Odyssey And Woman Treatment Essay, Research Paper
The Treatment of Women by Men in Homer? s The Odyssey Women in Homer? s The
Odyssey are judged chiefly by expressions. If of import work forces and Gods consider a adult female
beautiful, or if her boy is a hero or of import king the adult female is successful.
The manner adult females in The Odyssey are treated is based on visual aspect, the things work forces
privation from them, and whether the adult female has any power over work forces. During Odysseus?
journey to the underworld he sees the sunglassess of many outstanding adult females. We hear
about their beauty, their of import boies, or their personal businesss with Gods. We hear
nil about these adult females? s achievements in their life-time. Odysseus Tells
how Antiope could? tout a God for a lover, ? ( 193 ) as could Tyro and many
other adult females. Epikaste was called? that award? ( 195 ) her ain boy inadvertently
married. Some adult females are known for the workss of their boies, but ne’er for a
heroic title of their ain, their personalities, who they are, and what they do
independent of males. It seems the lone accomplishment adult females could accomplish 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 non give Theseus pleasance. The lone adult female we hear of
for a different ground is Klymene, and we merely hear of her because she
? betrayed her Godhead for gold. ? ( 195 ) This is the lone clip we hear of a adult female
for something she did, and one time we do, it is a negative comment. Penelope,
Odysseus? queen, is paid attending to merely because of her place. Because
she has a land, she has suers herding around her twenty-four hours and dark. Bing a
adult female, Penelope has no control over what the suers do and can non acquire rid of
them. The suers want her wealth and her land. They do non esteem her
plenty to halt eating on Odysseus? wealth ; they feel she owes them something
because she won? T marry one of them. One of the suers, Antinoos, Tells
Telemakhos? & # 8230 ; but you should cognize the suers are non to blame- it is your
ain uncomparably cunning mother. ? ( 21 ) Even Telemakhos doesn? T regard his
female parent as he should. When the vocal of a folk singer makes her sad and Penelope
petitions him to halt playing, Telemakhos intervenes and says to her? Mother,
why do you stew our ain beloved folk singer joy of vocal, wherever his idea may
lead. ? ( 12 ) If Telemakhos respected his female parent he would hold asked the
folk singer to discontinue playing the vocal that made her disquieted. Telemakhos has no usage
for Penelope? s beauty or place ; he regards her as person who causes a
job, but whom he must love anyhow. Through Penelope Homer shows how an ideal
married woman should experience toward her hubby. Penelope remembers Odysseus as a great male monarch
and conserve even though he has been gone for twenty old ages. Odysseus thinks of
Penelope as his married woman who, under all conditions, should be faithful to him no
affair 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
full book. She is ever spoken of respectfully and is remembered for her
heroic workss. She is non degraded like the sunglassess of the adult females Odysseus sees in
the underworld. Everyone worships her and talk about her accomplishments with
awe ; she is genuinely admired, non merely because she is a goddess. Athena has control
over work forces that most adult females in the Odyssey do non. Womans? s lives depend on what
work forces think of them. On the contrary, work forces? s lives depend on Athena? s sentiment
of them. Unlike Athena most adult females are shown to be bad at bosom or useless except
for adult male? s pleasance. Athena is? Zeus? virgin girl? and no 1 has
used her in that manner. She is excessively of import to be used as being enjoyment for
work forces ; they depend on her for their ain public assistance. Work force in The Odyssey merely value
adult females who they can utilize for physical demands and wealth, such as the sunglassess in the
underworld and Penelope, or adult females that can somehow ache or penalize them, such as
Athena. Homer shows us how work forces in The Odyssey see adult females less of import so
work forces. We seldom hear of adult females.
