The Treatment of Women by Men in Homer?s The Odyssey Women in Homer?s The Odyssey are judged mainly by looks. If important men and gods consider a woman beautiful, or if her son is a hero or important king the woman is successful. The way women in The Odyssey are treated is based on appearance, the things men want from them, and whether the woman has any power over men. During Odysseus? journey to the underworld he sees the shades of many prominent women. We hear about their beauty, their important sons, or their affairs with gods. We hear nothing about these women?s accomplishments in their lifetime. Odysseus tells how Antiope could ?boast a god for a lover,?(193) as could Tyro and many other women. Epikaste was called ?that prize?(195) her own son unwittingly married. Some women are known for the deeds of their sons, but never for a heroic deed of their own, their personalities, who they are, and what they do independent of males. It seems the only accomplishment women could achieve was being beautiful. Theseus ?had no joy of?(195) the princess Ariadne because she died before this was possible. Homer makes it sound as if Ariadne?s life was useless because she did not give Theseus pleasure.
The only woman we hear of for a different reason is Klymene, and we only hear of her because she ?betrayed her lord for gold.?(195) This is the only time we hear of a woman for something she did, and once we do, it is a negative remark. Penelope, Odysseus? queen, is paid attention to only because of her position. Because she has a kingdom, she has suitors crowding around her day and night. Being a woman, Penelope has no control over what the suitors do and cannot get rid of them. The suitors want her wealth and her kingdom. They do not respect her enough to stop feeding on Odysseus? wealth; they feel she owes them something because she won?t marry one of them. One of the suitors, Antinoos, tells Telemakhos ?…but you should know the suitors are not to blame- it is your own incomparably cunning mother.?(21) Even Telemakhos doesn?t respect his mother as he should. When the song of a minstrel makes her sad and Penelope requests him to stop playing, Telemakhos intervenes and says to her ?Mother, why do you grudge our own dear minstrel joy of song, wherever his thought may lead.? (12) If Telemakhos respected his mother he would have asked the minstrel to cease playing the song that made her upset.
The Essay on Incest Son Mother Type
"INCEST"I never in life want to see you again! Door slams. Mother breaks down and cries again. She lies down in her room. Her son lies beside her to comfort her. Mom rubbed him, kissed, and told him she loved him. She woke him up in the morning; he gathered his pajamas from the edge of the bed and on the floor. Mom today was extremely happy this morning. Dad no longer being around and me taking ...
Telemakhos has no use for Penelope?s beauty or position; he regards her as someone who causes a problem, but whom he must love anyway. Through Penelope Homer shows how an ideal wife should feel toward her husband. Penelope remembers Odysseus as a great king and husband even though he has been gone for twenty years. Odysseus thinks of Penelope as his wife who, under all conditions, should be faithful to him no matter how many times he has been unfaithful or how long hThe Treatment of Women by Men in Homer?s The Odyssey Women in Homer?s The Odyssey are judged mainly by looks. If important men and gods consider a woman beautiful, or if her son is a hero or important king the woman is successful. The way women in The Odyssey are treated is based on appearance, the things men want from them, and whether the woman has any power over men. During Odysseus? journey to the underworld he sees the shades of many prominent women. We hear about their beauty, their important sons, or their affairs with gods. We hear nothing about these women?s accomplishments in their lifetime. Odysseus tells how Antiope could ?boast a god for a lover,?(193) as could Tyro and many other women. Epikaste was called ?that prize?(195) her own son unwittingly married.
Some women are known for the deeds of their sons, but never for a heroic deed of their own, their personalities, who they are, and what they do independent of males. It seems the only accomplishment women could achieve was being beautiful. Theseus ?had no joy of?(195) the princess Ariadne because she died before this was possible. Homer makes it sound as if Ariadne?s life was useless because she did not give Theseus pleasure. The only woman we hear of for a different reason is Klymene, and we only hear of her because she ?betrayed her lord for gold.?(195) This is the only time we hear of a woman for something she did, and once we do, it is a negative remark. Penelope, Odysseus? queen, is paid attention to only because of her position. Because she has a kingdom, she has suitors crowding around her day and night. Being a woman, Penelope has no control over what the suitors do and cannot get rid of them. The suitors want her wealth and her kingdom. They do not respect her enough to stop feeding on Odysseus? wealth; they feel she owes them something because she won?t marry one of them. One of the suitors, Antinoos, tells Telemakhos ?…but you should know the suitors are not to blame- it is your own incomparably cunning mother.?(21) Even Telemakhos doesn?t respect his mother as he should.
The Essay on Women And Men Communicate Differently
Women and Men Communicate Differently The process of neo-Liberal dogmas, such as celebration of diversity and elimination of sexism, being showed up peoples throats, brought about a situation, when employment policies correspond less and less to the objective reality of interaction between genders at workplace. Men and women are expected to execute their professional duties with the same ...
When the song of a minstrel makes her sad and Penelope requests him to stop playing, Telemakhos intervenes and says to her ?Mother, why do you grudge our own dear minstrel joy of song, wherever his thought may lead.? (12) If Telemakhos respected his mother he would have asked the minstrel to cease playing the song that made her upset. Telemakhos has no use for Penelope?s beauty or position; he regards her as someone who causes a problem, but whom he must love anyway. Through Penelope Homer shows how an ideal wife should feel toward her husband. Penelope remembers Odysseus as a great king and husband even though he has been gone for twenty years. Odysseus thinks of Penelope as his wife who, under all conditions, should be faithful to him no matter how many times he has been unfaithful or how long he has been gone, and Penelope fulfills this wish. Athena seems to be the most admired female in the entire book. She is always spoken of respectfully and is remembered for her heroic deeds. She is not degraded like the shades of the women Odysseus sees in the underworld. Everyone worships her and speaks about her achievements with awe; she is truly admired, not only because she is a goddess.
