Role of Penelope in The Odyssey Essay

For all of human history, females have fulfilled one of two major roles in society. The first is the mother-figure. This is the woman that starts out as a maiden belonging first to her father, then to her husband. In literature this is what women should aspire to — this is the prize that the hero gets at the end of his physical and moral journey. The other category of women is the harlot. This is a sexual figure that appeals to man’s baser desires. In society, that dichotomy gives rise to the…

himself nude and helpless upon the island of Phaeacia. Once he gathers his strength, Odysseus covers himself with leaves and begs the Princess Nausicaa for pity and council. Odysseus, a man of great glory, wealth and power, is forced to take on the role of the downtrodden and beg for…

throne as if nothing had happened. While both of these scenarios place Odysseus back in power, neither fulfills Athena 's will for Odysseus. Instead Athena sought to humiliate Odysseus while simultaneously showcasing how courageous Telemachos and Penelope had been in his absence. As someone who is so invested in cultivating a lasting legacy, Odysseus rarely had the time to acknowledge his family 's strength and take pride in…

The presence of Nymphs in Greek literature and religion is everywhere; from whom people pray to, to the way they impact the stories of authors, and all the way to impacting how people speak like Socrates and Homer. Describing what a nymph is however, is a very difficult process. In Greek literature and religion, the main way of identifying a nymph is the formula “Daughter of Asopos” (Larson 4). Other common ways of identifying these divine beings are if they are the daughter of Zeus or other…

hard, we can reach the places we’ve dreamed of. Odysseus, the protagonist in the novel The Odyssey by Homer, could relate to that. The novel starts out with being narrated by Homer. As the novel progresses, different characters narrate different parts of the story. Towards the beginning of the novel, Telemachus, Odysseus’ son, sets out on a journey to find news about his father. He leaves his mother, Penelope, in a house full of suitors. While Telemachus goes on his journey, Odysseus is found…