The Roles of Women During the time of ancient Greece, women were considered inferior to men. They never participated in the action and were not given important roles in a world dominated by men. However, in Homer's The Odyssey, women were not minimized to weak, helpless beings shuffled into the background, dependent on men to survive. In fact, together they shaped Odysseus' journey and contributed to such a strong feminine attitude that led some scholars to believe that a man could not have written such an epic. Athena demonstrated female superiority in Odysseus' adventure. Known for her cunning, strategy, and wisdom, traits usually attributed to men, she was treated with respect and spoken of with admiration by everyone. Perhaps it was only because she was a goddess, but she had control over Odysseus and other men like no woman had. While in the mortal world women depend on men's opinions of them, men depended on Athena's advice for their own well-being. Besides Athena, the women of The Odyssey are presented as seductresses to dissuade Odysseus from f...