IndexIntroductionMale and female relationships in the OdysseyHusband and wifeGoddess and mortalMother and sonConclusionIntroductionThe relationship between male and female is a key theme in the Odyssey and has been increasingly popular in recent scholarship. This essay will explore the portrayal of three types of relationships in the Odyssey: husband and wife, goddess and mortal, and mother and child. There are numerous examples of these types of relationships in the Odyssey which will be covered in this essay. We will investigate how husband/wife relationships, in particular those of Penelope and Ulysses, are not typical of male/female relationships in the Homeric era; how Athena's relationships with Odysseus and Telemachus are unusual compared to other male/female relationships in the Odyssey due to her divine status; and finally how the mother/son relationship between Penelope and Telemachus generally conforms to the relationship between male and female typical of the time. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an Original EssayMale and Female Relationships in the OdysseyBefore exploring specific relationships in the Odyssey, it is important to understand how the relationship between male and female is generally portrayed. Foley notes that during the Homeric period, women were expected to maintain “moral responsibility… [and] moral standards” in their domain, the home. Mortal women are seen as inferior to men in all heroic qualities and are therefore often portrayed as superficial, manipulative, or mad creatures driven by desire and greed; these are qualities seen in Helen, Clytemnestra, Circe, Calypso, and Melanthus. In comparison, men are largely seen as strong, witty and assertive, especially in the case of the hero Odysseus before whom all men and women pale. Furthermore, “a woman is not fully herself without her husband” and although all mortal women in the Odyssey are held accountable for their actions, they are bound by social and moral demands in a way that men are not. This is seen most explicitly in Penelope's situation in Ithaca where she must remarry or continue to wait for Odysseus, each with different consequences for her kleos, the future of her son and her family. Husband and Wife The relationship between husband and wife in the Odyssey is portrayed slightly differently in each couple the reader encounters, but the overall theme is an atypical relationship in the context of Homeric society; wives are equal to or more powerful than their husbands. In the underworld we learn that Clytemnestra killed Agamemnon when she warns Odysseus to be wary of his wife's loyalty (Od. 11.415-479). This is an excellent example of a wife having more power than her husband as while he is at war, she rules Argos, has an affair, and ultimately overwhelms Agamemnon. This is atypical because Clytemnestra defies the expectation of Homeric wives to be submissive, dutiful, and loyal. Arete, whose name means "excellence" or "moral virtue", is also a powerful ruler. Nausicaa (Odyssey. 6.320-324, Lombard) and Athena (Od. 7.57) tell Odysseus to go to King Alcinous and plead with Arete for success at Scheria. She offers him her guest treat and appears to have autonomy over her maids. Arete is a quiet but formidable force in the Palace of Alcinous with a demanding presence in the oikos. Therefore, the relationship between husband and wife in the case of Arete and Alcinous is also not typical of the Homeric period, as they appear to have authority in their own overlapping spheres of influence. It is clear that Arete is not subservient to Alcinous, but a full equal as queen. In contrast, the relationship between Helen and Menelaus is locked in a constant struggle for power over each other. Elena's dramatic entrance to the banquet shows us this(Od. 4,125-152).the power in the relationship and his immediate questioning of Menelaus immediately shows the competitive nature of their relationship. This is further strengthened by their different stories of Odysseus and the Trojan Horse (Od, 4.252-309) and when Helen, like Arete, offers Telemachus a gift as a guest. Furthermore, the portrayal of Helen as mysterious and magical through doping the wine with a substance from Egypt, an exotic land, portrays the relationship between husband and wife as unequal; but this inequality places Helen with the upper hand instead of Menelaus as expected in Homeric society. The relationship between Odysseus and Penelope as husband and wife appears to be one of the most evenly matched male/female relationships in the entire epic; its foundation lies in omofrosunê (like-mindedness) and the mutual manifestation of metis (cunning). From the beginning of the couple's travels in the Odyssey, similarities have been drawn between them, for example both Penelope (Od. 1.355) and Odysseus (Od. 5.151) are depicted as crying in the reader's first introduction to them. Furthermore, they both long for each other throughout the first half of the epic to the point that Penelope becomes a sort of beacon for Odysseus, guiding his nostos when he faces delays, such as when he is detained in Ogygia for seven years. This applies in both directions, as seen in the famous epic simile (Od. 23. 