Odessey Women

3 Pages 751 Words

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 critical roles in the story and one can gain a lot of insight by studying how those women are portrayed. Homer portrays the females in conflicting ways: the character of Athena is given a strong, admirable role, while the Sirens are depicted in a much more negative way. Penelope—the central female character—is given both negative and positive attributes.
Athena, the goddess of wisdom and battle, has a soft spot for Odysseus, the main male character, and Telemachus, Odysseus' son. The action begins with a meeting of the gods, where Athena makes a plea on behalf of Odysseus, asking her father, “O Zeus, what do you hold against him now?” (I, 81). This action, paired with another intervention into a meeting of the gods, shows Athena’s initiative and nerve. Athena shows cleverness and ingenuity when she disguises herself and others on several occasions: The goddess first appears as Mentes, and then later as Mentor, Telemachus himself, Penelope’s sister, a friend of Nausikaa’s, and various servants. Not only is Athena a master of disguises, but she also has an incredible sense of when it is necessary to appear as someone else in order to achieve her goals. While possibly just a product of Athena’s goddess status, her ability to view the “big picture” is quite a highly regarded trait. Athena also has the virtue of restraint, which she demonstrates when she does not take part in the final battle between Odysseus and Telemachus, and the suitors.
Another portrayal of women in The Odyssey is the Sirens. This is a group of women whose seductive song lures sailors to their death (XII, 173-4). While Odysseus is able to avoid the Sirens, they symbolize temptation, another non-virtue, which is th...