The Role Of Penelope In The Odyssey

Words: 377

Pages: 2

#3.

Through the character of Penelope in the odyssey we can see that Homeric society believes the values that shape an ideal women are beauty, skills, modesty, loyalty and intelligence. Penelope represents all of these values in the Odyssey. I would consider Penelope the 2nd hero in the Odyssey right behind her husband, Odysseus. Penelope is a moral agent in the Odyssey. This can be seen when she refuses to marry any of the suitors because she hopes that her husband will come back from the Trojan War. She fights the popular belief in ancient culture that women are dangerous and lead men to do crazy things. Penelope is the opposite of dangerous, she is stable and acts as the head of the household during Odysseus’ time away. Scholars

Show More

Roles Of Women In The Odyssey Essay

Women in the odyssey are different from their personality and relationship with men. All of them are different but all help define the role of women in the odyssey. At the time men structured civilization was all put together and the women had position in society, that position was to serve the men and were dominated by what men allowed. Those women were valued in society but weren't important and had no power to control. Homer really depict women as a strong subject. In this epic poem women are…

Words 742 - Pages 3

Archetype Odyssey

men. Especially in literature, women and men have played different roles and Homer’s The Odyssey is no exception. The men go to war and do heroic deeds, as opposed to most of the female characters, who seem to be not allowed to participate in such things. In The Odyssey by Homer, most female characters have a sexual role or one somehow related to beauty and represent the temptress archetype, and a few have a different type of role, but all of them are unified in that they add complexities to Odysseus’…

Words 839 - Pages 4

Penelope In Homer's The Odyssey

Homer’s poem The Odyssey is an exciting tale of a hero going through the trails of life to get back to his loving wife and son. The hero of the story is Odysseus. Soon after the birth of his son Telemachus to fight in Trojan War, leaving his wife Penelope to take care of the palace, his parents, and his child. He was held captive for 7 years by Calypso, and with the help of Athena,Zeus, and Hermes he escaped and began his journey. Starting with the Cyclops, continuing to Circe, and losing most…

Words 653 - Pages 3

Xenia In Homer's Odyssey

Xenia is the concept of hospitality towards guest, commonly seen in ancient greek history. Considering that the Odyssey is a epic poem based on real life, it constantly relies on the perception of xenia that it might not have occurred without it. Then on to been written without it. In the Odyssey, Xenia plays a huge role in the way you act and treat your personal guest. Xenia is shown through a man by the name of Eumaeus, so if a god ever confronted him in a human form, he will be prepared. Eumaeus…

Words 840 - Pages 4

Freewill In The Odyssey

In this quote from the Odyssey: We have not yet come to the end of our trials./There is still a long, hard task for me to complete,/As the spirit of Tiresias foretold to me/On the day I went down to the house of Hades/To ask him about my companions’ return/And my own. But come to bed now,/And we’ll close our eyes in the pleasure of sleep. (Homer, 23.255-261) Odysseus explains to his wife, Penelope, that he must leave Ithaca again to fulfill his destiny, or his fate. Odysseus’s choice to face his…

Words 576 - Pages 3

Guile In Odysseus

Without the women in the Odyssey, Odysseus would’ve gotten nowhere. They were strong emotionally and physically. They were deceptive and cunning in the things they did. They also were guile not only in words but in actions too. The women in the Odyssey were strong, independent women who played a huge role in protecting Odysseus. The women in the Odyssey could handle a lot of emotional pain and grief, while also being very tough. Penelope waited 20 years for her husband Odysseus to come home, refusing…

Words 794 - Pages 4

Use Of Contextual Devices In Homer's The Odyssey

use of poetic techniques in The Odyssey inform your understanding of the contextual concerns of Ancient Greece? Society of Bronze Age Greece were concerned with a society structured around Patriarchy in which, social privilege males are given preference in terms of power, leadership, moral authority social privilege, and control of property. Also the value of Greek gods was held as intimately involved in the concerns of human lives and society. Homer’s The Odyssey clearly informs my understanding…

Words 635 - Pages 3

Penelope And Sita Research Paper

A women’s role as a wife have always been an obligation of duty to her husband, especially a time before Christ. Women were supposed to obey and devote their lives to their husbands along with doing housework. Two women during this time period who understood these roles were Penelope and Sita. Penelope is the imfamous wife of Odysseus and Sita is the brave wife of Rama. These women have profound differences between them, for instance one woman gets to be with her husband and the other is without…

Words 1031 - Pages 5

The Odyssey Essay FINAL Draft

Jessi Zirker PreAP English P. 2 March 11th, 2015 The Odyssey Essay The Time to be Heard As alpha is to omega: men are to women. The constant fight for rights, a voice, even freedom has lived on throughout history up until today. In the epic poem The Odyssey by Homer translated by Robert Fitzgerald women are seen as nothing more than a boatload of problems. Whether this belief rooted from Pandora releasing all things bad into the world, or Eve being the root of sinful nature,…

Words 1861 - Pages 8

Comparing Ada Monroe And Penelope In Charles Frazier's Cold Mountain

latter-day Odyssey ever since its appearance in 1997. Many of the characters in the two novels are similar to each other in their traits, responsibilities, and roles, such as Ada Monroe and Ruby Thewes compared to Penelope and Athena, correspondingly. Ada continuously receives assistance from Ruby as her father, Monroe, has passed away, while Penelope is supported by Athena as she awaits for Odysseus to return. Between the Odyssey and Cold Mountain, the characters Ada Monroe and Penelope, as well as…

Words 430 - Pages 2