Odyssey Essay free essay sample

In Homer’s Odyssey women and goddesses are consistently playing major roles. Whether it be cherishing and taking care of the men, or being the cause disaster. Beauty, wisdom and treachery are features of females and feminine practises that are clearly portrayed in Homer’s Odyssey. The significance of women in the Odyssey is made clear even from the first page. Calypso is holding Odysseus captive on an island. She is a witch but is still described as a radiant creature (p 3). Although he is on this island alone with this beautiful goddess all he longs for is to get home to his wife. Calypso is described as a radiant and beautiful creature with a lovely voice. Yet she is called a witch and is the one not allowing Odysseus to carry out his wishes. In the house of Alcinoos Odysseus calls Calypso a scheming witch with lovely hair and then goes on to say she is a terrible being. We will write a custom essay sample on Odyssey Essay or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page Odysseus again says, â€Å"†¦beautiful Calypso†¦ and a terrible creature she is! She rescued me and treated me kindly loved me and fed me† (p 89). He makes sure to note the beauty of Calypso and of some of her actions but also says some distasteful things about her. She seems to represent temptation and how potentially disastrous elements and situations can seem so inviting and posses such beauty. Although many of the immortals never fail to tempt Odysseus, there is one goddess with her glinting eyes who never fails to watch over him. Athena’s care for Odysseus is first shown when the gods are gathered in the palace of Zeus. She questions her father saying, †¦ What about that clever Odysseus? I am anxious about him, poor fellow, kept from his friends all this while, in trouble and sorrow, in that island covered with trees, and nothing but waves all around it, in the very middle of the sea! It is the home of one of ourselves, the daughter of Atlas†¦She is always coaxing him with soft deceitful words to forget Ithaca; but Odysseus would be happy to see as much as the smoke leaping up from his naive land, and then to die. And you cannot spare him thought, Olympian. Don’t you owe him something for all those sacrifices which he used to offer in their camp on the plain of Troy? Why have you such an odd grudge against him, Zeus? (p 4). While one goddess is keeping Odysseus form what he really desires, another is fighting for his cause. Athena becomes a sort of guardian angel for Odysseus and his family. While at the conference with the other gods she uses her cunning and charm to find out where the gods stand with the Odysseus situation and prompts them into action. Zeus ends his reply with, Come now, let us all try to think how we can persuade Poseidon to abate his anger and let him go home to his native land. Surely he will not be able to stand out against all the immortals, and keep up a quarrel all by himself! (p 5). Zeus is thinking of pressuring Poseidon into letting go of the resentment he feels towards Odysseus. However as soon as he ends his reply Athena is already pushing for the immortals to make a decision before Poseidon can make his case. This is Athena speaking out against the wishes of another god in the presence of Cronion himself, for the cause of a mere mortal, however great that mortal may be. Feminine strength and wisdom is not only present in the goddess Athena, but is shown by Penelopeia. On page eight Penelopeia is described as a wise and faithful wife, and a beautiful creature. In his time stranded on the island Odysseus has slept with Calypso a number of times and will again before he bids her farewell. Odysseus caves into the temptation of a beautiful woman. Penelopeia, however, does all she can to stay faithful to her man; using a bit of trickery to keep from taking one of the suitors in marriage for as long as possible. She not only overcomes any temptation, she rejects it so utterly and completely. This shows the fidelity and strength of women as seen by Homer compared to men. When Odysseus is receiving a beating at the hands of Poseidon as he approaches the Phaiacian Country on a raft, Ino sees him. She is the White Sea Goddess and she feels pity for him. She offers him some advice and gives him a veil. She tells him that so long as he has the veil he cannot be harmed (p 69). This is similar to how Calypso says she saved Odysseus as he was floating in the sea, straddling a ship’s keel (p 65). Like Calypso saving Odysseus, Ino pitying him and giving him the veil is another example of the