Role of Women in the Odyssey free essay sample

These ones can be seen as women in power because they use these tools in order to control men. Mothers portrayed in this epic poem are seen as the givers of â€Å"pity and sorrow† rather than true supporters of their sons and husbands when in war. In most cases, these are women who need to be guided and supported by males, whether it be a son or a husband. An example of this would be when Telemachus ordered Penelope from the room, in order to show the suitors of his intention to claim to his father’s throne. Another example would be Anticlea, Odysseus’ mother. She committed suicide because she missed Odysseus and believed he was dead. Mothers need to look after, nurture, and protect their sons and husbands. I’d say Penelope is the most complex woman I have ever read about. She is both a mother and sometimes a seductress. We will write a custom essay sample on Role of Women in the Odyssey or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page She leads the suitors on and makes them wait. She is not ready to marry again. â€Å"It is your mother’s fault not ours, for she is a very artful woman. This three years past, and close on four, she has been driving us out of our minds, by encouraging each one of us, and sending him messages without meaning one word of what she says† (Book II). Penelope mourns her lost love, and at first is completely oblivious to the attention from the suitors. She reminds me of a Siren, (seen in book 11) always singing to encourage men but not intending to fulfill any promise of love or sex. Penelope is the perfect example of a woman in the novel that is a mother, and sometimes a seductress. During the absence of her son Telemachus, she begins singing about the deadly battles where she assumes Odysseus has perished and falls to weeping. When Telemachus returns, he knocks some sense into Penelope. Odysseus is not the only man who never came back from Troy, but many another went down as well as he. Go, then, within the house and busy yourself with your daily duties, your loom, your distaff, and the ordering of your servants; for speech is man’s matter, and mine above all others- for it is I who am master here† (Book 1). The sirens and Circe are the ultimate seductresses in the epic poem. Circe turns Odysseus’ men into pi gs and tells him she will change them back only if he goes into bed with her. Odysseus does not realize that he stays in bed with her for about a year or so. Sirens sing to men at sea and make them fall in love with them and then eat them. These are great examples of seductresses. However, I believe Clytemnestra is another good example. She is Agamemnon’s wife and during his absence, suitors too surround her. Clytemnestra also went through a deep mourning and shows that women who are mothers and are devoted to their husbands, sons, and family, are prone to look for other men, in their absence. Clytemnestra falls in love with Aegisthus and they plot to kill Agamemnon when he returns. At first she would have nothing to do with his wicked scheme, for she was of a good natural disposition; moreover there was a bard with her, to whom Agamemnon had given strict orders on setting out for Troy, that he was to keep guard over his wife† (Book 3) but he was gone too long and she fell in love with someone else. In â€Å"The Odyssey† by Homer, Homer really describes women as people who are weak and fragile. He depicts women to be p rone to find another male figure in their absence (a long absence). Women in this story need men in order to feel like they are fulfilling their destiny by looking after, nurturing, and protecting their sons and/or husbands. Penelope and Circe are good examples of women in power in â€Å"The Odyssey† because Penelope uses her mother figure to in a way control Telemachus and uses seduction to control the suitors and keep them in the palace and Circe tells Odysseus she will change his men back to humans IF and only IF he goes to bed with her. I think women really do play a large role in â€Å"The Odyssey. †