¶ … role of women in "The Odyssey," by Homer, by discussing our well-defined thesis based on the Odysseus' temptations in life. The Works Cited five sources in MLA format.
Role of Women in Homer's Odyssey
The lexical meanings of the word epic are though many but all discuss the same notion. However, according to the American Heritage Dictionary, an epic is "an extended narrative poem in elevated or dignified language, celebrating the feats of a legendary or traditional hero or a literary or dramatic composition that resembles an extended narrative poem celebrating heroic feats." Hence, Homer, a distinguished Greek literary figure whose poetic as well as heroic works considerably influenced the Western Literature of even today, produced intricate but moralistic epic legends of his times. Little is known about the "life history of this principle figure of ancient Greek literature, the first European poet," dates back to 700 B.C, residing in "Asia Minor" (Homer, Encyclopedia 7th Edition). Although Homeric Hymns are inaccurately credited to him, Homer produced Iliad and Odyssey, two epic poems with "dactylic hexameter and are of nearly the same length" (Homer, Encyclopedia 7th Edition).
Homer produced Odyssey after he unfolded the undertakings of the Trojan War that the Greeks fought and won the crusade that lasted for ten years with the help of their audacious and heroic warriors. The epic Odyssey revolves around the gallant hero of Homer's work, Odysseus, his daring moves on the field of battle, his manly style and the shortcomings of his character. Hence, our research, information and analysis throughout the paper will be based upon the following thesis statement:
In the Odyssey, Odysseus is portrayed as a hero's hero and a man amongst men, although his greatest weakness is the temptation of women.
The following passages of our
Either as mothers, sisters, wives, daughters, mistresses, lovers or supernatural creatures, women populate the world of the Odyssey and bring thus an important source of information when it comes to finding parallels between their representations in real life as drawn from the representations they get in the Homeric epic. Based on the same starting point as the Odyssey, another ancient author, the Roman Virgil wrote the epic Aeneid. He lived
Odyssey: Daily Life for Women When it comes to the Greeks, Homer's Odyssey is recognized as a piece of literature that was not just about gods, men, and creatures, this historical read served as a cultural example about the women and their place in society. This book, provides a wide-ranging view of the Achean's peacetime people. Throughout Odyssey, a person is able to pick up some understanding of what is appropriate
Women in the Odyssey The roles women take in The Odyssey are as varied as society itself. There are good women, weak women, caretakers and even monsters. This paper will discuss three chief aspects women's roles in The Odyssey. The first is the role that mortal women play in the epic. The second is the role immortal women (goddesses) play on Mount Olympus and third the departments of life where women
For the most part women in the Odyssey are essentially one of three things: sexualized monsters, in the form of Circe, Calypso, the Sirens, and even Scylla; asexual helpers and servants, in the form of Athena and Eurycleia; and finally, seemingly helpless damsels, in the form of Penelope. To this one may add what is essentially the lowest of the low class within the poem, those women who are sexually
Deborah is believed to have played a key role in public arena. Even in the male dominant society of Israel, Deborah's orders were followed and people looked up to her for advice. In the position of a prophetess, she could give orders which were readily followed: "She sent for Barak...and said to him, 'The Lord, the God of Israel, commands you: "Go, take with you ten thousand men..."" Barak was
Thryth is however easily rehabilitated by marriage, as she is to some degree functional within her society. Grendel's mother is not, and the only remedy for her type of complete evil is death. As her son, she is an outcast, and deserving of a death as such. Her evil has no place in a society that sees itself as predominantly good. In Oedipus, the fulfillment of fate is the ultimate
Our semester plans gives you unlimited, unrestricted access to our entire library of resources —writing tools, guides, example essays, tutorials, class notes, and more.
Get Started Now