Odyssey and Gender Relations

Introduction

Reconstructing social relations and other aspects of life in ancient times is never an easy task, given that at times what one has to go on is no more that a subjective reading of some ancient writer(s). However, the difficulty one encounters in attempting such reconstruction is outweighed by the interesting insight one might gain by trying to go beyond the impression one gets from reading at the surface. In the case of Homer’s Odyssey, going beyond the face value of the writing relating to the Assembly at Ithaca is arguably a rewarding inquiry for one gains interesting insight into gender relations in Mycenaean society about which it is argued the writings relate to.

Before continuing, it is pointed out that the name ‘Homer’ stirs up several controversies which it is argued are beyond the scope of this short paper. Thus regardless of where one stands in the debate of who Homer was, the reader is invited to take the reference to ‘Homer’ to be a reference to the author or authors of the work Odyssey.

This paper aims to reconstruct the gender relations of the society Homer portrays in the Odyssey. Such an exercise is put forward to be interesting in its own right, given the fascination over the centuries until now relations between men and woman have excited in readers of all persuasions.

The Status and Position of Men in Ithaca

The first question one might want to ask after reading the first paragraph of the account of the Assembly at Ithaca subconsciously or otherwise in fact brings one back to the thesis of this paper, ‘What is the status of men and position they occupy in the society Homer portrays?’ The answer to this question is not long in revealing itself from the text. The account opens with reference to “[…] the dear son of Odysseus […]” who goes on to sit “[…] in his father’s seat […]” Reference is also made about Aigyptios’s sons and how two of them kept their father’s estate (Lattimore 7). The reader might be prepared not to...