The Odyssey is filled with a plethora of men, some admirable and some not, who have to fulfill goals; for their countries, for their families, and/or for themselves. Odysseus’s journey from the island of Ogygia back to his home land, Ithaca, give the reader a glimpse into not only his personal obstacles, but other mens’ along the way. Coincidentally, most of these hindrances are caused by the seduction, wit, beauty, or sheer strength in body and mind, of women along the way. The ladies of the story, like Calypso, Scylla, and the Sirens all take part in providing enough of a distraction, thanks to the qualities mentioned, to halt and/or intimidate men on missions. Although these women aren’t always the focus of the plot, and are usually included as a interference (which adds to the point), they fully make a case for the power of femininity.
- Sirens of Seduction Book XII, Lines 200-208
- -This passage is describing the efforts that Odysseus’ crew made to keep him safe from the sirens’ song, while taking their own precautions with “sweet wax”
- -The sheer power of the beautiful voice of a siren is enough to take a man down, not physically but in every other facet of his life (home life, happiness)
- -Sirens can only affect men/are not a hindrance to other women… Unity? Togetherness?
- -Femininity: Meadow habitat, favorable voice, play upon the conventional weaknesses of men (forgetfulness, unawareness)
- The sirens are unique because they don’t necessarily do anything “bad” other than produce an irresistible noise form their mouths that draw men in. The best thing about this is that seduction is seen as an inherently feminine quality, giving the sirens a metaphorical significance for women in general, and how they are able to bring men to their knees. Their role in the story could very well be seen as a stab at women, given the sirens’ ability to ruin the home lives, and lives in general, of men. However, it’s better seen as female strength.
2. Scylla of Strength Book XII, Lines 263-267
- -Scylla, debatably, is the most intimidating and feared character in the story, possessing an incredible amount of strength and evilness
- -However, her ability to evoke fear in the minds of all men, and also take down any that come by her, is a fantastic showcasing of feminine power
- -Her abilities aren’t typically feminine at all, but the fact that she is indeed a female character gives more credibility to women as a whole
- -Her description and role were perhaps meant to be a dig at women, but ended up further supporting female power
- Scylla is by far the scariest threat to mankind in the story, which is cool because women, historically, are seen as quite the opposite. She is described as being insurmountable, and downright scary as she rules her mountain. It was refreshing seeing an Ursula-type woman in the story, because conventionally, the characters who possess this kind of strength and threat are men.
3. Calypso of Care Book V, Lines 191-204
- -The nymph Calypso, through beauty, power, and seduction, was able to keep Odysseus on her island for almost 10 years
- -Was able to provide him with pleasure and sexual satisfaction in light of his incurable lament for his family and homeland
- -She was very domestic, caring, and almost wife-like to Odysseus – all very feminine values. Had this been a man keeping Odysseus against his will, one who couldn’t provide him with sex and care, he most likely wouldn’t have lasted
- -Calypso also made a great feminist argument supporting her perseverance and justification in keeping Odysseus on her island
- Interestingly enough, Calypso only did favorable things to Odysseus, beside her keeping him against his will. She cared for him, gave him anything he could possibly need, and sexually satisfied him. In the big scheme of things, she was really the least physically or emotionally threatening, which makes her ability to set Odysseus back seven plus years that much more impressive, and makes her feminine identity very admirable. I want to make sure to mention her speech about gender inequality and double standards.
Your outline was very solid; it sketched out your main points clearly. I liked the little alliteration thing you did with each of the female characters, you should definitely include that in your essay. All your points have a strong connection that flows smoothly. There is not much to critique, based on your outline, you should be able to write a well-crafted essay.
Regina!
I love how you describe whether or not the character in question conforms to traditional femininity, and how being female affects each character’s specific strengths/powers. The contrast between the Sirens and Scylla is fascinating; how, though both are female, they utilize their strengths in markedly different ways but are still fatal to men regardless. I think it’s a great idea to include Calypso’s speech about gender double standards, especially because, like you alluded, Calypso is a complex character, what with her domestic side and her powerful seductive side and how the two sides work together. Your section headers in the outline break down your essay really well, too, I think. Just by themselves, they show how many different characteristics are represented by women in the epic. Nice!
Wonderful outline! There are two ideas that stood out to me: (1) The seeming innocence of the Sirens. I find this to be a brilliant point that really exemplifies your entire thesis. The entire crew and its leader are completely paralyzed by this irresistible singing. The strength here opposes that of men, however, still in a way that categorizes women as nice and pretty not brute and scary. (2) Calypso was a hindrance by means of her love! That is such a strange concept. It almost seems like she is in the position of power, but it is maintained through her employment of classical feminine tactics. I would maybe play with this a bit more. The Odyssey does provide women with a certain power, but it still functions within the (somewhat) sexist framework that women are only good for singing, sex, and general pleasure.
Everything is really nicely laid out here and I think the effort you put in here to establish your outline will make writing your paper a seamless and enjoyable process. Excellent analysis and outline!
Hi Regina,
This is, I think going to be a very well-structured paper. I want you to think hard about your claim, which at this stage is a little descriptive. Right now, you’re claiming that women are/femininity is a hindrance to men. And, as a reader, I want to know WHY. Some of your evidence suggests that, for these figures, Odysseus’ journey is not a central concern; impeding it is merely instrumental to some other end or goal. That’s fascinating, and brings up the issue of perspective. What are the DESIRES of these female characters? Are these desires the misogynistic projections of a kind of dislocated masculine/patriarchal ideology, underpinning the poem? Or is something else going on?
Really interesting, provocative work so far.
(Also! Ursula may well be influenced by the Odyssey, albeit perhaps indirectly. In the epic tradition, especially in the Renaissance, women who appear normal from the waist up and have tentacles (or snakes) from the waist down pop up all over the place. I’m pretty sure that SOMEONE on Disney’s animating team had this in mind when creating a mer-octopus.)