The Odyssey is an epic about a Greek warrior in the Trojan War whose wanderings around his known world and his perilous encounters are the basis of the story. Odysseus' absence from his home is prolonged by the influences of the women whom he encounters.In this epic, several female characters had a profound effect on the plot. They wielded their influence through typically feminine skills and attributes: seduction, supernatural powers, intelligence, and beauty. Some of the women of The Odyssey influenced the actions of men, playing key roles in the epics, such as Calypso, the Sirens, Helen, or Circe; all of these women were responsible for the actions of the men.In The Odyssey, the fema ...view middle of the document...
Calypso also used her powers of seduction, beauty, and supernatural powers to affect the actions of men. Calypso was a goddess who possessed supernatural powers that allowed her to seduce anyone. By utilizing these powers and her beauty, Calypso made Odysseus forget about his journey home, and she kept him for seven years. If Calypso had not directed the action of Odysseus, then he would have been home earlier.Penelope, like Helen, indirectly influenced the actions of men. While Odysseus was gone, Penelope attracted many suitors because she was known to be one of the most beautiful women of the Greek world. If her beauty had not attracted the suitors, then Odysseus would not have faced trouble when he arrived at Ithaca.The Sirens were women whose behaviour makes it certain that the "listener fails to return home". They used their supernatural powers of instant seduction to lure the male sailors to their doom. The Sirens represented the most exaggerated absolute feminine influential characteristics, if any man had heard their songs, then the men would lose control of their actions and would go to the source of the songs at all costs, even if it meant death in the deep sea of Poseidon. The Sirens controlled the actions of men through their notorious songs.The women of Homer's epics were truly powerful, because the only thing that prevented their ultimate success over the men was the intervention of the major gods, Athena in particular. Since the women had this great influence over men, they could alter the actions of men so that they would do their bidding. If women like Helen and Penelope, who were exquisitely beautiful, influenced the actions of men through their physical appearance, then any woman who possessed this beauty would have a strong influence over any man, thus she would be in...
