Odessey 2
In these epics, several female characters had a profound effect on the plot. They wielded their influence through typically feminine skills and attributes: seduction, supernatural powers, intelligence, and beauty. Some of the women of The Odyssey and The Iliad influenced the actions of men, playing key roles in the epics, such as Calypso, the Sirens, Helen, or Circe; all of these women were responsible for the actions of the men.
In The Iliad, Helen and Athena are two characters who display "the influential power female sexuality has in relation to the mortal male...[they are] in control" (LeVan). Helen's physical beauty was her source of influence as "She plays out her role or destiny as ...
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She directs the actions of men, such as Achilles, by making herself invisible to all others except Achilles, and then plucking his hair and warning him not to strike Agamemnon. Achilles does not strike Agamemnon, and a grand mistake is avoided. Athena also influences the actions of Achilles by handing him a spear during the final battle against Hector. By handing Achilles the spear, Achilles knows that he is to kill him. If Athena had not interfered, Achilles would not have delivered his fatal attack. "Odysseus is successful, because he has the help of Athene" (Wright 67). Clearly, Athena is responsible for the actions of Odysseus, and any other man whom she helps.
In The Odyssey, the females who direct or influence the actions of men are Athena, Circe, Calypso, Penelope, the Sirens, and Scylla and Charybdis. Similar to her characterization in The Iliad, Athena still possesses her influential powers through her intellect and her divine powers. Nevertheless, in The Odyssey, ...
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"Odessey 2." Essayworld.com. May 21, 2004. Accessed December 21, 2024. http://www.essayworld.com/essays/Odessey-2/8202.
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