Question

How many of the monsters or threats to Odysseus in this part of the epic are female? What do you think of the way women are portrayed so far?

Answer 1

Four of the threats that faced Odysseus were women; Calypso, Circe, the Sirens and Scylla. The women are either represented as promiscuous or dangerous because of their actions towards Odysseus. Calypso and Circe both sleep with Odysseus even after causing him harm. Also, the Sirens wanted to harm Odysseus and his shipmen while Scylla ate six of the men. I think most women in the epic so far are shown as not respected and the fact that they are easily defeated by Odysseus shows that they are not as powerful.

Answer 2

Four of the monsters were women. Women in the Odyssey are mostly portrayed as sneaky, sly, or devilish.