The Odyssey

Book X: Grace of the Witch (p. 916)

Objective: Interpret gender roles and societal values in Ancient Greece by gathering and
analyzing textual evidence from The Odyssey. You will be allowed to use these notes and
evidence on your essay test.

Examples of FEMININITY in Book What this tells us about the role

10 females played in Ancient Greek
Note: You can cite the text directly or society, and/or what the Ancient
paraphrase it. Just make sure you cite exact Greeks valued, thought of, and
page numbers and lines. expected of females.
Example: ...wolves and mountain lions lay
there, mild in her soft spell, fed on her drug of
evil (3-4).
In the entrance way they stayed to listen
there: inside her quiet house they heard the
goddess Circe. Low she sang in her beguiling
voice, while on her loom she wove ambrosial
fabric sheer and bright, by the craft known to
the goddess of heaven.(918) lines 12-16
On thrones she seated them, and lounging
chairs, while she prepared a meal of cheese
and barley and amber honey mixed with
Pramnian wine, adding her own vile pinch, to
make them lose desire or thought for our dear
fatherland. (918) lines 27-31
Now it is I my self you hold, enticing into you
chamber, to your dangerous bed, to take my
manhood when you have me stripped. (920)
lines 73-75
Will you go to Circes hall? Swine, wolves,
and lions she will make us all, beasts of her
courtyard, bound by her enchantment. (924)
lines 141-143
Captain, shake off this trance, and think of
home--- if home indeed awaits us, if we shall
ever see your own well-timbered hall on
Ithaca. (925) lines 183-185
BOOK Xll of the Odyssey
But that is the den of Scylla, where she yaps
abominably, a newborn whelps cry, though
she is huge and monstrous. God of man, no
one could look on her in joy. (930) lines 43-
46
Evil itself--horror, and pain, and chaos; there
is no fighting her, no power can fight her all
that avails if flight. (932) lines 80-82
The lovely voices in ardor appealing over the
water made me crave to listen, and I tried to
say Untie me! to the crew, jerking my
These lines show that women were expected
to be soft (soft spell) but also tricky,
manipulative, and evil (drug of evil) - lots of
double standards here
These lines show that women must have a
beautiful voice but can also sew and be good
in household chores.
These lines tell us how women are supposed
to be good hostess to her guests but can also
play tricks on the men.
This shows that women were temptatious and
tried to tempt men to do things.
The men are talking about how they dont
trust Circe after what happened with the pigs.
And how shell trick them again and turn them
into animals for her courtyard like lions and
wolves.
This shows that women can put a men into a
trance so they can keep men who fall into
their trap.
This quote tell you that women were bad. And
if they were ugly like Scylla no one would look
at them because they wouldnt be pretty. So
this has to do with that women had to be
beautiful and bad.
This quote tell how horrible women can be
and the only way to avoid it is not to fight her
off but to fly away.
This has to do with women being irresistible.
But to other women they arent at all
irresistible.
brows; but they steady to the oars. (933)
lines 123-126

Examples of MASCULINITY in What this tells us about the role

Book 10 males played in Ancient Greek
Note: You can cite the text directly or society, and/or what the Ancient
paraphrase it. Just make sure you cite exact Greeks valued, thought of, and
page numbers and lines. expected of males.
Example: Circe, where is the captain who
could bear to touch this banquet, in my place?
A decent man would see his company before
him first (88-91).
The lady Circe mixed me a golden cup of
honeyed wine, adding in mischief her unholy
drug. I drank, and the drink failed.(920) lines
46-49
I mount no bed of love with you uopm it. Or
swear me first a great oath, if I do, youll work
no more enchantment to my harm. (921) lines
75-77
Her long staff in her hand, she left the hall
and opened up the sty. I saw her enter, driving
those men turned swine to stand before me.
She stroked them, each in turn, with some new
chrism: and then, behold! Their bristles fell
away, the course pelt grown upon them by her
drug melted away, and they were men again,
younger, more handsome, taller than before.
Their eyes upon me, each one too my hands,
and wild regret and longing pierced them
through, so the room rang with sobs, (922)
lines 95-105
Now being a man, I could not help
consenting. (922) line 114
When they saw me come--- their faces wet
with tears as if they saw their homeland, and
the crags of Ithaca, even the very town where
they were born. And weeping still they all cried
out in greeting: (922) lines 123-127
All but Eurylochus who feared a snare the
innocents went after her. (918) lines 25-26
BOOK Xll of the Odyssey
The lovely voices in ardor appealing over the
water make me crave to listen, and I tried to
say Untie me! to the crew, jerking my brows;
but the bent to the oars.
These lines show that decent men (and
heroes) are loyal. Odysseus would never eat
a meal while his men were still under a spell
and turned to pigs.
These lines show that a man must be polite to
a lady like drink or eat something they offer
them.
This shows how he doesnt want anymore
magic and the only way to do this is to give
into Circes temptations.
Shows that a man will do anything to free his
men for example, Odysseus slept with Circe so
that Circe will free his men from being pigs.
And its like hell do anything because
Odysseus didnt want to sleep with her but it
was the only way to free his men. But this also
has to do with loyalty because he was thinking
of his men more than he was thinking of him.
This also has to do with agreeing with a
women to not be rude. Because Circe
suggested something so Odysseus went and
did it not to be rude.
This has to do with Loyalty because they were
very happy to see Odysseus and they were
crying all around him in a circle.
This shows that women are manipulative and
that the men are the innocents that fall for the
trap.
This is how men are innocent and how women
draw them in with their beauty, but in this
case its their voices. And its not the mens
fault for wanting them but the women's.
This quote shows that men must be tough at
But as I sent them on toward Scylla, I told all times. But it also shows how they show the
them noting, as they could do nothing. They emotion of fear by if Odysseus told them they
would have dropped their oars again in panic, wouldve been scared and not ready for
to roll for cover under the decking whats to come.