the part played by women in the epic and their position

• can't know the extent the women in the Odyssey mirror those in Mycenaean society or in Homer's life
• social order is one of the main themes of the Odyssey
• can expect women to be important
• Ody's purpose is to return to his wife and restore order in Ithaca
• marriage is a fundamental part of that social order and requires women to be partners
• Ody asks his mother whether P is keeping their estate safe
• clearly he judges her to have the capability to manage affairs in his absence
• he is delighted when he witnesses her attempt to extort valuable gifts from the Suitors, and is patient at her caution in acknowledging his identity
• Alcinous' wife, Arete, appears an equal in looking after the household
• sexual fidelity is essential
• P is portrayed as on the very of remarrying
• some interpret her dream as revealing her attraction towards the Suitors
• the maids who have become mistresses to the Suitors get the cruellest punishments
• weaving is part of the women's role in the household
• even Calypso and Circe weave
• it contains them in the women's quarters of the house, the hall and courtyard being the domain of the men
• provides the rich cloaks and covers which are highly valued and markers of wealth
• the women's role may be in the domestic sphere, but doesn't limit the power they have over events
• Arete is presented as having the most authoritative voice among the Phaeacians
• P is the immediate cause of the Suitors' actions in Ithaca
• without Calypso, Circe and Nausicaa, Odysseus' nostos would be different, and the Odyssey would be deprived of some of its engaging characters