The Origin Of Society In The Odyssey And Greek Society

The household is an important concept in the context of Ancient Greece as it relates to the physical home, the land, and the family who support the master of the house. This essay will discuss the different representations of oikos (the household) in Homer’s Odyssey as well as discuss the differing representation of oikos in Aeschylus’ play Agamemnon. Marilyn Katz’s essay Penelope’s Renown: Meaning and Indeterminacy in the Odyssey will be looked at to highlight key points about the household. The oikos in the Odyssey will be considered with its relationships between the polis (city-state) and the characters who are connected to the household. To evaluate the significance of the oikos, the characters Penelope, Odysseus, and Clytemnestra

Telemachus’s coming of age, however, is incomplete because he lacks the most important masculine influence: a father. He is unable to fully become a man without Odysseus present; he cannot kill the suitors on his own, and feels abandoned and weak without his father. He says of Odysseus, “He’s vanished, gone, and left me pain and sorrow...All of the nobles who rule the islands...are courting my mother and ruining our house. She refuses to make a marriage she hates but can’t stop it either” (Homer 8). The reason Telemachus’s life is so out of control is because his only parental figure is his mother, Penelope. The text portrays Penelope, untempered by the presence of a husband, as the cause of disorder in the home of Odysseus; she refuses to choose a husband, but is too weak to stop the suitors’ advances. A father figure, Odysseus, is needed to create order in young Telemachus’s life, because only a man can impose such order.

Throughout the last few books of the Odyssey, Homer explains to the reader how Odysseus reestablishes his relationships with his family and friends of Ithaka. It’s possible the restoration of his relationship with his son, Telemachus, is the most significant event of all. This reconnection carries out three main purposes. First, it serves to characterize Telemachus' likeness to his father in the virtues of wisdom, humility, patience, and organization. Secondly, it enables Odysseus a chance to coach Telemachus on how to be a powerful ruler like he is. Lastly, Homer uses the reconnection to highlight the importance of a healthy family structure to a society. To be able to understand

Humans within society will never be equal, no matter what the government is. Consequently, aristocracy has been an integral part of civilizations for centuries -always dominating the lower classes. This dominance was especially strong in the Greek society. After all, the term used to describe the nobility in ancient Greece was aristoi, literally meaning “best people”(Geddes 18). As a result of aristocratic norms in ancient world, aspects of aristocracy have even influenced aspects of Greek culture - including its literature. The Odyssey illustrates the inequality between the aristocracy and the common people by highlighting the inferiority of the common people and the special privilege and superiority of Greek heroes.

Sosa 3 social, economic concerns of the nineteenth century A.D. On the contrary, the very traditional material according to the interests and emotional needs of his

The wife of Odysseus, Penelope is left at home as he leaves for war. Maintaining a front of bravery in the presence of her suitors, who are battling to

The Odyssey details Odysseus’ arduous return to his homeland. Ten years have passed since the end of the Trojan war and Odysseus, the “most cursed man alive”, has been missing and presumed dead by many. (10.79). Throughout the novel, gods play a significant role in the fate of Odysseus and other characters. The extent of the gods’ role though is not unqualified, contrary to Telemachus’ suggestion that, “Zeus is to blame./He deals to each and every/ laborer on this earth whatever doom he pleases” (1.401-403). While Zeus does have this power, his description of how humans meet their fate is more accurately depicted throughout the novel. As he aptly points out, “from us alone, the say, come all their miseries, yes,/ but they themselves,

Loyalty to loved ones is heavily stressed as a lesson within The Odyssey. While Odysseus was lost at sea while trying to get home from the Trojan War, he is given multiple temptations to prevent him from returning to his family in Ithaca. As Odysseus is kept on the island of Ogygia by the nymph Calypso, her temptations are revealed as Hermes appears to command her to release him: “And I welcomed him warmly, cherished him, even vowed/to make the man immortal, ageless, all his days…” (5.151-152). Despite being offered immortality if he stays, he declines as Odysseus only had returning to his family back in Ithaca on his mind. Odysseus runs into more enticement after landing in Phaeacia after leaving Calypso and being brought to the castle by Nausicaa, the princess of the nation. Her father, Alcinous, begins to offer his daughter to tempt him into staying: “I’d give you a house/and great wealth—if you chose to stay, that is” (7.359-7.360). While Odysseus is dealing with temptations away from home, his wife Penelope has her own plans for dealing with the