importance of goddesses in the Odyssey. Again a goddess saves Odysseus. Throughout the book Athena is constantly planning the next phase of Odysseus’ journey. When Athena visits Nausicaa in the house of Alcinoos, she is again working in the favour of Odysseus. This time she is plotting the discovery of Odysseus. She prompts Nausicaa to go out and wash all the linen lying around. After resting in a thicket Odysseus awakes to the sound of Nausicaa and her maids playing at ball. The first thing Odysseus says to Nausicaa is, â€Å"I kneel to thee, Queen† (p 78). This shows great respect on the part of Odysseus, and what he represents, which is the exemplary male. Nausicaa shows her intelligence and wisdom when she instructs Odysseus on how to enter the city. She says to him: Well, I want to avoid any unkind gossip among the people, or some one might blame afterwards. They are very high and mighty in our town; some evil-minded person might say, ‘Who is this fine big stranger with Nausicaa? Where did she pick him up? Will be a husband for her, no doubt†¦Perhaps she had tired out some god with her prayers, and down he comes from heaven to have her forever more! ’ That’s what they will say, and it might bring me into disgrace† (p 81). So she tells Odysseus to wait in her father’s orchard outside the city until he thinks that she has reached her father’s house. Then he should enter the city and ask for the mansion of Prince Alcinoos, (pp 81-82). It is also clear that Athena is at work because after saying, â€Å"†¦ask the way to the mansion of Prince Alcinoos†, she then goes on to say, â€Å"It is easy to know it, a little child could lead you† (p 82). As Odysseus is making his way into the city Athena covers him in a thick mist. Then she meets him in the form of a little girl and she is from whom Odysseus asks the directions to the mansion of Alcinoos. This is a particularly amusing act by Athena. Unfortunately, not all the women in the Odyssey are faithful and loving towards their husbands returning from battle. The treachery of women in the Odyssey is best shown by the tales of Ares and Aphrodite. Also by the cheerless fable of Agamemnon: He told how first they lay secretly in the house of Hephaistos himself. Ares brought her many gifts and dishonoured the bed of Lord Hephaistos; but before long Helios the sun came and told him that he had seen them lying in a†¦ loving embrace. Hephaistos heard the cruel tale†¦ Ares kept no blind man’s watch. He saw the master-craftsman going away; he made haste to the house of the famous smith, eager for the love of garlanded Cythereia. She had just come in from Almighty Cronion her father, and there she was sitting in the house when he entered. He clasped her hand, and said: ‘Come my, my love, let us to bed and take our joy! Hephaistos is not in the place, but I think he is gone already to Lemnos†¦She was filled with joy at the thought, and they lay down on the bed (p 98). These are the words of a deeply disappointed Agamemnon as he describes his final hour to Odysseus: †¦ No enemy struck me down on dry land; but Aigisthos plotted my death with my accursed wife – invited me to his house, set me down to a banquet, butchered me as if I was an ox at the manger! †¦ Most frightful of all was the shriek of Cassandra†¦ I heard it when the traitress Clytaimnestra killed her over my body†¦ as I lay dying with a sword through my body: the bitch turned her back†¦(p 144). Clearly the women in the two stories never had a discussion with Penelopeia or Bright Eyes. They represent the absolute opposite of what Penelopeia stands for, which is faithfulness and wisdom. Homer’s Odyssey Illustrates some of the roles played by women. These roles are not only played out in the book. They can be interpreted as proceedings that took place in Homer’s time, and may even be happening today. Some of the most significant aspects of women are also noted. In the Odyssey Homer does not fail to state the beauty of women and goddesses. Whether the women or goddesses are an obstacle in the eyes of the great hero Odysseus, or they serve him well and protect him, their beauty is always so significant. The wisdom of women is also an element of great importance, like that of Athena. In the book Odysseus is saved time and time again by the intelligence and the wisdom of goddesses and women. However, the treachery of some women is also an element of great consequence treachery that is devastating and treachery that brings about death and humiliation. These are the aspects of the feminine mind, heart and body that are illuminated in the Odyssey.