Women Heroes In The Odyssey Essay

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Briana Norton Mrs. Nicci Brown-GPS 210 29 January 2013 Women heroes of the Odyssey In Homer’s Odyssey, the women have a major impact within this epic. Though in most stories and even in todays world, women are said to be inferior to men and play minor roles therefor they fall into the background. The two that have had the most effect on me is Athena and Penelope; these women have much in common, both wise and clever in their own sly ways. Athena the daughter of Zeus who is also the goddess of wisdom, craft and warfare, plays a vast role in the fate of the mortals within the epic. While Penelope, a mortal, also has an important role. Although it does not seem as great as Athena’s, Penelope is a very strong and independent woman.…show more content…
For twenty years now Penelope has maintained the city of Ithaca as well as raised her son Telemachus all by herself. This shows her power and strength because it proves that women can also keep a kingdom such as Ithaca from dwindling. In the story we read about the suitors begging for her hand in marriage when we truly know all they want is to be King of Ithaca. Penelope is a strong willed women; not wanting to believe that her husband is dead and therefor refuses all of the suitors. Even though Penelope has no powers or immortality she still holds true to what she believes and is patiently awaiting for her husbands return. Another characteristic I admire about Penelope is her cleverness and intelligence, which is why her and Odysseus are alike for he is known for his cleverness as well. When Athena disguises Odysseus as a beggar and he brings himself to Penelope, she questions him at first. Penelope declares a competition stating, “Now, I mean to announce a contest with those axes, the ones he would often line up inside the hall, twelve in a straight unbroken like blocks to store a keel, then stand well back and whip an arrow through the lot”(510). Finally after Odysseus wins she still questions and then one last time thinks of a clever way to make sure this man is not an imposter and then tests Odysseus another time by calling

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