Theme of Strong Women in The Odyssey Essay Example
Examine the formal features and thematic concerns of ONE of the following extracts from The Odyssey. Write a 1000 essay in which you demonstrate how these features contribute to an overall reading of the text.
Homer’s The Odyssey, an epic poem written during the Classics period, cleverly portrays the formal features and thematic concerns and how these features contribute and influence my thinking and overall reading of the text. This includes the stylistic use of epithets to portray the theme of strong women. However, I will explore the use of figurative language and voice to portray the opposite theme. Overall, I found that the epic’s portrayal of the theme of strong women cleverly and accurately contributes to the foreshadowing of the end of the text.
On the one hand, it could be argued that the stylistic use of figurative language in the extract from The Odyssey, successfully contributes to the overall reading of The Odyssey because of its portrayal of the theme of strong women. For instance, this extract suggests that Penelope is a strong and intelligent woman. This is supported using epithets such as, “clever Penelope,” and “careful Penelope.” Therefore, these epithets are a key stylistic feature of epic poems including The Odyssey and these epithets are crucial as they are used to describe one’s identity or characteristics. Furthermore, in The Odyssey, there is a very frequent motif of asking people who they are, where they are from and who their parents are etc. Moreover, this is a very important reason why the stylistic features of The Odyssey contribute to an overall reading of the text because the epithets that are used to describe Penelope connotes that she is extremely intelligent, which contributes to the reading of the theme of strong women earlier on in the book, where she tricked the suitors into delaying the marriage by making and unravelling the shroud she is to make for Laertes. Additionally, the interesting word choice of “careful,” suggests to me that she isn’t easily influenced by others’ opinions and that she has a mind and intelligence of her own. Overall, I think Homer’s use of stylistic features and the theme of women effectively contributes to the overall reading of the text.
Additionally, it could be argued that the successful use of figurative language and syntax, accurately portrays divine intervention in this extract from the Odyssey and successfully contributes to a reading of the whole of the text. For example, Athena, in hearing Penelope’s prayer, sends a spirit to speak with Penelope to ease worry over Telemachus. “Athena, bright-eyed goddess, had a plan.” Here is another clever use of the epithet to emphasise Athena’s status and identity as a goddess. Furthermore, this emphasizes the idea that Athena has divine powers to trick fate. Then, the use of the comma gives the reader a pause to add drama and to heighten the curiosity of the readers before letting them know that Athena has a plan and is going to intervene in Penelope’s feelings. Much like she did, when she intervened and told Telemachus a plan to sail on a ship in search of his father’s whereabouts, earlier on in the book and when the final plan is demonstrated in the last book where Odysseus kills the suitors.
However, on the other hand, it could be argued that there is also some very interesting use of figurative language in this extract that portrays Penelope, who has demonstrated that she is clever in this extract and throughout the whole text, as in need of guidance and help. In this extract, I think Penelope is “consumed,” with the thought of possibly losing her son, Telemachus. Even though Penelope is consistently portrayed in today’s idea of a strong woman, she tricks the suitors for 3 years with her loom and unravelling the cloth, she is also a mother and a mother’s true instinct is to protect their offspring, and so the Suitors’ plan of death for Telemachus is worrying her. What Penelope feels like inside is successfully portrayed through this simile, “Her mind was like a lion, caught by humans.” I think this is such a powerful quote in which Penelope’s mind is described in comparison to lion, the king of the animal world, smart and powerful, and that use of a comma to break the clause gives the reader/audience that dramatic pause before the reveal that Penelope feels that she is trapped, trapped by the suitors in a fashion to kill Telemachus and marry her and become King of Ithaca.
Considering, Penelope feeling, “caught,” Athena sends a spirit on her behalf to calm Penelope and give her guidance and reassurance that Telemachus will be fine, and the Gods are on their side. The spirit says, “The gods… have no desire/for you to weep or worry.” I think the interesting use of enjambement alongside the use of fricatives in the second clause creates a breathy effect when said aloud. This breathiness creates a sense of calmness, and the sounds are very smooth coming off the tongue. This effect has calmed Penelope and has reassured her that the Gods are on her side and are intervening to make sure Odysseus returns home safe and the same for Telemachus.
Additionally, there is some effective use of figurative language in combination with syntax that portrays Penelope as in need of guidance. When Penelope is told to go upstairs, she prays to Athena to offer protection for her son. “She wailed aloud; the goddess heard her prayer.” The use of onomatopoeia of the word, “wailed,” creates this drama which demonstrates that she is in obvious distress over the planned fate of her son and connotes this desperation for her prayer to be answered and gain help for her son. Also, the effective placement of the semi-colon gives the audience a slight pause, which briefly delays the information given in the next clause. For me, I think this semi-colon creates a kind of catharsis where we are delayed in reaching the next part of the information and then as readers, we feel this relief that Athena heard her prayer and intervene in Penelope’s current state of mind.
To conclude, the use of formal features and the portrayal of themes in the extract from Book 4 of The Odyssey effectively contributes to an overall reading of the text. I think the use of figurative language and syntax as well as the form that portrays themes and ideas of women and divine intervention which further leads onto deception in this extract, effectively prepares the reader for the end of the Odyssey where Odysseus deceives the suitors and kills them and how Penelope used her intelligence to stay loyal to Odysseus so he can keep his title of King of Ithaca.
