Women in the Odyssey: Female characters in the Odyssey usually are not the central focus in the epic, but they help move along the plot: whether it be helping a man’s journey or hindering it.
Athena: She uses her magic to change Odysseus’ appearance to help him with his journey. First she makes him look unrecognizable, like an old man, so that he can enter his homeland without being recognized by his people. Then she changes him to his idealized, godlike self, so that he could reunite with Telemachus and tell him about his plans to return things to how they should be.
“She shriveled the flesh on his gnarled limbs,/ And withered his tawny hair. She wrinkled the skin/ All over his body so he looked like a man,/ And she made his beautiful eyes bleary and dim” (Book 14, Lines 447-50).
“A fresh tunic and cloak replaced his rags,/ And he was taller and younger, his skin tanned,/ His jawline firm, and his beard glossy black./ Having worked her magic, the goddess left” (Book 16, Lines 184-87).
Calypso: She distracts Odysseus from continuing his journey back. She keeps him hostage on her island for many years, making his journey home further delayed.
“‘…he’s still languishing on that island, detained/ Against his will by that nymph Calypso,/ No way in the world for him to get back to his land'” (Book 5, Lines 15-17).
Penelope: She hinders the suitors pursuit to wed her and gain control of her house by promising to choose one of them to marry once she finishes weaving a robe. However, every night she unweaves what she wove during the day to delay getting rewed. The delay is also how she helps control the environment at her house as she waits for Odysseus to return from his journey.
“‘Every day she would weave at the great loom,/ And every night she would unweave by torchlight./ She fooled [the suitors] for three years with her craft'” (Book 2, Lines 113-115).
I really like how you focused on Athena’s powers, regarding the passages you chose, to represent her. She’s immortally beautiful, and extremely witty, but her capabilities are what stood out most in the story; How she aided so many and expected nothing in return.
Penelope is so underrated in The Odyssey, and you definitely are pointing it out in your brainstorming. For so long, she endured unwelcome guests, harassment, and immense sadness, and somehow keeps it together with her intelligence and perseverance.
One suggestion for Calypso; You could include parts of the description about the island itself and Odysseus’s time there to somewhat support the thesis (if it fits into the essay).
It’s cool that our papers are very similar, but focus on different people in the story. You seem to have a great outline and keep it to-the-point (which I admire). I’m excited to see what it grows into.
I like the ideas behind your thesis, and I think the text you chose supports your point. Your discussion of Penelope is really interesting, and I like what you said here: “The delay is also how she helps control the environment at her house as she waits for Odysseus to return from his journey.” I think that could be another topic you might want to focus on in your paper, as a way to make the thesis as thought-out and argumentative as possible. How do the women in the story control not only Odysseus’ journey but the environment at large? How does their presence affect and play into the more expansive world of the literature? I think it was smart that you included Athena, as well, to demonstrate the point that women have the ability to help Odysseus along on his journey rather than just to hinder his progress. You could also potentially raise an interesting point about Calypso; she all but locks Odysseus away on her island only to provide him with instructions on how to return home safely later on. Calypso goes from hinder-er to helper. Overall, I think your paper could lead well to a discussion about gender dynamics and stereotypes, if you choose to go in such a direction. What forces in The Odyssey attempt to suppress the women, and how are the women able to rise above those forces? What does that say about the women as characters in the epic? Would Odysseus’ journey even be possible (or necessary) without the women who partake? I think your thesis has a lot of potential, and it could lead you down a number of paths. I’m interested in seeing where it goes!
Fean,
I think this paper has really excellent potential. I agree with Lilli in many ways. I will articulate them through my own words, but I think she made two great points.
(1) I initially grouped the three characters your brought into two: Athena as a facilitator and Calypso and Penelope as hindrances. However, upon some reconsideration, and based on the order that you listed them (thought this could have been unintentional), you can really trace the entire gamut of involvement that female characters have in our epic. This can be accomplished by portraying Calypso as a character that exemplifies both types of involvement. While it is true that she keeps Odysseus on her island for many years, she, ultimately, does provide him with instructions to continue on his journey. In a sense, Odysseus was stuck on the island even if Calypso let him go. With this in mind, I’ll turn to the second point.
(2) The journey of Odysseus does not continue without women. Thinking further about the female characters who weave and the faiths who also weave. Life itself is dependent on women.
I am not certain how you will fit this all in only four pages, but I do think this paper can be very thorough and nuanced.