Homer, a Feminist?

It seems to me that Homer was closer to an early feminist than and old-fashioned sexist. He repeatedly shows thins in his portrayal of the goddesses as well as the Penelope, and other female characters. Athena, the goddess of wisdom and warfare, shows immense power over Zeus when she convinces him to turn the tied of the war to favor the Greeks. Even thought she is a woman, her opinion is respected, and her power is not debated. Also, the Greeks goddess Artemis was called the god of the hunt and wild things. This shows that the Greeks did not believe that the only thing women could do was stay at home and have children. Not only was this true among the gods, but among mortals as well.

When one glances at the women of ancient Greece, it would be easy to see why they would say they were portrayed in a very sexist manner. However, if you really read, and understand how Homer portrayed women, you would easily see that this was not the case. When Odysseus writes about the relationship between Penelope and suitors, he shows that no matter how much they want her to marry one of them, they cannot lay a hand on her. She stands her ground against a crowd of men and is shown to be the head of the house, temporarily taking the place of Odysseus. Also, Penelope and the wives of other prominent Greek figures evidently have an influence over the decisions of their husbands. In this, Homer shows that their opinions were valued, and they were not considered to be just property. Throughout the Iliad and the Odyssey, Homer seems to express an early sense of feminism rather than the expected, sexism.