Women in the Odyssey and Iliad: Roles, Power, and Identity

Introduction

The roles, ideals, and views of men in ancient civilization have been explored extensively in literature—from the famous kings of Israel to the mathematicians and philosophers of Greece. By contrast, the historical record contains far less literature about women in ancient civilization. Nevertheless, several masterpieces, including the Homeric poems the Odyssey and the Iliad, provide a glimpse of the ideals, position, and role of women in the ancient world. Women play a fundamental role in life by assuming multiple responsibilities, as portrayed in the epic poem Odyssey. That epic presents the role of women through the facets of power, sexuality, and interaction with men.

An analysis of the women in the poems reveals a challenge to the space of women as traditionally defined by the patriarchal Greek society. The Homeric poems carry a distinct feminist message about the struggle women endure as they try to free themselves from a patriarchal order. Throughout the poems, women are viewed through diverse lenses—evil, good, enslaved, and sexual. The difference between the women in the Odyssey and the Iliad is most clearly illustrated by their passivity in war. The Odyssey and the Iliad illustrate women as victors and victims of war, respectively. Unlike the Iliad, where women play a largely passive role, the women in the Odyssey assume an exceptionally large role irrespective of their lack of formal status equal to men.

The Role of Women in the Odyssey

Women in the Odyssey portray a nurturing character on one side and a monstrous character on the other. Homer reflects the influential role women have in society throughout the Odyssey. The poem characterizes women with diverse qualities. Notwithstanding the harmful qualities displayed by goddesses such as Circe, the poem also displays desirable qualities of womanhood through the goddess Athena. While the poem portrays Athena as a virgin goddess, it portrays Circe as a witch and goddess who engages in sexual adventures.

Athena, the daughter of Zeus, assumes a peacemaking and assisting role throughout the plot. Athena is the mighty goddess of strategy and wisdom, playing an imperative role in the Odyssey. In the epic poem, Athena assumes the role of protector and wise counselor by fighting alongside both Odysseus and his son Telemachus. She consistently provides strength and protection to other characters in the plot. Through Athena's divine interventions, Telemachus and his father Odysseus are ultimately reunited. By instilling strength and confidence in Telemachus, Athena assists his path toward reconnecting with his father as well as his journey to manhood: "I meanwhile will go to Ithaca, approach his son, put more strength in his heart, give him courage…"¹ As Odysseus and his son embark on their journey home, they face great tribulation, which Athena's assistance and advice help them overcome, allowing Odysseus to emerge as the hero. Trip planning, divine inspiration, and social counsel are the gifts Athena offers to Telemachus. She also persuades the Olympian court and Zeus to free Odysseus and reunite him with his family, demonstrating her loyalty and care for the household. Athena strategically presents her plea when the goddess Poseidon, who held wrath against Odysseus, had traveled to Ethiopia: "All the gods felt pity for him except for Poseidon, who still nursed unabated wrath against godlike Odysseus…"² Using her skills of wisdom and strategy, Athena employs disguise to inspire Prince Telemachus to embark on a search for his father.

The plot contains several instances of disguise by Athena, including her assuming the forms of a family friend, advisor, and mentor. Athena disguises herself as Odysseus's old friend Mentes, predicting that Odysseus will return to Ithaca. Similarly, she disguises herself as Prince Telemachus to recruit crewmembers for the voyage. Athena's move to influence Telemachus to find his father shapes his journey to manhood. Not only does her power of transformation and disguise inspire Telemachus to seek his father, but it also brings together multiple people on the journey and keeps them resolute throughout the voyage despite their doubts. Athena's mission concludes with the restoration of peace in Odysseus's palace: "…she directs Odysseus's triumph, causing the suitors' spears to go astray and finally imposing on them a wild mania…"³ Disguised as a mentor, Athena leads Odysseus to triumph over his palace—a plot that demonstrates the strategizing skill and resourcefulness associated with women. As Athena assumes a supervisory role and guides the reunification of the family, she challenges the Olympian and mortal social structures that are male-dominated. The plot demonstrates explicitly the significance of women without departing from a patriarchal ideological framework.

