Women and Odysseus’s Fate

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Table of Contents

Introduction
Women that Odysseus Meets and Their Roles in His Fate
Athena and Penelope: Roles in Odysseus’s Fate
Conclusion
References

Introduction

Odysseus’s long and dangerous trip to Ithaca after the Trojan War reveals that one person’s tremendous success often results from various actors’ timely contributions. As Odysseus travels and overcomes obstacles, he enjoys active support from his divine protector Athena, whereas Penelope acts as his symbol of hope that inspires him to keep going. In general, female characters play various roles in Odysseus’s fate by creating and destroying barriers to his reunion with the family left in Ithaca. Both Athena and Penelope possess true wisdom, appreciate the hero, and manifest certain loyalty toward him, but their opportunities and styles of action are greatly dissimilar in terms of causing active change to his fate.

Women that Odysseus Meets and Their Roles in His Fate

Throughout the journey, Odysseus meets seven prominent female characters, and four women’s behaviors, especially Athena’s, support him in reaching the destination or recovering from wounds. Athena, aside from appearing as Mentor to support Odysseus’s son, guards the protagonist, enabling him to meet Nausicaa, and shields Odysseus in every deed (Cassling, Aarons, and Terhune 2022, 158; Hom. Od. 13.45-50). Nausicaa and Queen Arete treat Odysseus with mother-like kindness after he survives a storm near Scheria (Hom. Od. 7.65-90). Nausicaa saves him from death by providing clothes and taking him to the town, and Arete receives him warmly and eventually helps him to get new ships from Alcinous (Hom. Od. 7.65-90). In the final part of his journey, Odysseus meets Eurycleia, his old servant, and the woman is the first person who recognizes him despite his unusual looks and keeps his identity a secret (Hom. Od. 23.25). Thus, most women play the role of helpers in the hero’s fate.

Nevertheless, his journey is also fraught with encounters with two ill-wishers attacking his sense of purpose; his faithful wife Penelope does not invest direct effort in bringing the man back to Ithaca. Odysseus travels to Aiaia Island and meets Circe, a goddess with magical powers (Hom. Od. 10.135-140). Willing to capture Odysseus, she turns his crew into animals, making him spend time preparing to defeat her and remove her magic spell (Hom. Od. 10.215-220). Circe’s role is ambiguous as she keeps the hero attached to her for one year but eventually offers him directions regarding going back to Ithaca (Hom. Od. 10.480-495). Calypso, a powerful nymph, holds the hero captive on Ogygia for several years, thus postponing his return to his native island (Hom. Od. 6.245-255). Despite possessing an array of virtues, including loyalty, Penelope remains inactive in her search for Odysseus. However, the memories of her fill the hero with motivation to overcome hindrances throughout the journey (Hom. Od. 5.215-225). Therefore, women in The Odyssey play crucial roles in the protagonist’s fate, including distracting his attention from traveling to Ithaca and fuelling his goal-orientedness.

Athena and Penelope: Roles in Odysseus’s Fate

Among the aforementioned characters, Penelope and Athena represent the most interesting subjects for comparative analysis with regard to their roles in Odysseus’s fate. In stark contrast to Odysseus’s divine protector, Penelope affects his fate indirectly by remaining “a fixed point” in his mind and a telos or something that offers him a sense of purpose (Hauser 2020, 44). Athena’s contributions to Odysseus’s return to Ithaca are far more unambiguous and tangible.

Concerning differences, the characters display opposite behaviors and characteristics, making Athena incomparably more active in promoting the best outcomes for Odysseus. Athena, being a mighty goddess capable of influencing others’ thoughts and taking different forms, clearly takes an active position in terms of promoting the success of Odysseus’s trip (Cassling, Aarons, and Terhune 2022, 158). Athena’s wisdom and power enable her to serve as a source of valuable advice for Odysseus and his son (Cassling, Aarons, and Terhune 2022, 158). Aside from purely informational work, the goddess succeeds in setting up encounters that would increase Odysseus’s chances of survival and eventually bring him back home (Hom. Od. 6.45-50). Specifically, to save the hero from a horrible storm that destroys his ship and leaves him without the crew, Athena approaches Nausicaa, the Princess of Phaeacia, in her dream (Hom. Od. 6.45-50). By encouraging the princess to go to the river, thus finding the storm-tossed hero, Athena ensures his safety through clear action and connects him to people in possession of the fleet that he can find useful (Hom. Od. 6.260-270). Thus, Athena’s role revolves around her activity as the hero’s protector.

As opposed to her immortal counterpart, Penelope has to take a passive approach to Odysseus’s journey and simply wait for his arrival, remaining a symbol of hope and loyalty for Odysseus. While Athena possesses divine powers to protect the hero, Penelope can exert no influence on Odysseus’s life and safety, making passive waiting and protecting her faithfulness the only methods to implement (LaFrentz 2021, 18). Specifically, to meet Odysseus as a faithful wife, Penelope instrumentalizes her mêtis or intelligence to avoid marital unions with dozens of suitors wanting her attention (LaFrentz 2021, 18). Willing to postpone any marriages despite external pressure, she invents a story about making a shroud for Odysseus’s father. She tricks men into thinking that she cannot finish her weaving to continue choosing a husband (LaFrentz 2021, 21). Penelope’s tricks are not as life-saving as Athena’s magic, but they still enable her to meet Odysseus without betraying him.

