The Representation of Women in Homer's OdysseyIn the first section of the Odyssey, mortal women are presented to us as controlled by the stereotypes and expectations of the culture of the day, and it is only it is in this context that we can consider Homer's examples of women to be admired or despised. It provides us with clear contrasts, between Penelope and Eurycleia on the one hand, and Helen and Clytemnestra on the other. In Penelope's case, it is clear that her freedom of action is tightly controlled. Antinous feels free to advise Telemachus that, since Odysseus is presumed dead, Helen is expected to choose another husband, or her father to do so for her. Telemachus does not dispute the logic of this, merely attacks the behavior of the suitors and wonders whether Odysseus is dead. And so Penelope is reduced to using the passive and "feminine" defenses of keeping suitors waiting for a decision, and to resorting to the subterfuge of weaving and unweaving the loom on a daily basis. We also witness Penelope being "put in her place" by Telemachus when she comes to do...