysseus to return from the Trojan War while running her palace on the island of Ithaca and raising her son on her own. During this time, suitors persistently pursue her and take advantage of her husband’s absence. Although she is a woman in a male dominated…

Alexander the Great and the continued building of an enormous empire. This chapter explores the lives of women in Athens, perhaps the most powerful city-state in Greece. Blundell focuses largely on a women’s role in the home, but she also delves into the childhood of Athenian girls, the religious role women played, and the lives of women of different social classes. This reaction paper will explore the author’s claims of what being a female was like during the Classical Period. I will also…