240-245) on Penelope's reunion with Ulysses; it is "land" for Penelope, "a welcome sight for men swimming for their lives" after fending off suitors and struggling without him in Ithaca. This suggests that both of them were lost without each other, thus showing their equality in the relationship. Furthermore, they have similar sufferings, which is not typical of other representations of the epic in which Odysseus' trials are seen as superior to anyone else's. Odysseus suffered physically while Penelope suffered mentally, agonizing over what to do in his absence to be a good wife and mother. This reinforces the thesis that the relationship is equal. Murnaghan argues that "Penelope's motivations during the second half of the poem are difficult to evaluate because the poet is generally uncommunicative about his thoughts, as it is not about Odysseus", suggesting a bias against Penelope by not fully expressing her internal motivations which place Penelope and Ulysses aside for the reader. However, Emlyn-Jones argues that "Penelope is the most elaborately and thoroughly portrayed female character" suggesting that, although women and men, on the whole, are not portrayed equally, Penelope and Odysseus are quite matched; he is the most developed male character and she is the most developed female character. Therefore, there is a strong argument to support the claim that the depiction of husband/wife relationships in the Odyssey does not adhere to the typical relationships of Homeric society as wives are seen as equal to or more powerful than their husbands. two goddess/mortal relationships in the Odyssey; one with Ulysses and one with Telemachus. Her relationship as a woman with two male characters is not representative of the usual male/female relationships of the period, but reflects similar relationships that deities have with mortals in the Homeric world; Athena, the goddess, has power and authority over Odysseus and Telemachus, the mortals. The relationship Athena has with Odysseus is driven by her admiration for him and their similarity in metis. Her relationship with him differs from her relationship with other minor goddesses throughout her travels as she does not desire him sexually as Circe and Calypso do. Consequently, their relationship is described as atypical both from the Homeric social point of view and compared to other relationships Odysseus has with deitiesfemale in the epic. Athena's role in the Odyssey is largely to aid Odysseus on his journey home and with the removal of suitors from his home, so there is an argument that she is simply there to add a divine element to increase the kleos of Odysseus and drive the plot, for example, without his request to Zeus (Od. 1.50-68) to free Odysseus from Ogygia, he may never have escaped. Therefore, it can be assumed that although the relationship between Athena and Odysseus is atypical, the main purpose of the epic is to complement the plot and character development. This claim is supported by Doherty who argues that Athena is only an obstacle to Odysseus. The relationship between Athena and Telemachus is more complex. Although she is a woman, she interacts with him in the guise of men during the Telemachy; this changes the context in which the relationship is viewed. While there is still a male/female relationship between a goddess and a mortal where the deity will always hold power because he presents himself as a male character, Telemachus shows more respect. This appears to have been a conscious decision by Athena as Telemachus is unlikely to have accepted advice from a mother figure due to his difficult relationship with his mother (more on this later). This is a major role reversal from the usual male/female relationships because she acts as a mentor and interacts directly with Telemachus in a way that the Olympians rarely do: Athena rarely interacts directly with Odysseus, the hero of the epic . As a result, Athena has an authority over Telemachus that the other female characters in the book, such as Penelope, will never have, as well as a key role in driving the plot of the first four books and developing Telemachus' character to maturity. Therefore, it can be argued that Athena's relationship with Telemachus does not adhere to typical representations of male/female relationships in both the Odyssey and Homeric society. Mother and Son Finally, the mother/son relationship between Penelope and Telemachus is one of the most interesting in the Old Testament. of the entire epic as it is one of the most typical representations and reveals a lot about the positions of men and women in Homeric society. It has been stated that "through the filter of Telemachus we see the image of Penelope" in the way Homeric society would expect a woman to be represented. Through their relationship modern audiences can see the expectation of married women to be loyal and submissive to their husbands and, in their absence, their children. Although Odysseus has left Penelope in command (Od. 18.289) Telemachus is asserting his dominance over his mother. This is seen most explicitly when he becomes the first recorded man to tell a woman to "shut up" (Od. 1.376-379). His authority over her only grows when he returns from his trip abroad, for example when he coldly dismisses her emotional response to his return home (Od. 17.38-176). Telemachus' relationship with mother figure Eurycleia potentially overshadows Penelope's efforts because Eurycleia poses no threat to his safety while Penelope's decision to remain faithful or remarry has a direct impact on Telemachus' future. However, Penelope's love for Telemachus is never in doubt; she shouts: «I grieve for [Telemachus] even more than for my husband» (Od. 4.877-878), clearly demonstrating her concern and affection for her son. This supports the argument that this would have been typical of a mother/son relationship of the time. Please note: this is just an example. Get a custom paper from our expert writers now. Get a Custom Essay Conclusion In conclusion, most male/female relationships..