Athena has control over men that most women in the Odyssey do not. Women?s lives depend on what men think of them. On the contrary, men?s lives depend on Athena?s opinion of them. Unlike Athena most women are shown to be bad at heart or useless except for man?s pleasure. Athena is ?Zeus? virgin daughter? and no one has used her in that way. She is too important to be used as being enjoyment for men; they depend on her for their own welfare. Men in The Odyssey only value women who they can use for physical needs and wealth, such as the shades in the underworld and Penelope, or women that can somehow hurt or punish them, such as Athena. Homer shows us how men in The Odyssey consider women less important then men. We rarely hear of women throughout the book. When we do, we are shown that men did not consider women important and are careless with their relationships with women, as we see in Odysseus? infidelity to Penelope. This is less true today since now infidelity works both ways, while Odysseus expected Penelope to stay faithful even after he was gone for twenty years and was unfaithful to her many times. Also today women are able to have accomplishments other than those of Penelope and the shades; they have the same opportunities and are treated as equals by men.
The Essay on Women Rights Family Men Roles
Women rights Throughout the years of marriage and relationships there has been many changes towards the different roles that men and women play. Over this time though there are also things that have remained the same. The male female relationship has always had a type of "guidelines." Over the past forty years these guidelines have become less and less followed. Men and women's attitudes towards ...
The Role of Women in The Odyssey Women form an important part of the folk epic, The Odyssey. Within the story there are three basic types of women: the goddess, the seductress, and the good hostess/wife. Each role adds a different element and is essential to the telling of the story. The role of the goddess is one of a supernatural being, but more importantly one in a position to pity and help mortals. Athena, the goddess of wisdom, is the most prominent example of the role; in the very beginning of the story she is seen making a plea for Odysseus’ return home, and throughout the first half of the book she assists him in his journey. She is the driving force behind arranging Odysseus’ return home from getting Kalypso to release him to making sure Nausikaa found him on Skheria. In books 1-4 she helps Telemakhos, Odysseus’ son, gather the courage to go out and get news about his father. Other than Athena, there are many examples of goddesses taking pity on a mortal, usually Odysseus, and helping him out. When Odysseus is suffering in a storm that Poseidon sent for him, Ino, a Nereid, gives him an immortal veil that saves his life. Even Kirke and Kalypso help Odysseus tremendously with information and supplies.
The Essay on Women’s Role in Inanna
It is fascinating how the world has changed from the beginning of the ages until what we call modern time. The situation each human often finds his/herself in is often a response to one’s social status or in many cases their gender. This is especially true for women. All throughout history women have found themselves in many different roles, and those roles have changed from the beginning of ...
It is the role of the woman goddess and not the male god to pity and proffer help to the suffering mortal. The next and less benevolent role is that of the seductress. Two stories about such women referred to in The Odyssey are those of the half-sisters Helen and Klytaimnestra. The entire Trojan War was caused by Helen’s unfaithfulness to Menelaos; her affair caused many deaths and Odysseus would not have had to leave home if she had not run away with Paris. The other sister also caused pain and suffering by having an affair and then killing her husband, Agamemnon, with her lover on his homecoming day. The seductress is always looked upon as dangerous and harmful to mankind. The Seirenes symbolize this role; their song seduces and compels anyone listening to linger until death. Kirke tries to seduce Odysseus before she helps him, and the beautiful Kalypso entices him with sex and immortality and will not release him to go home. It is the hero’s job to resist the temptation of the seductress or it will lead to his downfall. In direct contrast with the seductress is the good hostess or wife. Penelope, Odysseus’ wife, is the most important of these characters. She is the image of steadfastness, waiting and hoping for years for Odysseus’ return.
Even the intimidating suitors do not bend her from her constancy. Along with Penelope is Eurykleia who matches Penelope in steadfastness to her job as Telemakhos’ nurse. Nausikaa is a good example of a girl who is an excellent hostess to Odysseus (she provides him a bath, clothing, food, and advice), and also cares about her image as a virtuous woman. Her mother, Queen Arete, is good hostess as well, and it was said that her favor would assure Odysseus a ship ride home. The role of the hostess is similar to that of goddess because they are both assisting those in need, Odysseus. More significantly the role of the good woman is to provide a model that makes up for the seductresses. They are there to show that Agamemnon’s statement about his women, “that woman (Klytaimnestra) plotting a thing so low, defiled herself and all her sex, all women yet to come, even those few who may be virtuous,” is untrue. The women in all three of these roles embody an essential part of the events of the story. The hero is helped by the goddess and the good woman, and must overcome her opposite, the seductress. The relationship between the hero and the women, in fact, forms the majority of the story.
The Essay on Odysseus is a good leader
Odysseus was a man who was known for both his good and bad leadership qualities. Homer, the blind poet and the author of ‘the Odysseus’ has portrayed Odysseus as an ambiguous character. However, in my opinion and in this argument Odysseus have more good leadership qualities than bad leadership qualities. Throughout this epic, readers can see that Odysseus made many leadership decisions and took ...
