Analysis of The Male and Female Relationships in The Odyssey

Introduction

The relationship between male and female is a key theme in the Odyssey and has been increasingly popular in recent scholarship. This essay will explore the representation of three types of relationship in Odyssey: husband and wife, goddess and mortal, and mother and son. There are numerous examples of these types of relationships in the Odyssey that will be touched upon in this essay. It will investigate how husband/wife relationships, in particular Penelope and Odysseus’, are not typical of male/female relationships in the Homeric period; how Athena’s relationships with Odysseus and Telemachus are uncharacteristic of other male/female relationships in the Odyssey because of her divine status; and finally how the mother/son relationship between Penelope and Telemachus generally conforms to the typical relationship between male and female in the period.

Male and Female relationships in the Odyssey

Before exploring specific relationships in the Odyssey, it is important to understand how the relationship between male and female is generally represented. 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 seen as inferior to men in all heroic qualities and thus are frequently portrayed as superficial, manipulative or mad creatures driven by desire and greed; these are qualities seen in Helen, Clytemnestra, Circe, Calypso and Melantho. In comparison, men are largely seen as strong, quick-witted and assertive especially in the case of the hero Odysseus to whom all men and women pale. In addition, “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 in ways men are not. This is most explicitly seen 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 for her son and her household.

Husband and Wife

The relationship between husband and wife in the Odyssey is portrayed slightly differently in each couple the reader encounters, but the general theme is an atypical relationship in the context of Homeric society; the wives are equal to or more powerful than their husbands. In the underworld we learn Clytemnestra has murdered Agamemnon when he warns Odysseus to be wary of his wife’s loyalty (Od. 11.415-479). This is an excellent example of a wife having more power than her husband as while he is away at war, she rules Argos, has an affair and ultimately overwhelms Agamemnon. This is atypical because Clytemnestra defies the expectation of Homeric wives to be submissive, dutiful and loyal.

Arete, whose name means “excellence’ or “moral virtue” , is also a powerful ruler. Odysseus is told by Nausicaa (Odyssey. 6.320-324, Lombardo) and Athena (Od. 7.57) to pass king Alcinous and supplicate Arete in order to be successful in Scheria. She offers him her own guest gift and she appears to have autonomy over her maids. Arete is a quiet 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 appear to have authority in their own, overlapping spheres of influence. It is clear Arete is not submissive to Alcinous, but an equal in her own right 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 displays the competitive nature of their relationship. This is further enhanced by their differing stories of Odysseus and the Trojan horse (Od, 4.252-309) and when Helen, like Arete, offers Telemachus a guest gift. In addition, Helen’s depiction as mysterious and magical through the drugging of the wine with a substance from Egypt, an exotic land, portrays the relationship between husband and wife as unequal; but, this inequality places Helen with the upper hand instead of Menelaus as expected in Homeric society.

The relationship between Odysseus and Penelope as husband and wife appears to be one of the most equally matched male/female relationships in the whole epic; its foundation lies on homophrosunê (like-mindedness) and mutual display of metis (cunning). From the beginning of the couple’s journeys in the Odyssey, similarities between them have been drawn, for example both Penelope (Od. 1.355) and Odysseus (Od. 5.151) are depicted as weeping in the reader’s first introduction to them. Furthermore, both long for each other throughout the first half of the epic to the point Penelope becomes something of a beacon for Odysseus, driving his nostos when he faces delays, for example when he is detained on Ogygia for seven years. This goes both ways as seen in the famous epic simile (Od. 23. 240-245) about Penelope’s reunion with Odysseus; he is ‘land’ to Penelope, “a welcome sight to men swimming for their lives” after fighting off the suitors and struggling without him in Ithaca. This suggests both were lost without each other, thus displays their equality in the relationship. In addition, they have similar sufferings which is not typical of other representations in the epic where Odysseus’ trials are seen as trumping anyone else’s. Odysseus suffered physically while Penelope suffered mentally, agonising over what to do in his absence in order to be a good wife and mother. This strengthens the argument that the relationship is one of equals. Murnaghan argues “Penelope’s motives during the second half of the poem are difficult to assess because the poet is generally uncommunicative about her thoughts, as he is not about Odysseus’” suggesting a bias against Penelope by not fully expressing her inner motivations that sets Penelope and Odysseus apart for the reader. Yet, Emlyn-Jones maintains “Penelope is the most elaborately and searchingly portrayed of Homer’s female characters” suggesting that although women and men, on the whole, are not equally portrayed, Penelope and Odysseus are fairly matched; he is the most developed male character and she is the most developed female character. Therefore, there is a strong argument to support the assertion that the representation of husband/wife relationships in the Odyssey does not adhere to typical relationships in Homeric society as wives are seen to be equal to or more powerful than their husbands.

