Stanier 1

Caleigh Stanier

English 9

Ms. Basile, Period 7

April 18, 2018

The Odyssey Book 10: Literary Analysis Paragraph

In book 10, Homer uses the characters of Odysseus and Circe to show that in ancient

Greek culture, men were valued as heroes and women were expected to be the reward for their

heroism. In the epic poem of The Odyssey, Odysseus is trying to sail back to his homeland of

Ithaca. While wandering the seas, he comes upon the island of the manipulative goddess Circe,

who turns Odysseus’s men into pigs with her magic wine. Odysseus is unaffected by Circe’s

draught, which impresses her, and they exchange sex for the freedom of Odysseus’s crew. After

Circe saw that Odysseus was immune to her wine she says to him, “‘What champion, of what

country can you be? Where are your kinsmen and your city? Are you not sluggish on my wine?

Ah wonder! (...) Hale your heart must be, and your tempered will. Odysseus then you are, O

great contender, of whom (...) the black swift ship would carry you from Troy. Put your weapon

in your sheath. We two shall mingle and make love upon our bed.” (10. 56-67). In greek culture

men were valued over women, and heroism and sex-appeal greatly determined masculinity. As

this quote shows, being heroic in war immediately increases Odysseus’s sex appeal, which helps

him to fit the Greek’s highly valued male standard. Also, in the quote Circe sees the fact that

Odysseus is a war hero as a reason to have sex with him. Because authors, often project societal

values in their characters, Homer’s description of Circe’s reaction reinforces Greek society's
expectation that women should offer themselves as rewards for heroic, and therefore societally

valued, men.