Womans In The Oddessy Essay, Research Paper

Womans in The Odyssey

In The Odyssey the chief character, Odysseus, meets and entertains an

impressive array of adult females. All of the adult females that he meets are really different

and hold different personalities and Homer clearly states his attitude towards

each of the adult females. Some of the adult females are seen as basically & # 8216 ; good & # 8217 ; or

basically & # 8216 ; bad. & # 8217 ; It is besides clear that Homer adopts a sexist attitude towards the

adult females in his novel. In The Odyssey adult females are by and large portrayed as

manipulative and fallacious and Homer is a male chauvinist who holds a dual criterion of

morality for work forces and for adult females.

There is one thing that all the adult females, be they human or God, in The

Odysseies have in common: they are all really cagey. There are two ways that the

reader can construe this characteristic that adult females portion: either Homer feels that

adult females are really intelligent or he feels that adult females are sneaky and underhand.

The sentiment of Homer is likely the latter because the most of the adult females that

Odysseus, the hero of the novel, brushs use their intelligence against him.

Kalypso and Kerke both try to score Odysseus into remaining on their islands,

while Penelope uses her inventiveness to flim-flam the suers into believing that it took

her three old ages to weave a shroud.

There are two goddesses that Homer wants the reader to comprehend as

& # 8216 ; bad & # 8217 ; adult females: the goddesses Kalypso and Kerke. Kalypso is a goddess who kept

Odysseus on her island for seven old ages so she could hold him. She is depicted

at this really avaricious and lubricious nymph who seduces Odysseus into burying

about his place and & # 8220 ; forces & # 8221 ; him to hold sex with her every dark. She is besides

& # 8216 ; bad & # 8217 ; because she, through her great craft, makes Odysseus bury about his

place and his darling married woman, Penelope. She even offers him immortality if he

corsets with her forever. She merely lets him travel when she is force to by Zeus. This

type of behavior suggests that Kalypso does non love Odysseus because she

would non allow him populate even though he wanted to.

Kerke is another premier illustration of the fallacious adult female. When

Odysseus & # 8217 ; s work forces wash up on the shore. She lures them into her place by subscribing

in an bewitching voice and gave them thrones to sit on and honey to eat. But as

shortly as they turn their dorsums Kerke & # 8220 ; adding her ain vile pinch & # 8221 ; ( Page X, 260 ) ,

turns them all into hogs. The one adult male that stayed behind, Eurylokhos, says & # 8220 ; I

proverb cruel fraudulence & # 8221 ; ( X, 285 ) when he finds out that this evil she-witch has turned

absolutely good work forces into hogs. But Odysseus is much to clever to be tricked by

this goddess and he eats a works that allows him to defy the toxicant of Kerke.

Once Kerke realizes that Odysseus has found her out she cowers under

the

blade of such a strong adult male but does non merely turn Odysseus & # 8217 ; s work forces back into

work forces. Alternatively she offers sex to Odysseus which is, of class, the typical

seductive maneuver of the adult female. After Odysseus slumber with her he so forces her

to turn his work forces back into work forces and after a twelvemonth he leaves.

Homer holds a dual criterion for the morality of work forces and adult females. In the

beginning of the book there is a narrative about a male monarch named Agamemnon. While

Agamemnon was off Aigisthos stole Agamemnon & # 8217 ; s married woman and killed so killed

him. But when Agamemnon & # 8217 ; s boy, Orestes, came of age he killed Aigithos and

his female parent. Zeus says & # 8220 ; Now he [ Aigisthos ] has paid the calculation in full. & # 8221 ; ( I, 62 )

What Zeus means by that is Aigithos got was he deserved and so did

Agamemnon & # 8217 ; s immoral married woman. But if Homer feels that criminal conversation is incorrect, why does

he non reprobate the criminal conversation of Odysseus? Never does Homer reference that

Odysseus should non be kiping with all these adult females because his married woman

Penelope is at place and loves him really much? And non merely does Homer non

reprobate the actions of Odysseus he accuses Kalypso and Kerke of scoring

Odysseus into their several beds of lecherousness. When Odysseus uses his love it is

seen a tactic to happen a manner to acquire place to his darling married woman and his dear

countrymen. But when adult females use their love it is used for nil but the

furthering of their ain terminals.

The Odyssey is non without good women- or adult females that Homer feels are

good adult females. The perfect illustration of such a adult female is Penelope, Odysseus & # 8217 ; s

married woman. She uses her feminine inventiveness and craft towards assisting her

hubby. She convinces the suers that she working on a shroud for her

hubby so that she can we be with her beloved Odysseus ( who by the manner is

off kiping with other adult females ) . It seems that the ideal adult female is one who sits

dependably at place, while her hubby goes off to contend wars and have escapades.

It is non just for Homer is have these dual criterion for male and female

heroes/heroines- the adult male can go forth his married woman at place and travel away and kip with

adult females other than his married woman. But the adult female should remain at place, she should be

baronial and non remarry even if her hubby does non return for 20 old ages and

it is merely out of the inquiry for her to hold an matter even if her hubby is

holding legion 1s.

In The Odyssey adult females are by and large portrayed as manipulative and

deceitful and Homer is a male chauvinist who holds a dual criterion of morality for work forces

and for adult females. Even though there are adult females who are considers good they are

seen as good because they are subservient to their hubbies. Homer besides holds

a dual criterion when it comes to what defines a moral adult male and what defines

a moral adult female.