Question

3. Whether they be human, divine, or monstrous, female figures in The Odyssey are surprisingly strong. In your response, compare two or three different female figures (one must be a female from section three, i.e., Penelope or Athena) and analyze the kinds of strength they possess. How do they differ? How are they similar? Also, speculate why the poem contains so many power females.

Answer 1

The of the most important women in The Odyssey were Athena, Kalypso and Penelope.

1- Athena is the goddess of wisdom, war and justice. She comes in and saves the day whenever she sees fit, but without letting her followers know much of what her ultimate plan is. For her, blood-shedding is necessary sometimes. However, we see her preventing excessive death for the sake of real justice. Her strength is demonstrated not only in her supernatural abilities, but also in her control of the situation and how much involved she becomes in them.

2- Kalypso is another goddess of an island in the middle of the sea, surrounded by her all-female maid entourage. She holds Odysseus captive for 7 years as her sex slave because of her desperate need for affection. Her strength is demonstrated in her will at having to let go of Odysseus by Zeus's command. Although she loves him, and wants him to be her eternal husband by making him immortal, she understands that he has to go and lets him do so.

3- Last but not least, Penelope. Her ultimate strength is demonstrated by her determination to wait for her beloved husband for such a long time. Even when the times got difficult and her life and well-being were at risk when the suitors took over, she still believed that Odysseus would return for her, and loved him more by the day.

4- We could infer that the presence of strong women in this poem, and many others from greek mythology, could mean the possibility for people to rise above the expectations other people have from them by using their power. These are examples of divine and human powerful women, who share that much in common.