Penelope shows arête with wit and trickery-“so every day she wove on the great loom…every night by torchlight she unwove it; and so for three years she deceived the Akhaians” (112-114)- delays choosing a suitor, loyal to Odysseus

It’s generally agreed upon, from scholars to the average reader, that the ancient Greece society was overwhelmingly patriarchal. For this reason, 4th century B.C had views that were dominantly misogynist. Women were thought to be no more than tools to the men of the Athenian society. To explain, one can look at the archaeology of the Greeks. The towering figure of Dionysos, the God of Wine, hovering over a miniature, and at the same time powerless, women perfectly exemplifies this concept of misogynism. To further the periods misogynistic ideas, the traditional literature had no concept of centering a story around a woman. Yet despite living in this society as described, Greek playwright Euripides was the first voice of protofeminism in

Throughout this epic, Penelope is faced with many obstacles that try and break her down. One main obstacle is that of Odysseus' absence. This obstacle shows her ultimate loyalty to Odysseus. Odysseus, her husband has been gone for twenty years. During this time suitors have overcome her house. These suitors are disrespectful and show no regard for Penelope. These

Greek mythology deals significantly with culture and its factors, as they describe the societies and the people inhabiting it by depicting their everyday life and the state of their land. Both Hephaestus, in Homer’s Iliad, and Odysseus, in Homer’s The Odyssey, set out to portray the cultures that they saw, yet the cultures and societies varied greatly, from Hephaestus illustrating the highly developed societies of the Greek and their culture; while on the other hand, Odysseus seems baffled by how underdeveloped the Cyclopes land and culture is. Hephaestus and Odysseus seem to have the same understanding what is normal of a culture, society, and their factors; however, there are noteworthy variations between their accounts.

A grieving man, Odysseus, filled with sorrow, watching the lapping waves come closer and closer to him, wondering when he will return home when he was stuck on an island owned by a beautiful goddess, Kalypso. Separated from his family after the Trojan War, the cunning tale of the Odyssey, written by Homer, demonstrates the journey of the mortal man, Odysseus, undergoing many hardships and difficulties to reach home safe. With the loss of family communication and the hardships of knowing one another is hurt, Odysseus sets out on the sea to reunite with his wife, Penelope and his son, Telemachos. Traveling through monstrous creatures and landing up on people's island, he has had some sexual affairs with goddesses that question people’s thought about whether Odysseus is a loyal man to Penelope. While Odysseus is physically unfaithful to Penelope, he is never mentally and/or emotionally content with other women besides Penelope until he reaches home.

About fifty percent of the world’s population is female and yet females are treated as if they are less than men or that they are only useful for housework. They are treated as if they don't matter as much as men do. This is the way society has thought for a long time. This thinking goes back to the time of The Odyssey. The Odyssey is an epic poem about an hero who is trying to return home to his family, throughout the way many different women play a part in his journey. Written during a time when women were seen as only there to bear children and take care of them The Odyssey by Homer shows women as inferior to men through stereotypes of women such as evil temptresses, nurturing mothers, and loyal housewives.

Connections between humans and their culture over time,rarely found, happen to be found in ancient literature. The connections ,archetypes, can be found in the adventurous book The Odyssey. Ancient greek culture is brought up by Homer through archetypes. In the Odyssey, topics such as terrifying monsters , love tests, and an unstoppable hero are all related to ancient greek culture. The Odyssey shows archetypes that also reveal this culture. Three archetypes found are monsters, loyalty, and a hero which shows ancient greek culture for modern readers.