The women of Homer's The Odyssey manifest his suspicion of all beings, humans and gods alike, his faith and pride in himself, and his emotional loyalty to his wife, family, and homeland of Ithaca. There are three women who especially aid in the revelation of Odysseus' character: Calypso, the goddess who keeps him captive for seven years; the Sirens, a group of demi-goddesses with majestic voices who lure men onto their land and kidnap them forever; and Penelope, his devoted and cunning mortal wife who is a paradigm of himself Each of these women is able to evoke a different persona from Odysseus "loyalty, pride, passion, cunning "yet only Penelope, his perfect match, is able to elicit all of Odysseus' facets.
The reader first encounters Odysseus when he is trapped in Calypso's lair. Athena has approached the gods "recalling Odysseus to their thoughts, the goddess deeply moved by the man's long ordeal- (5.5-6); therefore, Zeus concludes Odysseus will be sent "off in a ship to his own beloved land, giving him bronze and hoards of gold and robes - more plunder than he could have ever won from Troy- (5.41-43). Consequently, it is evident that the gods harbor love and concern for Odysseus' happiness. However, when Calypso acquaints Odysseus with the gods' wishes, his mistrust of the gods is immediately obvious:.
"Surely you're plotting.
something else, goddess, urging me .
I won't set foot on a raft until you show good faith, .
Until you consent to swear, goddess, a binding oath.
you'll never plot some new intrigue to harm me- (5.192-193. .197-199).
Calypso has found Odysseus "weeping, his eyes never dry, his sweet life flowing away with the tears he wept for his foiled journey home- (5.168-169), and he obviously would not want to be misled about the possibility of a voyage home.
After Calypso notifies Odysseus about his departure, she extends a marriage invitation to him that would make him immortal.
