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Women's Roles In The Odyssey

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In the epic Odysseus, readers see that men and women play very different roles in the Greek culture. Women can have very powerful roles that range from goddesses to queens. Many times in this epic, women display that they have control over men, and they can influence a man to do anything they want. But, men have different views on different classes of women, and they value high class women more than lower women. When a man and woman marry, the woman is expected to be loyal to him when he is away. The same act is expected of the men, however, showing that both genders are important in the Greek culture. Women are shown to be either very powerful or very mistreated depending on social class, whereas men are shown to be powerful, free warriors. …show more content…
When Odysseus is trying to return home, Athena guarantees him “victory,” and she uses the power that she possesses to help Odysseus get back home safely. Describing the victory, Homer says, “The suitors threw again with all their strength, but Athena turned their shots.”(XXII) In this moment, Athena uses her godlypowers and saves Odysseus from the suitors’ spears, but she has also done this many other times during Odysseus’ journey. Athena determines whether Odysseus succeeds or dies and she saves him, which is why she plays an important role in the epic of Odysseus. Helen is another important woman in the Odyssey. When the Trojan war starts, Helen is under attack, which is why Odysseus left Ithaca. Many men wanted to marry Helen, which is why Helen’s father made all of the suitors sign a contract stating that they would protect her if any war starts near Troy. Even her father uses her power to provide protection for his city. Helen’s power dragged Odysseus away from Ithaca, causing him to be lost at sea for 10 years. Helen’s beauty and her royal position in Troy made her almost invincible because of all of the kings who promised to use all of their military and resources to protect her. Both Helen and Athena hold powerful positions in their cultures, and they use their power to manipulate and influence

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