Essay about The Role of Penelope in Homers Odyssey

Yet, it is true, each day I long for home, long for the sight of home. If any god has marked me out again For shipwreck, my tough heart can undergo it What hardship have I not long since endured At sea, in battle! Let the trial come.(Homer V:225-234) Despite this high opinion of Penelope, before he left, Odysseus and Kalypso . . . retired, this pair [He and Kalypso], to the inner cave/to revel and rest softly, side by side.(Homer V:235-238) This was not the only time Odysseus retired, with another woman. On the island of Kirke [he] entered Kirkes flawless bed of love(Homer X:390). Despite these few instances, Odysseus remained faithful to Penelope in their twenty years apart. He never loved either Kalypso or Kirke as he did Penelope, and thusly chose not to stay with either of the two. Although the principle might get lost in the tale, Penelope played the part of the goal for Odysseus to obtain, or re-obtain by the end of the Odyssey. Penelope did not have any idea whether her husband was alive for most of the twenty-years he was gone. She had promised Odysseus that she would not marry until their son, Telemakos, reached the age of adulthood. JustShow MoreRelatedEssay on Role of Penelope in Homers Odyssey788 Words   |  4 PagesThe Role of Penelope in Homers Odyssey The character of Penelope in Homers Odyssey has served as an archetype of femininity proper. Her physical attributes, while comely by even the most demanding standards, are veiled. Her intellectual attributes are veiled too. She seems more often than not to wear a veil of tears (for her man) or a veil of silence (for her own wishes), or ineptitude (in her dealings with her son). She is certainly no Helen. She is not flaunting or whore-ish. She is notRead MoreThe Odyssey, by Homer Essay1150 Words   |  5 PagesHomer’s Odyssey was written around 700 BC. During this time there was major social and economic change, which brought the development of new cities, as well as new laws to govern them. Political rights and citizenship in Greek society truly defined the roles of women in this time period. All of the laws governing the population of Greece were not only written by men, but also enforced by men. Homer’s Odyssey is the product of a society in which men played the dominant role. Women were held atRead More The Role of Women in the Odyssey Essay1212 Words   |  5 PagesThe Role of Women in The Odyssey Homer wrote the classic epic The Odyssey more than 2,500 years ago. At that time in ancient Greek society, as well as in the whole of the ancient world, the dominant role was played by men. Society was organized, directed, and controlled by men, and it was accepted that women occupied a subservient and inferior position. Women, of course, were valued, but were expected to possess certain traits and perform certain tasks that men demanded of them. Does Homers writingRead MoreFemale Archetypes in Odyssey1289 Words   |  6 PagesA Plotting Princess: Female Roles in The Odyssey and Antigonà ª Karen Rustad The fairy tale Snow White is a story about two women. One, the evil stepmother, schemes against her stepdaughter in order to assuage her envy and increase her power. She, of course, is thwarted by the end of the story. The other, Snow White, is a pure, innocent damsel entirely devoid of will. Nevertheless, by the end her prince saves her and she lives happily ever after. While Snow White is a European fairy tale, itsRead MoreThe Penelopiad Analysis958 Words   |  4 Pagesnovel ‘The Odyssey’ . In an interview, Atwood explained her beliefs on the gender roles surround The Odyssey thus incorporating this as well as other materials into ‘The Penelopiad’ by stating: â€Å"There is an argument that has been made quite thoroughly that The Iliad and The Odyssey were written by two different people, and that the person who wrote The Odyssey was a woman.’ Atwood then carries on to explain her argument stating how several people have made the argument of how ‘The Odyssey’ was writtenRead More Women of the Odyssey Essays1488 Words   |  6 PagesWomen of the Odyssey   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Many people regard Homer’s epics as war stories—stories about men; those people often overlook the important roles that women play in the Odyssey. While there are not many female characters in the Odyssey, the few that there are, play pivotal roles in the story and one can gain a lot of insight by analyzing how those women are portrayed. Homer portrays the females in contradictory ways: the characters of Athena and Eurykleia are given strong, admirable roles while MelanthoRead MoreThe Role of Woman in The Odyssey1240 Words   |  5 PagesAlthough â€Å"The Odyssey† by the Greek poet Homer is very much an epic tale of a man’s heroic quest, women play an incredibly large role. Homer’s epic tale, â€Å"The Odyssey† revolves around Ulysses’ quest to return back to his wife, Penelope, so that he may be reunited with her and assume control over his palace, which has been overrun by suitors. Ulysses’ son, Telemachu s attempts to regain authority in the presence of the many suitors but finds this difficult and embarks upon his own journey under theRead MoreHuman Behavior Flows From Three Main Sources : Desire, Emotion, And Knowledge1427 Words   |  6 PagesThe Real Penelope Plato the Philosopher once stated that â€Å"Human behavior flows from three main sources: desire, emotion, and knowledge† (BrainyQuote). Penelope, wife of Odysseus and mother of Telemachus, engages in all three of these sources showing similarities and differences expressed in The Odyssey and The Penelopiad. Stanley Lombardo’s translation of Homer’s The Odyssey is a story of Odysseus, Penelope’s husband, and his journey home after the battle of Troy. Throughout The Odyssey, the readerRead MoreSimilarities And Differences Between The Odyssey And The Penelopiad780 Words   |  4 PagesIn both Homer’s epic The Odyssey and Margaret Atwood’s novel The Penelopiad, Penelope is given similar characteristic of loyal and faithful to Odysseus l, but there is one major difference between both text which involves her knowledge. In the Atwood, the characteristic of wise and knowledgeable were shown as she took control of the kingdom while odysseus was a ways however, innocent and naive were shown through the way her son and the suitor treat her in Homer’s epic. In The Odyssey, Homer portraysRead MoreFeminism and the Power Struggle of Women in Ancient Greece Essay1350 Words   |  6 PagesWomen are a very prominent part of the Greek society. Their role has influenced and shaped the Greek society to a very large extent. Women have been shown in many different lights in the Greek works of Odyssey and Iliad which we have covered in our class. The works that I will be citing in this essay, namely Homer’s poems Odyssey and Iliad talk about many prominent women such as Helen of Troy, Penelope and also many other Goddesses. Homer’s poems talk about the various traits of Greek women and portray