The reader’s response to a text is influenced by his or her understanding of the author’s contextual influences and the time during which the text was composed. Context plays a crucial role in establishing plot and how meaning is shaped throughout the text. By analysing The Odyssey and The Penelopiad, the reader gains a powerful insight into the Ancient Greek period that is central to Odysseus’s plot. Through a close study of both these texts, composed millennia apart, much can be learnt about the evolution of society and its perception, as well as those values that have been retained.
Homer’s The Odyssey was composed during Archaic Greece, the period of large-scale technological development, and the shift from a monarchical to democratic political system, that spanned 800-500 BCE. In contrast, Margaret Atwood’s The Penelopiad was written in 2005, almost three thousand years after the construction of Homer’s epic. Developments in culture and society reveal the differences that existed during Ancient Greece, and the evolution of peoples towards today’s modern society. An issue of particular importance is the attitude towards gender equality and treatment of women in society.
Margaret Atwood is recognised for her exploration of gender issues as an integral part of her literature, especially as the novella was written after the climax of 1960s feminist movement. The movement sought to eradicate gender equality from society and draw the distinction between sex and gender. This is explored in The Penelopiad, where attitudes towards gender equality and relationships is highlighted throughout many experts of the novella. In particular, the accepted process of arranged marriages demonstrates the powerlessness of women during this time.
As Penelope studies all her suitors, she states she is “trying to figure out who each was one…since it wasn’t up to me to choose my husband. ” Penelope’s indifferent tone reflects her powerlessness in her state of affairs and accepts her position as the female in her family. Arranged marriages were the norm in Archaic Greece, as husbands would bring wealth, land and power to the family. By understanding the patriarchal society of the time, the reader is able to compare Archaic Greece to modern society, where marriages are celebrated instead on the basis of love.
Despite the feminist views that arise from Atwood’s The Penelopiad, Homer celebrates his female characters through their important decisive positions. Notable women throughout The Odyssey include the goddesses, as well as several mortal women who prove to be crucial to the development of plot. Whereas men were portrayed as full of courage and strength, women such as Athena and Helen are wise and intelligent characters. In particular, Penelope, Odysseus’s wife, deludes all the suitors who woo her, expecting Odysseus’s imminent death after ten years. By pretending to weave a burial shroud, she unravels her work at night to buy her more time.
“ Would weave that mighty web by day; but then by night, by torchlight, I undid what I had done” The use of alliteration, through repetition of ‘w’ and ‘b’ sounds, reflects Penelope’s repeated weaving and unravelling of the shroud. Her wit is also admired by her suitors, who say that, “her head full of pride to think how Athena had been generous to her… given her skill in beautiful work and good intelligence and cleverness such as never was heard of…” Many of Penelope’s actions reflect her wisdom that proves her loyalty to Odysseus and allows her to be respected even by those who try to win her heart.
Despite the emphasis of female attitudes in The Penelopiad, the original text reveals that women continue to play a vital role in society. However, this view of female equality is influenced by the reader’s immersion into the 21st century, where feminism is an issue that dominates many aspects of our lives, often implicitly. Political organisation during Bronze and Archaic Greece played a crucial role in social development during the time.
Bronze Age Greece relied on a monarchical, and somewhat tyrannical control of the city-states or poleis, and consequent aristocratic competition, which form the origins of the Olympic Games. In contrast, Archaic Greece saw a shift towards democratic rule and resulting intellectual development. Homer’s The Odyssey, an oligarchic system of rule is heavily, with power at the very top bestowed to gods and goddesses, such as Zeus and Athena. Homer frequently narrates his story from the perspective of the gods, “My child, Zeus…replied” and “Athena…exulted…’Father, son of Cronus’”.
The changing perspective used by Homer highlights Man’s subservient relationship with the gods and their impact on society and actions. Through this frequent reference to activity of the Gods, the reader understands the omnipotence that gods hold over humans and suggests that Homer viewed his work as inspired or guided by divine forces. It reflects the heavy belief of omnipotent gods during Homer’s Archaic Greece and their control over life and Earth. Margaret Atwood presents a somewhat differing view of gods and their control over Earth.
In The Penelopiad Atwood establishes the point in time where Penelope is deceased and views Earth from the 21st century through Hades, the Greek Underworld. Despite the negative connotation that arises from this perspective, Atwood uses a dismissive tone that is ironic to the content that she is narrating. “Upstaged by a much more spectacular establishment down the road” serves to reduce the significance attributed to Hell from a Christian perspective. Use of words such as “spectacle” and “special effects” suggests that the Underworld is merely a show that stands to serve for the enjoyment of others.
The tone used by Penelope is indifferent and characterises both Hades and Hell in a carnivalesque way. The contrasting attitudes of Homer and Atwood towards treatment and respect of the gods is demonstrative of the evolution of modern society. During Archaic Greece, gods and goddesses were the equivalent of Christianity in today’s society, and were aptly viewed by these respective composers. The changing context of these writers has not only changed the way the composed their texts, it also shifts the way we interpret them, from a modern day perspective.
