Female Characters In The Odyssey – Helpers and Hindrances

Calypso, the nymph, represents a woman’s sexuality. As a nymph, she is desirable and, unlike the virtuous Mother and Daughter archetype characters, seeks and enjoys physical relationships with men. She shows little concern for what Odysseus wants, keeping him prisoner and trying to bribe and him to stay with her despite his desire to return home to Penelope, his wife. 

 Chattel Characters in the Odyssey

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Another example of women’s use in the Odyssey as mere pawns or tools is the wording used to describe the wife and daughter of the king of the cannibal giants, Antiphates. Upon arriving on Lamos’ shores, the home of the Laestrygones, Odysseus moors his own ship in a hidden cove and sends the other eleven ships on.