Penelope, Clytaemestra, Athena, and Helen of Homer’s Odyssey Essay exam

The speci manpower Women of homing pigeons Odyssey antediluvian Greek society treated women as secondary citizens. Restrictions were placed on the social and domestic actions of many racy women in ancient Athens. The women visualized in Homers Odyssey, on the other hand, atomic number 18 the ideal. Penelope, Clytaemestra, Athena, and Helen be all women with stupendous liberty and power. Before comparing the women of the Odyssey to those of Athens, it is safe to take a expect into the lives of the latter. A respected woman was to go for characteristics including obedience, virtue, refinement, productivity, honor, beauty, talent and intelligence (social consciousness). Sarah B. Pomeroy has analyze this aspect of ancient life and discusses it in her book, Families in Classical and classic Greece. She states that women from this Athenian polis (city-state) are part of their husbands oikos. Though, these women keep some power inside the oikos, their primary responsibility was the procreation of sons. They held rattling little and most possible no political power. They lived by guidelines facility by society which were evenhandedly restrictive. They must non do tasks protrude of doors, for then they would become the potential drop prey of rapists and seducers (Pomeroy 21). The wife must be kept chaste and pure, and so in that respect was a need for a slave-woman. Not only were the women not allowed outdoors, nevertheless they were not to come into reach with strangers, particularly men. For, men would postulate to win honour for themselves at the write down of other mens honour, and wives were a lot mere adolescents (Pomeroy 21). These mere adolescent wives were not only restrain in their roles as women, they were also physically confined within the walls of ... ...ncient times. Perhaps the men were in fear that the women, were they in the gravel of power, would be as inhibitory as men. For whatever the many reasons for the military post in which the women lived, the truth holds that they are invaluable to society. There may not be a female president for some years to come, but without women in modern society, there would be no male presidents either. flora Cited Aeschylus. Agamemnon. Greek Tragedies. Ed. David Grene and Richmond Lattimore. simoleons U of Chicago P, 1953. 1-61. Homer. The Odyssey. Trans. Robert Fagles. untried York Penguin, 1996. Pomeroy Pomeroy, Sarah B. Families in Classical and Hellenistic Greece Representations and Realities. New York Oxford UP, 1997. Pomeroy2 Pomeroy, Sarah B. Goddesses, Whores, Wives, and Slaves Women in Classical Antiquity. New York Oxford UP. Penelope, Clytaemestra, Athena, and Helen of Homers Odyssey Essay examThe Ideal Women of Homers Odyssey Ancient Greek society treated women as secondary citizens. Restrictions were placed on the social and domestic actions of many aristocratic women in ancient Athens. The women depicted in Homers Odyssey , on the other hand, are the ideal. Penelope, Clytaemestra, Athena, and Helen are all women with exceptional liberty and power. Before comparing the women of the Odyssey to those of Athens, it is beneficial to take a look into the lives of the latter. A respected woman was to have characteristics including obedience, virtue, refinement, productivity, honor, beauty, talent and intelligence (social consciousness). Sarah B. Pomeroy has studied this aspect of ancient life and discusses it in her book, Families in Classical and Hellenistic Greece. She states that women from this Athenian polis (city-state) are part of their husbands oikos. Though, these women have some power within the oikos, their primary responsibility was the procreation of sons. They held very little and most likely no political power. They lived by guidelines set by society which were fairly restrictive. They must not do tasks out of doors, for then they would become the potential prey of rapists and seducers (Pom eroy 21). The wife must be kept chaste and pure, and so there was a need for a slave-woman. Not only were the women not allowed outdoors, but they were not to come into contact with strangers, particularly men. For, men would vie to win honour for themselves at the expense of other mens honour, and wives were often mere adolescents (Pomeroy 21). These mere adolescent wives were not only confined in their roles as women, they were also physically confined within the walls of ... ...ncient times. Perhaps the men were in fear that the women, were they in the position of power, would be as repressive as men. For whatever the many reasons for the situation in which the women lived, the truth holds that they are invaluable to society. There may not be a female president for some years to come, but without women in modern society, there would be no male presidents either. Works Cited Aeschylus. Agamemnon. Greek Tragedies. Ed. David Grene and Richmond Lattimore. Chicago U of Chicago P, 1 953. 1-61. Homer. The Odyssey. Trans. Robert Fagles. New York Penguin, 1996. Pomeroy Pomeroy, Sarah B. Families in Classical and Hellenistic Greece Representations and Realities. New York Oxford UP, 1997. Pomeroy2 Pomeroy, Sarah B. Goddesses, Whores, Wives, and Slaves Women in Classical Antiquity. New York Oxford UP.