The Odyssey Positive And Negative Roles - 2124 Words

Throughout the Odyssey women play a substantial role in the epic poem; in the story women play both positive and negative roles, sometimes a little of both, some the women in the book also play a role of seductresses. Since the epic poem is mainly about Odysseus’s ten year journey home to Ithaca and his wife and the obstacles he encounters and has to overcome on the way many of those involving women, women that are positive in the Odyssey are Penelope, Athena, Nausicaa and Helen who help Odysseus during his journey, and Telemachus in finding Odysseus; some of the women who are negative in the Odyssey are the Sirens, Melantho and Clytemnestra, then some that are both positive and negative are Kalypso and Circe, the seductresses throughout the Odyssey are Circe and the Sirens . Whether women play a seductive, positive or a negative role or both in the Odyssey, they contribute to the plot considerably. The women who portrayed a positive role throughout the Odyssey are Penelope, A thena, Nausicaa and Helen . Penelope played a positive role throughout, by playing a con on the suitors which was â€Å"let me finish my weaving before I marry, or else my thread will have been spun in vain† (288). The con is that she appears to the suitors who are trying to marry her that she’s giving up hope that her husband Odysseus will ever come back by saying that she’ll marry someone when she’s done weaving, leading the suitors to think that she’ll be finished with it in no time; but she secretlyShow MoreRelated 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 MorePenelope in The Odyssey Essay1103 Words   |  5 Pages Penelope: In the opening chapters of The Odyssey Penelope is angry, frustrated, and helpless. She misses her husband, Odysseus. She worries about the safety of her son, Telemakhos. Her house is overrun with arrogant men who are making love to her servants and eating her out of house and home, all the while saying that they are courting her. She doesnt want to marry any of them, and their rude behavior can hardly be ca lled proper courtship. 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After his time in battle, he was faced with various trials and tribulations, as he moved across the vast world. Throughout his 10 years away from his homeland, he longed to return home to Ithaca, ultimately to be reunited with his wife and son. Homer, the author of this epic poem, as well as the preceding book named