Skylar Osterman

10/16/2003

Women of The Odyssey

When discussing characters from The Odyssey, most people talk about men such as Odysseus or Telemachos. However, there are also the un-discussed characters: the women. Namely Penelopeia, Eurycleia and Athena. Penelopeia was clever and loyal and waited for her husband but was also the cause of chaos in his house; Eurycleia cared for Odysseus and his family like they were her own; and Athena guided Odysseus and Telemachos through all of their trials. All three women had important roles in the story and without them it is unlikely that the men would have gotten anywhere.

When Odysseus left Ithaca to fight at Troy he left behind his beautiful wife Penelopeia. Penelopeia was clever as well as attractive and besides had a rich father and husband, so when everyone thought that Odysseus was lost for good it was no surprise that suitors came to call on her. Although her husband had been absent for twenty years and the suitors were slowly destroying her house, Penelopeia remained firm and would not marry any of them. However, despite this display of will and defiance, Penelopeia was often portrayed as a very weak character. She would not marry any of the suitors, but she never out-right turned them down and forced them to leave her and her house alone. Also, Penelopeia spent all of her time crying about her husband and allowed her son to tell her what to do. Of course, these were not exactly character defects in Penelopeia; the time and place of the story had very strict and sexist rules that made it so that women had little to no rights or power.

Then there was the woman who had cared for all of Odysseus’ family: Eurycleia. She was nurse maid to Odysseus’ son and thought of him as children of her own, which was clearly portrayed in the book. When Telemachos informed Eurycleia of his departure she became extremely distressed and tried to stop him. She was also the housekeeper and took care of both Penelopeia and Telemachos. When Odysseus finally revealed himself it was Eurycleia who went to Penelopeia to tell her. She was clearly the most important of the maids and perhaps of all of the servants, although the swineherd seemed rather important to Odysseus as well.

The real guide of the entire story was Athena who led Odysseus and Telemachos through their adventures and finally back to Ithaca and peace. At the beginning of the story Athena comes to Telemachos in the form of a friend of Odysseus’ to finally goad him into action against the suitors. From that point on she gently guided Telemachos so that he evolved into a person more like his father. As for Odysseus, it was Athena who made a speech to the gods convincing them to force Calypso to free Odysseus. Later on Athena led Odysseus to the palace of Alcinoös in the form a child and instructed him on how to speak to the queen, Arêtê. In the end when Odysseus and his people are fighting one another it is Athena who forces them to make peace with one another, ending Odysseus’ quest once and for all.

Overall the women of The Odyssey deserve a lot more credit than is given them. While it is true that women, other than goddess’, rarely do anything in Greek myths they often play important roles. The entire Trojan War was because of one woman: Helen. Penelopeia, Eurycleia and Athena were all important to Odysseus and his adventures. Penelopeia waited loyally for Odysseus for twenty years; Eurycleia took care of his family for him; and Athena guided and helped him through all of his adventures. Without these women, and several others who got little credit, The Odyssey never would have worked.