The power of women in odysseus

Women were supposed to be submissive as well as loyal to their men and also be faithful even when their men went to war for many years without coming back home. They were valued by men although they were to undertake various activities which are ordered or demanded by their men. Readers can be able to understand the role of women in the book by critically analyzing the female character in the epic. Penelope is one of the woman characters who have been depicted to play a very important role in the Homer’s Odyssey. She possesses all the qualities of an ideal Greek woman that man would want his wife to have; submission, loyalty, wisdom, faithful and fertility. It is only a strong woman who can be able to undergo the confusion, anxiety and stress as a result of chaos in the palace with a missing king whose fate is not known.

Under the strain situation she is in, it is very hard to keep her commitment and responsibilities for a man she loved. Although she did not take part in finding whereabouts of her husband she is able to withstand the trials and temptations of giving in to many suitors who were very anxious. She performs all activities expected of her while her husband was away. When the suitors blames her for her trickery in order to deter them, she develops a devised plan where she told them that she was wearing a burial shroud for her father in law and she will make a decision once she completes it. This demonstrates Penelope’s cleverness and wisdom. After the suitors discovered about the trick which she was using to keep them off, they continued to pressure her to choose one of them and marry but she remained hopeful and having faith that Odysseus is still alive and will come back home.

What goes in her mind is to thwart her suitors and this forces her to use her intelligence to remain a wife to Odysseus. She uses the funeral shroud to delay the suitors in their activities. She says to the suitors, “'Young men, you are my suitors. This is the confirmation that Odysseus has returned and indeed he is the real Penelope’s husband. However, this man could have been another other than his husband and she would have lost the throne. This shows that she was very wise to take risk, as it is said that if you don’t risk you don’t get. In another instance that Penelope demonstrates her intelligence and quick thinking when she introduces the test of the bow. “Penelope said to the stranger I will arrange a contest with his axes.

When the contest started, only Odysseus strung the bow, whereas all the other suitors failed and of course he won the contest. The Patriarchal male to the female dynamic within the noble structure supersedes any title that may be held by a woman. Due to the lack of power women have they must tactfully weave through each scenario in their dealings with men who may be seen as obstacles. Throughout the entire poem, the suitors seem to stay and consume the wealth of the household, and it appeared that Penelope does not want the suitors yet still has to entertain them. Penelope told the suitors “Now listen, lords, you keep on coming to this house every day, to eat and drink, wasting the wealth of someone who has been away too long.

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