Being from different realms, the characters still have common characteristics as both demonstrate the mastery of using their feminine aspect of mêtis, which is close to wisdom. Penelope’s rather manipulative intelligence is manifested in her talent to weave complicated plans and tests (LaFrentz 2021, 21). These include Penelope’s plan to make Odysseus describe “the bed, which no other mortal man…has ever seen” to reveal if he is her lost husband (Hom. Od. 23.225-226, translated by Lattimore). Athena’s mêtis is also prominent; she inherits her great intelligence from her mother and uses disguise skillfully to support Odysseus in killing suitors in Ithaca and surviving the storm or reassure the grieving Penelope (LaFrentz 2021, 19). Both women’s wisdom is manifested in their ability to proceed with plans and achieve the set goals without boasting or making the objects of skillful manipulations aware of what has happened to them.

At the same time, to continue on similarities in their impacts on the hero, Penelope and Athena share a genuine love for Odysseus as a husband and a friend, respectively, making them loyal to him in their unique ways. As his wife is mistaken for a widow, Penelope transforms this appreciation into fidelity and treats the memories of Odysseus as something of value despite knowing nothing about the husband’s fate following the Trojan War. Athena feels some psychological rather than romantic connection to the hero, making her act as Odysseus’s loyal friend and protector and provide help without revealing her role in his success. The characters feel some sincere appreciation for Odysseus, the manifestations of which depend on their factual relationship to the hero.

Aside from the unwillingness to share power with potential husbands, Penelope remains faithful to her spouse for two decades out of true love for Odysseus and hoping that he will return. Unlike epic female characters in similar circumstances, for instance, Helen from The Iliad, Penelope is recognized as an example of true faithfulness and thoughtfulness capable of preserving the husband’s family and rights (Lesser 2019, 190). For Penelope, proceeding with her life as if Odysseus is dead could probably mean betraying a like-minded person that she believes to be her fate. The character shares a lot with her husband, including endurance, the prevalence of self-possession over weakness, and intelligence, which keeps their connection strong despite distance and uncertainty (Lesser 2019, 195). Aside from deep feelings, partially due to reassurance and messages from Athena, Penelope never loses hope for the better, which motivates her to trick suitors without responding to their offers clearly (Hom. Od. 19.545-555; Lesser 2019, 197). Eventually, the woman’s years of patience and fidelity are rewarded as the husband finally arrives in Ithaca.

Athena supports Odysseus in overcoming various obstacles during the journey since she regards him as being similar to her in skills and power despite not being a god. She acts as Odysseus’s powerful protector out of sincere respect for him and his ability to use words and weapons (Hom. Od. 13.330-340). Athena admires the hero’s bravery, technical skills, and intellectual sharpness, emphasizing that he overcomes all other mortal men in talent and ability (Hom. Od. 13.330-340). She also highlights her status as one of the mightiest and wisest gods, implying that the two of them are similar in their excellence and wit (Hom. Od. 13.330-340). Therefore, even though she is a divine creature with extraordinary powers, Athena is not free from the influence of personal sympathies. She encourages Zeus to release the man from Ogygia, takes care of Penelope to save her from hopelessness, and connects Odysseus to Nausicaa to make Odysseus’s return possible (Hom. Od. 13.330-340; Lesser 2019, 213). Thus, throughout the protagonist’s journey, apart from taking care of his family, Athena expresses a positive attitude toward the hero through different types of assistance.

Conclusion

Based on the analysis above, Athena and Penelope represent Odysseus’s two supporters contributing to his return to Ithaca. The women share unique wisdom, appreciation for the hero, and similarities to Odysseus in terms of character or talent. The two characters are greatly dissimilar in terms of levers of influence over Odysseus’s situation since Penelope is a mortal human. Thus, their roles in helping Odysseus with his plan are diverse, with Athena and Penelope acting as the man’s divine advocate and the source of inspiration, respectively.

References

Cassling, K., Aarons, C. B. and Terhune, K. (2022) “Four Lessons to Take From Athena—Without Disguising Oneself as the Mortal, Mentor.”Journal of Graduate Medical Education 14(2): 158-61. Web.

Hauser, E. (2020) “Putting an End to Song: Penelope, Odysseus, and the Teleologies of the Odyssey.”Helios 47(1): 39-69. Web.

LaFrentz, G. (2021) “Weaving a Way to Nostos: Odysseus and Feminine Mêtis in the Odyssey.” Vanderbilt Undergraduate Research Journal 11: 18-28. Web.

Lattimore, R. transl. (2007) Homer: The Odyssey. New York City: Harper-Perennial.

Lesser, R. H. (2019) “Female Ethics and Epic Rivalry: Helen in The Iliad and Penelope in The Odyssey.”American Journal of Philology 140(2): 189-226. Web.

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Women and Odysseus’s Fate

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