Table of contentsIntroductionMale and female relationships in the OdysseyHusband and wifeGoddess and MortalMother and SonConclusionIntroductionThe relationship between man and woman is a key theme of the Odyssey and is increasingly more popular in recent searches. . This essay will explore the depiction of three types of relationships in the Odyssey: husband and wife, goddess and mortal, and mother and son. There are many examples of this type of relationship in the Odyssey which will be discussed in this essay. It will examine how husband/wife relationships, particularly those of Penelope and Odysseus, are not typical of male/female relationships of the Homeric period; how Athena's relationships with Odysseus and Telemachus are uncharacteristic of other male/female relationships in the Odyssey due to her divine status; and finally how the mother/son relationship between Penelope and Telemachus generally conforms to the typical relationship between man and woman of the time.Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on “Why Violent Video Games Should Not Be Banned”?Get an original essayRelationships between men and women in the OdysseyBefore exploring specific relationships in the Odyssey, it is important to understand how the relationship between man and woman is generally depicted. . Foley notes that during the Homeric period, women were required to maintain "moral responsibility...[and] moral standards" in their domain, the home. Mortal women are considered inferior to men in all their heroic qualities and are therefore frequently portrayed as shallow, manipulative, or crazy creatures, driven by lust and greed; these are qualities observed in Helen, Clytemnestra, Circe, Calypso and Melanthon. In comparison, men are widely seen as strong, quick-witted and assertive, particularly in the case of the hero Odysseus, to whom all men and women pale in comparison. Furthermore, "a woman is not fully herself without her husband" and although all mortal women in the Odyssey are held responsible for their actions, they are constrained by social and moral demands, unlike the men. This is seen most explicitly in Penelope's situation in Ithaca where she must either remarry and/or continue to wait for Odysseus, each with different consequences for her own kleos, the future of her son and her house. Husband and Wife The relationship between husband and wife in the Odyssey is depicted slightly differently in each couple the reader encounters, but the overall theme is an atypical relationship in the context of Homeric society; wives are equal to or more powerful than their husbands. In the underworld, we learn that Clytemnestra murdered Agamemnon when he warned Odysseus to be wary of his wife's loyalty (Od. 11.415-479). This is a great example of a woman having more power than her husband, because while he is at war she rules Argos, has an affair, and eventually overwhelms Agamemnon. This is atypical because Clytemnestra defies the expectations of Homeric wives to be submissive, devoted, and loyal. Arete, whose name means "excellence" or "moral virtue", is also a powerful ruler. Nausicaa (Odyssey. 6.320-324, Lombardo) and Athena (Od. 7.57) tell Odysseus to overtake King Alcinous and beg Arete in order to succeed at Scheria. She gives him her own guest gift and she seems to have autonomy from her servants. Arete is a discreet but formidable force in the Palace of Alcinous with a demanding presence in the oikos. Thus, the relationship between husband and wife in the case of Arete and Alcinous is also not typical of the Homeric period, as they seem to have authority in their ownoverlapping spheres of influence. It is clear that Arete is not submissive to Alcinous, but a full equal as queen. Conversely, the relationship between Helen and Menelaus is locked in a constant struggle for power over each other. Helen's dramatic entrance to the banquet (Od. 4.125-152) shows her power in the relationship and her immediate questioning of Menelaus instantly shows the competitive nature of their relationship. This is further reinforced by their different stories of Odysseus and the Trojan Horse (Od, 4.252-309) and by the fact that Helen, like Arete, gives a guest gift to Telemachus. Furthermore, the depiction of Helen as mysterious and magical through drugging the wine with a substance from Egypt, an exotic land, depicts the relationship between husband and wife as unequal; but this inequality places Helen above Menelaus, as expected in Homeric society. The relationship between Odysseus and Penelope as husband and wife seems to be one of the most balanced male/female relationships in the entire epic; its foundation rests on homophrosunê (mind sharing) and the mutual display of metis (cunning). From the beginning of the couple's travels in the Odyssey, similarities were established between them, for example Penelope (Od. 1.355) and Odysseus (Od. 5.151) are depicted as weeping in the reader's first introduction. Additionally, both yearn for each other throughout the first half of the epic, to the point that Penelope becomes something of a beacon for Odysseus, leading his nostos when he faces delays, for example when he was detained on Ogygia for seven years. This goes both ways, as shown in the famous epic simile (Od. 23. 