Role of women

Since we have been previously discussing the role of women in the Greek society or in the Odyssey, I have observed that the majority of the women seem to be seductresses. The most obvious example of this is with Calypso and Odysseus on her island. Although Odysseus longs to reach his home in Ithaca, Calypso lures him in and holds him captive for several years with her irresistible charm. When Homer describes Odysseus’s experiences with Calypso, he says, “ In the nights, true, he’d sleep with her in the arching cave- he had no choice- unwilling lover alongside lover all too willing” (5:170-172). This quotation can be interpreted in many ways, but I believe that it is suggesting that Odysseus has no choice whether or not to sleep with Calypso. I think she definitely seduces him and keeps him from returning home with her love. Some may argue that Odysseus should have stayed loyal and resisted Calypso, but I do not think that was possible with this circumstance. Another large example of this that we have seen in one of the earlier books is Penelope. Even though Penelope is ultimately loyal to her husband, Odysseus, she leads the suitors on, giving them the impression that she would wed them. During an assembly, organized by Telemachus, a suitor says, "Three whole years she deceived us blind, seduced us with this scheme" (2:118). Penelope tells the suitors of her palace that once she finishes weaving the web, she promises to marry one of them, but each night she would unweave her web so that she would not have to marry any of the suitors. Despite the fact that she does this to stay loyal to Odysseus, she still leads her suitors on and seduces them. Do you guys believe that The Odyssey perceives the women as seductresses or I just misinterpreted it? I would love to hear some replies~!