Homer: Early Feminist or Old-Fashioned Sexist?

Although The Odyssey may sometimes hint at Homer being a sexist, he leans more closely to early feminism. A sexist would downplay the success of women whereas a feminist would emphasis a women's equality to men. Homer doesn't necesarily do either of these things, but by giving an important role to a female and by choosing to have females profoundly affect the plot, Homer doesn't show women to be inferior. When Odysseus washes up on the land of phaeacia, he is told to go to the king's residence, but he must be very careful in doing so as the phaeacians don't receive foreigners very well. Luckily, Athena serves as an aide to Odysseus and shrouds him in mist as he travels to meet the queen. In this scene, Athena, who is a goddess, is shown to be extremely helpful. She repeats the act of helpfulness throughout The Odyssey. If Homer were truly a sexist, he would do one of two things: Make Athena seem foolish or use a man to guide Odysseus safely to the king and queen's residence. Because he does not do this, he supports the female cause. Another example which helps to portray Homer as a feminist occurs throughout Odysseus' story of the hardships he went through during his time on the seas. Odysseus talks of how his men were turned into swine by Circe, how the Sirens had the power to hypnotize anyone with song, and how Calypso kept Odysseus on her island for a very long time. Each of these stories had to do with women or a woman who yielded a tremendous amount of power in their craftiness. Certainly beautiful song is not to be looked down upon and the ability to use magic for one's enjoyment is not a quality one would not want to desire. The fact that Homer gives women these astonishing powers indicates that he did not look down upon women. Women, in Homer's eyes, could have any power and any quality that would be desirable to all.

Just as Homer values women through their abilities and actions, he also shows his value for them through description. In The Odyssey when women are compared to men, they are never described as being inferior and are sometimes portrayed as being greater than men. As Odysseus was seeking a way to reach his home, he was told that the intelligent and influential Queen Arete had the ability to set wrongs to rights. For anyone, a description like that of Arete would be wished for. Not only does Homer speak of the queen's attributes, he talks about the great skill she possesses. To give a description like that shows Homer was not a sexist and valued the qualities of women. When Homer describes what Odysseus' wife, Penelope, is going through, it completely proves the point that Homer was not a sexist and can be considered a feminist. While Odysseus is away, Penelope remains devoted to her possibly dead husband. When it would have been very easy to marry one of the many suitors, she decides not to, longing for her husband. This shows that Homer believed that women could be committed to anything they set their mind to. It is quite obvious that Homer was definitely not a sexist, valued women, and was most likely an early feminist.