Odysseus’ Obstacles

Epic heroes must overcome obstacles in order to prove themselves true heroes. In The Odyssey by Homer many of the obstacles Odysseus encounters are female, monsters, and seducers. Odysseus overcomes many female obstacles such as Scylla, Circe, Sirens, and Calypso. Ancient Greeks felt women were dangerous. Things would be different if Odysseus encountered more male obstacles because he would have just fought them and won. Odysseus has many experiences with female characters such as Scylla, Circe, Sirens, and Calypso. In order to overcome these obstacles Odysseus had to go threw many difficulties. He ended up having affairs with Calypso and Circe. To overcome these obstacles he left them for Penelope. When Odysseus was stranded on Circe’s island he tried to escape waiting for boats to save him. He came in contact with many other female characters also after he escaped. The ancient Greeks thought women were very dangerous and tempting. If Odysseus never came in contact with Calypso or Circe he would have never had any affairs. If those affairs never started Odysseus would not have had an affair with Calypso for seven years. He also would not have had an affair with Circe meaning he would have returned to Ithaca sooner. His affairs were part of the reason for his delay. Things would have been different if Odysseus encountered more male obstacles because he could have fought them and would have won but from what we see Odysseus did not believe in physical abuse toward women, so he was also sexist. He did not believe in killing or hitting women. Throughout the book the only women he killed were his maids because they had sexual relations with the suitors. Therefore he could not kill or hit Circe or Calypso because they were good to him. If Odysseus did not encounter so many female obstacles he would have gotten to Ithaca quicker but he was an epic hero therefore he had to prove himself a true hero.