Odysseus and the Sirens: John William Waterhouse
Penelope and the Suitors: John William Waterhouse
John William Waterhouse, an English painter of the late 19th and early 20th Centuries, portrays the two above illustrations from The Odyssey. These two paintings, juxtaposed, reveal many of the cross cutting themes in The Odyssey, specifically the role of gender in ancient Greece. Throughout much of The Odyssey, female characters are generally given roles without much power, such as being head of the household. This begins to change in Books 9-12, as women such as Circes, Scylla, and the Sirens are given stronger monstrous forms.
The first image depicts Odysseus and his men while they defend themselves from the songs of the Sirens. The second image depicts Penelope while she is weaving her loom and is seduced by the suitors. Both Penelope and Odysseus are being seduced and lust is portrayed in an opposite manner. The suitors appear to beg Penelope for her attention, whereas Odysseus is tied to a pole while the Sirens surround him. The role of gender in these two images is reversed; Odysseus is helpless and appears weak, the opposite of idealistic masculinity in Ancient Greece. Additionally, both Penelope and Odysseus are cleverly escaping their situations. Odysseus has tied himself to the pole to not fall victim to the Siren’s songs, while Penelope is unweaving the loom each night so that she will not have to marry any of the suitors.
While both images were painted by the same artist, John William Waterhouse, they appear vastly different. One employs watercolor techniques, while Penelope and the Suitors is painted in a more realistic style. Odysseus and the Sirens also is more colorful, and takes advantage of the contrast between the beauty of the sea and nature and the despair that Odysseus and his men are faced with. Penelope and the Suitors uses darker colors to exemplify the gloom that she is facing while longing for Odysseus to return. Another interesting aspect of gender in Penelope’s image is that all of the male suitors are on the outside of the house, attempting to enter, while the three females are on the inside.
I was really intrigued by your commentary in regards to the role of gender seen throughout both of your chosen pieces! I like how you spoke about the differences in the way that each person who is being seduced is behaving and how they appear to look. Odysseus’ body language in the first piece shows him to be leaning towards the Sirens as they approach him from one side. Penelope, on the other hand, seems to be displaying a different kind of body language as she leans away from her suiters and turns her back to them. I did also like how you connected Odysseus’ position to the idealistic masculinity seen by the Ancient Greeks.
I got a slightly different read on the role of gender in both these pieces, especially since Waterhouse is known for his ‘Waterhouse girls”. He strongly impacted today’s beauty ideals of women so I think you were right to focus on his portrayal of gender. However, in both scenes women are depicted as temptresses and men cannot control themselves around them. While the sirens actively pursue controlling men, Penelope rages against this part of herself and uses her wit to escape. Notably, Odysseus did not have to listen to the song of the sirens, he chose to.
And I think some analysis needs to be done on how the suitors and sirens compare. Both are nearly attacking Penelope and Odysseus, respectively. They are breaching the physical holds of the balcony and boat to try to force themselves upon the protagonists. It certainly brings up questions of how the characters view lust and love. Penelope chooses to use her wit to keep her suitors at bay, while Odysseus willingly exposes himself to the sirens song even knowing it could put his life, and those of his men, in peril.
Hi Arthur,
I am taken with your point that these paintings depict similar situations of seduction, but with the genders reversed. As you note, compared to Penelope, Odysseus appears somewhat helpless (though in leaning slightly forward–perhaps straining against his restrains–he takes a remarkably active pose). I think Penelope’s posture bears further analysis. She takes up an enormous amount of space in the picture, and her pose of concentration over the loom is extremely energetic. It almost looks as though she is drawing a bow! It’s also interesting that Odysseus looks directly at the Sirens, even seeming to seek their gaze, while Penelope’s attention is entirely away from the suitors.
Well-chosen works of art, with a solid analysis. Good work.
-Prof Kolb