Goddess and Mortal

Athena has two goddess/mortal relationships in the Odyssey; one with Odysseus and one with Telemachus. Her relationship as a female with two male characters is not representative of usual male/female relationships of the period, but it does reflect similar relationships deities have with mortals in the Homeric world; Athena, the goddess, has power and authority over Odysseus and Telemachus, the mortals. The relationship Athena has with Odysseus is driven by her admiration for him and their similarity in metis. Her relationship with him differs from his relationship with other, lesser, goddesses during his travels as she does not desire him sexually as Circe and Calypso do. As a result, their relationship is portrayed as both atypical from a Homeric societal standpoint and when compared to other relationships Odysseus has with female deities in the epic. Athena’s role in the Odyssey is largely to help Odysseus on his journey home and with the removal of the suitors from his home, thus there is an argument that she is simply there to add a divine element to increase Odysseus’ kleos and drive the plot, for example, without her petition of Zeus (Od. 1.50-68) to free Odysseus from Ogygia he may never have escaped. Therefore, it can be assumed that while Athena and Odysseus’ relationship is atypical, it’s main purpose in the epic is to supplement plot and character development. This assertion is supported by Doherty who argues Athena is just a foil for Odysseus .

The relationship between Athena and Telemachus is more complex. While she is female, she interacts with him under the disguise of men throughout the Telemachy; this changes the context in which the relationship is viewed. While still a male/female relationship between a goddess and a mortal where the deity will always hold the power because she presents herself as a male character Telemachus shows more respect. This appears to have been a conscious decision by Athena as it is unlikely Telemachus would take advice from a motherly figure as a result of his tricky relationship with his mother (on which more later). This is an important role reversal from the usual male/female relationships because she is acting as a mentor and directly interacting with Telemachus in a way Olympian gods rarely do – Athena rarely even interacts with Odysseus, the epic’s hero, directly. Consequently, Athena has an authority over Telemachus other female characters in the book, such as Penelope, never will as well as a key role in driving the plot of the first four books and developing the character of Telemachus into maturity. Therefore, it can be argued Athena’s relationships with Telemachus does not adhere to typical portrayals of male/female relationships in both the Odyssey and Homeric society.

Mother and Son

Finally, the mother/son relationship between Penelope and Telemachus is one of the most interesting in the entire epic as it is one of the most typical representations and reveals a lot about positions of men and women in Homeric society. It has been argued that ‘through Telemakhos’s filter we see the image of Penelope” in the way Homeric society would expect a woman to be portrayed. 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. Despite Odysseus leaving Penelope in charge (Od. 18.289) Telemachus is asserting his dominance over his mother. This is most explicitly seen 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 journey abroad, for example when he coolly brushes off her emotional response to his homecoming (Od. 17.38-176). Telemachus’ relationship with mother-figure Eurycleia potentially overshadows Penelope’s efforts because Eurycleia does not pose a threat to his security whereas Penelope’s decision to remain loyal or remarry has a direct impact on Telemachus’ future . However, Penelope’s love for Telemachus is never doubted; she cries ‘I grieve for [Telemachus] even more than my husband” (Od. 4.877-878) clearly displaying her concern and affection for her son. This supports the argument that this would have been typical of a mother/son relationship of the period.

Conclusion

In conclusion, the majority of male/female relationships in the Odyssey are not represented as typical of other relationships both in the epic and in wider Homeric society. Most relationships between the genders appear to favour the female as having some level of equality or power, though this is not always portrayed as a positive. These representations would not have been an accurate reflection of society during the Homeric period and as the Odyssey is a work of myth this may have been the intention – by portraying women as powerful it displays the perceived dangers of gender equality in the Homeric period. Overall, in the Odyssey’s representations of the relationship between husband and wife they are equal; between goddesses and morals they are led by the female and between mother and son the female is submissive to the male. Therefore, the Odyssey represents the relationship between male and female in a variety of different approaches to traditional gender roles, thought this may not have been the intention.