THE ODYSSEY

As an insight on the Odyssey, women portrayed multiple roles in the time of ancient Greece.
Characters such as being helpers and hindrances could be seen in the epic. In the part of being a helper,
this could be noticed when women intended to help Odysseus by accompanying him on his journey,
which also shock the gods due to their frequent hospitality or also called as the virtue of xenia. Another
term for this action is called being virtuous. Despite the presence of death threats, they still assisted
Odysseus in his return to Ithaca. However, this role was being neglected as they were viewed as slaves.

On the other hand, in view of being hindrances, this is expected to be acknowledged in the epic
due to a patriarchal society in the time where Odyssey was written. Back then, they strongly considered
that women are weak yet cunning, while men are strong and brave. In the epic, most of them were
shown as a source of temptation and an object of sexual desire. They were used as a pawn to gain
control and power over the society.

Lastly, the character who overtook the role of all women in the story was Athena. She took
dominant roles in orchestrating events throughout the narrative. The reason behind was her natural
being, she is the Greeks’ goddess of wisdom, warfare, and handicraft. Her role of empathizing and
helping mortals in the poem made her one-of-a-kind, which somehow breaks the barrier of gender
inequality.