“A woman cannot be herself in today's society, which is an exclusively male society, with laws formulated by men and with a judicial system that judges female conduct by a point of view male point of view” (Ibsen). This saying also applied to the times of the Odyssey, an epic constructed by the blind 8th century BC poet, Homer. As one of the few representatives of the ancient Greek social order, the blind, Homer saw women as inferior to men, regardless of their actions; many of them existed as seductresses, prostitutes or slaves. He engraved the roles of women in his poetry; women's roles, as mothers, wives, seductresses, and goddesses are exemplified in this epic, when compared to men of that era. Mothers, throughout the Odyssey, are insistent figures who are shown as bringers of pain and abundance. pity, instead of supporting their husbands and/or children, regarding personal or military matters. In many of the occurrences of these figures in history, it is the same women who need support and guidance, themselves, because they prove fragile and shy. Deprived of the men who are normally helpful in their guidance, these mother figures are heartbroken and lost. There is an epic passage that reveals Telemachus asserting his manhood as he orders his mother, Penelope, to stay away from the palace rooms, occupied by the suitors, for they have yet to show reason to claim her father's. throne. In another instance, Homer mentions Anticlea, Odysseus' mother, who died because she wanted her son, instead of dying from any kind of illness; these two parts show a dependence on their mothers and how devoted they are... middle of paper... to Agamemnon's homecoming. However, there is still reason to doubt Penelope's true intentions based on her behavior during her husband's absence. Works Cited Ibsen, Henrik. "Quotes about women." Notable quotes. Network. June 30, 2011. .Lawall, Sarah N. The Norton Anthology of Western Literature. 8th ed. vol. 1. New York: W.W. Norton, 2006. Print.MacKay, LA “The Person of Penelope.” Greece and Rome 2nd ser. 5.2 (1958): 123-27. JSTOR. Network. .Olsen, S.D. "The Stories of Agamemnon in Homer's Odyssey." Transactions of the American Philological Association (1974-) 120 (1990): 57-71. JSTOR. Network. .Platt, Arthur. "Notes on the Odsey." The Classical Review 13.8 (1899): 382-84. JSTOR. Net. .