I think the Odyssey portrays two different types of women. Women for marriage and for the family and women against marriage and against the family. Penelope, for example, is pro-marriage and pro-family. She is a faithful wife to Odysseus and has waited twenty years for Odysseus to return home from the war. She defends her home from suitors who desperately want to marry her and inherit her wealth. Penelope raises her son Telemachus alone in the absence of her father and her husband Odysseus. He warmly welcomes guests and creates a home that embodies the ideal of civilization. Even with her husband absent, she continues to support the stability and profitability of their home. His contribution to civilization and his family is so great and his virtue will never die. She is a perfect example of a faithful wife, pro-marriage and family-friendly. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an original essay Calypso, the Sirens, and Circe, on the other hand, are the kind of women who despise marriage and dishonor men. All they have is a great sexual desire. These women are an example of women who are against marriage and family in the Odyssey. These women attract and capture men. They deprive them of their manhood and keep them away from their children and wives without any sympathy. In the story, Calypso captured and held Odysseus hostage on her island for seven years. He promised him immortality, the paradise of his island and the love of a goddess. Calypso never brings up the idea of marriage, only the idea of living together and having a sexual relationship. She seemed to be completely against marriage. There was also never any mention of him having or wanting children. She did not want a family, but only sexual relations with men. The Sirens also distract men from their duties as husbands and fathers. They attract men with their musical voices which distract them from leading them home. The electrifying songs of the Sirens transfigure men. For civilization to thrive, families must grow and develop in healthy ways. Homes must also be permanent and stable. They require faithful, family-oriented women like Penelope. Mermaids show no interest in having a stable, permanent home or family. Circe also represents women against marriage and family. She deprives men of their identity and seduces them with her bewitching voice. He has a potion that he puts in men's drink and takes away all motivation and willpower to do things. She also lures men away from their duty to be a husband and father. Circe attempts to lure Odysseus into her bed and enslave him with the reward of her beauty and pleasure. Calypso, the Sirens and Circe deprive men of their masculinity by getting them drunk and taking advantage of them, clouding their memories of home and delaying their journey home to their wives and children.
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