The central custom in the Greek culture illustrated by The Odyssey is the idea that all strangers, guests and castaways alike, should be welcomed and inundated with kindness before even sharing their names with their host/hostess. A fault of this "ease of trust" is that it opens both the guest and the host to trickery and betrayal from the other party. This specific brand of trickery is the kind that runs rampant throughout the Odyssey and it is often associated with females.
The first example that we as readers see is Calypso who, under the guise of kindness and love, more or less brainwashes Odysseus against his will to stay with her eternally. In this situation, Calypso is a manipulative host while Odysseus is an innocent guest. Throughout the novel we are also introduced to the Sirens and Circe who also use deception in similar ways as hosts.
Regardless, there are male characters such as the Kyklops and Odysseus that also engage in trickery; however, they do not receive such a negative connotation to go with it. In the Kyklop's case, we label his trickery as the result of his savage race rather than his gender. For Odysseus, who has clearly told more lies in this epic than all others combined, every instance of trickery and manipulation is hidden behind a "noble"mission and reader's enjoyment of his "legendary" wit.
In the end, the negative connotation associated with female trickery in this epic has some interesting consequences. Although the trend casts women in a negative light, it also endows them with a power that transcend what they had been capable of in stories and epics that preceded the Odyssey. Even Penelope and Athena, two women who use their trickery for morally sound purposes, possess quite a bit more power than most male characters in the entire epic. At any point in the epic, Penelope has the power to cause Telemachus and Odysseus' journeys to be completely in vain through the simple action of giving in to a suitor. Likewise, without Athena, Odysseus and Telemachus' death count would have likely been in the double digits.
I like that you took the time to separate our understanding of trickery that is noble and that that is less so. I was also interested by your observation of Penelope's great power. Had she remarried a suitor I don't even think Athena's goodness could resurrect our perception of women in the epic.
ReplyDeleteI thought it was really interesting how you explored the distinctions between male and female trickery and the differences that makes most of the male treachery acceptable. Also, the mention of Penelope's power over the entire novel is a really interesting way to think of her character, since she doesn't seem like a big center of the narrative.
ReplyDeleteI really liked your observations about the relationship between trickery and power. I hadn't really thought of how a quality that is usually perceived as negative could actually empower a character. I don't necessarily see Penelope as a powerful character in the context of the entire story, however. She has many powerful traits but ultimately, she relies on Odysseys and Telemachus to save her.
ReplyDeleteI think your argument was well-developed and nicely structured, and especially like that you linked the trickery theme to the themes of hospitality we've been discussing in class. I'd be interested to look into how women were portrayed in stories that preceded The Odyssey.
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