Contrary to the positive and informed qualities demonstrated by the goddess Athena, the goddess Circe demonstrates harmful qualities. Odysseus's visit to Aeaea involves an encounter with Circe, who tricks his crewmembers into drinking elixirs that erase their memory and transform them into swine—with the exception of Eurylochus: "When they drink the potion she offers, they are stupefied, and, struck by the magic wand, are transformed into pigs."⁴ Learning that the crew has been turned into swine, Odysseus—aided by Hermes' herb Moly—enters Circe's palace without being bewitched. Subsequently, Circe and Odysseus make love, and the crew is released. The plot carries a sexual undertone, as Circe's intimacy with Odysseus persuades her to restore the crewmembers to human form. Circe then directs Odysseus and his crew on how to safely navigate their voyage back to Ithaca.

The Circe episode illustrates the social constructs of society. A central theme highlights gender complementarity and sexual orientation. The conversion of men into swine reflects a gluttonous and lustful characteristic attributed to men. Circe's role connects to the archetype of the autonomous, independent woman who poses a threat to men in a patriarchal society. The goddess embodies a womanly nature that is terrible, seductive, irrational, and cruel—yet also loving, which stands contrary to the patriarchal definition of women's character. The plot portrays Circe as a sexually attractive and beautiful goddess who uses her sexuality to control men. Additionally, the narrative frames women as the weaker sex whose sexual irrationality could undermine military campaigns. In this context, Odysseus's encounter constitutes a test of men's ability to contain their instincts. The sexual encounter that leads to Odysseus overstaying on Aeaea Island, and Circe's poisoning of his crew, illustrates the weakness of men in overcoming temptation and underscores the significance of self-restraint, determination, and heroic character. However, Circe is also portrayed as a helper and protector, shielding Odysseus's crew from the dangers of the underworld. Her power enables her to travel invisibly to the underworld, and she uses that knowledge to direct Odysseus and his crew safely.

Conclusion

In the Iliad, Homer accentuates the ineffectuality and helplessness of women characters. On the contrary, the Odyssey demonstrates a successful endeavor of women in influencing men within a patriarchal society. While the voices of women in the Odyssey are actively accepted and heeded, the silencing of women's voices persists among the three women characters in the Iliad.

The Homeric poems display the depth of women's emotions and feelings through their characters in both the Iliad and the Odyssey. The three characters in the Iliad—Andromache, Helen, and Briseis—experience the loss of loved ones in war, leaving them with sorrow and distress. While Andromache struggles with her husband's reckless courage, Helen struggles with her husband's lack of it; yet neither woman successfully shapes her husband's decisions. These events illustrate women's helplessness and their struggle to influence the course of events in a patriarchal society. The men's dismissal of women's counsel and guidance in the Iliad is a direct reversal of the dynamic in the Odyssey, where women not only provide direction (Circe) but also lead and triumph in war (Athena).

Disguise is a prevalent phenomenon in both epics. When the goddess Iris, disguised as Aphrodite, summons Helen, Helen involuntarily ends up in bed with Paris—a scene that contrasts sharply with the consensual intimacy of Odysseus and Circe. The difference in women's sexual independence is thus displayed across the two epics. Homer portrays three women characters—Circe, Helen, and Briseis—as seductive and loving, yet simultaneously as instigators of harm. All three are characterized as using their feminine attributes to win over men, a dynamic that could be interpreted as reflecting the patriarchal anxiety about female influence.

Taken together, the two poems characterize women in multiple lights: as powerful, loving, helpful, trophies, and lovers, among other roles. However, a recurrent theme is the perceived passive role of women in society. The tragedies of the epic poems argue implicitly for a social order that departs from the passive positioning of women and recognizes their full potentialities.