240-245) about Penelope's reunion with Odysseus; he is a “land” for Penelope, “a welcome sight for the men who swim for their lives” after fending off suitors and fighting without him at Ithaca. This suggests that both were lost without each other, which shows their equality in the relationship. Additionally, they have similar suffering, which is not typical of other depictions of the epic where Odysseus' trials are seen as outweighing anyone else's. Odysseus suffered physically while Penelope suffered mentally, wondering what to do in his absence to be a good wife and mother. This reinforces the argument that the relationship is one of equals. Murnaghan argues that "Penelope's motivations during the second half of the poem are difficult to assess because the poet is generally uncommunicative about his thoughts, since this is not Odysseus", suggesting a bias against Penelope by not fully expressing his inner motivations which set Penelope and Odysseus apart for the reader. However, Emlyn-Jones maintains that "Penelope is the most elaborate and researched female character of Homer's female characters", suggesting that although women and men, on the whole, are not represented equally in the same way, Penelope and Ulysses are quite similar; he is the most developed male character and she is the most developed female character. Therefore, there are strong arguments to support the claim that the depiction of husband/wife relationships in the Odyssey does not adhere to the typical relationships of Homeric society, in that wives are seen as equal or more powerful than their husbands. two goddess/mortal relationships in the Odyssey; one with Odysseus and one with Telemachus. Her relationship as a woman with two male characters is not representative of the usual male/female relationships of the time, but it reflects the similar relationships that deities have with mortals in the Homeric world; Athena, thegoddess, has power and authority over Ulysses and Telemachus, the mortals. Athena's relationship with Odysseus is motivated by her admiration for him and their similarity to half-breeds. Her relationship with him differs from her relationship with other lesser goddesses during her travels because she does not desire him sexually like Circe and Calypso do. As a result, their relationship is depicted as both atypical from a Homeric societal perspective and in relation to other relationships Odysseus has with the female deities of the epic. Athena's role in the Odyssey is largely to aid Odysseus on his journey home and the removal of the suitors from his house. argument that she is simply there to add a divine element to increase the kleos of Odysseus and drive the plot, for example, without his petition to Zeus (Od. 1.50-68) to free Odysseus from Ogygia, he might never have escaped. Therefore, it can be assumed that although the relationship between Athena and Odysseus is atypical, its main purpose in the epic is to complete the development of the plot and characters. This claim is supported by Doherty who argues that Athena is only a foil for Odysseus. The relationship between Athena and Telemachus is more complex. While she is a woman, she interacts with him under the disguise of men through Telemachy; it changes the context in which the relationship is viewed. Although it is still a male/female relationship between a goddess and a mortal where the deity will still hold the power because she presents as a male character, Telemachus shows more respect. This appears to have been a conscious decision by Athena as Telemachus is unlikely to take advice from a mother figure due to his delicate relationship with his mother (which we will return to later). This is a significant role reversal from usual male/female relationships, as she acts as a mentor and interacts directly with Telemachus in a way that the Olympian gods rarely do – Athena rarely interacts directly with Ulysses, the hero of the epic. Therefore, Athena has authority over Telemachus that other female characters in the book, such as Penelope, never have, as well as a key role in driving the plot of the first four books and in the development of the character of Telemachus until his maturity. Therefore, it can be argued that Athena's relationship with Telemachus does not adhere to typical representations of male/female relationships in Odyssey and Homeric society. Mother and sonFinally, the mother/son relationship between Penelope and Telemachus is one of the most interesting in history. the entire epic because it is one of the most typical representations and reveals a lot about the position of men and women in Homeric society. It has been argued that "through the filter of Telemakhos we see the image of Penelope" in the way Homeric society would expect a woman to be depicted. Through their relationship, a modern audience can see the expectation of married women to be loyal and submissive to their husbands and, in their absence, to their sons. Although Odysseus leaves Penelope in charge (Od. 18.289), Telemachus asserts his domination over his mother. This is seen most explicitly when he becomes the first recorded man telling a woman to “shut up” (Od. 1.376-379). His authority over her only grows when he returns from his trip abroad, for example when he coldly dismisses her emotional reaction to his return (Od. 17.38-176). Telemachus' relationship with the mother figure Euryclea potentially overshadows Penelope's efforts because Euryclea does not pose a threat to his safety while Penelope's decision to remain faithful or remarry has..