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 are the most powerful.

The Role of Mortal Women

The women of Homeric society are an integral part of The Odyssey and many of the female characters are held in high esteem. A passage that illustrates this the description of Arete, the wife of Alkinoos:

He "gave her such pride of place as no to her woman on earth is given of such women as are now alive and keep house for husbands. So she was held high in the heart and still she is so, by her beloved children, by Alinnoos himself and by the people, who look toward her as to a god when they see her (vii. 66-71).

The passage goes on to pay tribute to her intelligence, her friendliness and peacemaking abilities. The daughter of Arete, Nausikaa who defended Odysseus, is also compared to a goddess in book vi. 16. Penelope, Odysseus' wife, is a central character in The Odyssey and whom Odysseus ultimately wants to reach. It could perhaps be said that Penelope is his ultimate goal in his wanderings, without her representing...

There is Aktoris, Penelope's maid who guarded the door to Odysseus and Penelope's chamber while he was away (xxiii. 226-229). There are those described as hateful, as Eriphyle, "Who accepted precious gold for the life of her own dear husband (xi. 326-327)
Despite the fact that women play a significant role in The Odyssey, it is interesting to note that, though many are esteemed, they are identified with fathers, sons and husbands, as if they would not be important if they were not coupled with a male. Odysseus furthers this idea when he says, "but I could not ell over the whole number of them nor name all the women I saw who were the wives and daughters of heroes" (xi 327-329). While Homerian society respects most of the women and women are crucial to the well being of the society, they are subjected to men for their social status and their reputations. In a reprimand of Penelope, Telemachus describes the view men have of women in Homeric society. "[Penelope] go therefore back in the house, and take up your own work, the loom and the distaff, and see to it that your handmaidens ply their work also; but the men must see to discussion . . . For mine is the power in this household (i. 356-360). The result of this view is that women must use…