The Greeks value loyalty very high in women. You can tell throughout the book that its just fine for men to run off and be with whomever they please, but women must be loyal to their husbands. That is just the Greek culture. Right from the start, anyone can tell that Penelope is extremely loyal. As soon as her husband leaves for Troy, she never even sets eyes on another man, not for years, and is struck with grief every moment he is not with her. Then, when he finally does come home, she is the happiest she has ever been in the Odyssey. The more [Penelope] spoke, the more a deep desire for tears welled uphe wept as he held the wife he loved, in his arms at last. Joy (259-262.23). Even though everyone says that her beloved husband is dead, she refuses to believe it. And while he isnt home yet, the suitors try to marry her but she is firm in her position. She even expresses her loyalty verbally: [my] pain [and] my tears have streaked [my bed], year in, year out, from the day Odysseus sailed away to seeDestroyI hate to say its name! (471-473.19) Penelope is always waiting for him to come home from Troy. She never stops believing in Odysseus. This proves she is loyal because if she wasnt, she would have married a suitor years and years before Odysseus finally got home and if she didnt, then when Odysseus came disguised as a beggar, she wouldnt have been nearly as interested.
Wisdom is also prized highly in women. The Greeks dont want their women to be blundering idiots, but they also dont want them to be intelligent enough to be considered more than property (which is what they are treated as). Being wise is knowing what to say and do, and how to do it. Athenas wisdom is greater than any other woman in the Odyssey. When she first appears before Telemachus, she knows not to reveal herself at once. Gripping her bronze spear, she looked for all the world like a stranger now, like Mentes, lord of the Taphians. (121-123.1) She keeps a low profile by disguising herself as Mentes, and guides Telemachus to becoming a man, as well helping him find Odysseus: fit out a ship with twenty oars, the best in sight, sail in quest of news of your long-lost father. (22-23.1) She also knows to make Odysseus (when he finally does get back home) look like a beggar, before he reveals himself to anyone else. If Athena hadnt done this, Odysseus might have been recognized and killed off by the suitors. The Odyssey could not have been written without Athena, the favorite goddess of Zeus.
Many of the books show that Penelope is very beautiful. When Odysseus failed to return home from Troy when the rest of the men did, all the suitors wanted to marry her, and they continuously urge her to marry one of the suitors. Direct [Penelope] to marry whomever her father picks, whoever pleases her. (125-126.2) In addition, she is cousin to Helen, which would make one assume that shes very pretty. The Trojan War is the perfect example of why the Greeks valued beauty in women. Helen, prized for her great beauty, caused a whole ten-year war just because she was so beautiful, no one would give up a chance to marry her without a battle.
Homers Odyssey portrays women as having three different characteristics: Loyalty, wisdom, and beauty. These three qualities are prized by the Greeks, and are shown often in Athena, Penelope, and Helen.
BIBLIOGRAPHY:The Odyssey, author Homer
Bibliography: The Odyssey, author Homer
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