The Wife Ideal: A Comparison of Women in the Odyssey and the Ramayana

Brittany Reid

October 28, 2015

Great Works of Literature 2800

THE WIFE IDEAL

Transformations of feminine virtue and marriage through

The Odyssey’s Penelope and The Ramayana’s Sita

The Ramayana and The Odyssey narrate the epic journey of a hero beloved by the gods who, by acting in accordance with divine law and social moralism, immortalize themselves as cultural heroes. However, the behavioral framework constructed by Rama and his Greek counterpart, Odysseus, is not nearly as paradigmatic as the archetypes exemplified by their wives. Penelope and Sita are bedrock figures in the trope of the faithful wife, set in place as an idealized model for all women. Concerns with the legitimacy of patrilineal heritage, the outlines of religious doctrine, concepts of morality, and the male ego drastically shape the way women were classically depicted. As a result, in their role as archetypes, both Penelope and Sita serve the same narrative purpose as paragons of feminine virtue, while their deviations from each other can be identified as corresponding differences in their respective society’s cultural values and moral maxims.

Despite the disparate nature of their origins, where Penelope and Sita share common ground the similarities are pronounced. Sita in The Ramayana is won when Rama strings the divine bow of Shiva, which belonged to Sita’s father, King Janaka. Meanwhile, Penelope poses the exact same challenge to her suitors in The Odyssey, vowing to marry whichever man could string her absent husband’s bow, knowing that none but Odysseus could accomplish the feat. The suitor test, while marking the protagonist as uniquely worthy, is also symbolic of the ties between the hero and his wife. Penelope and Sita are both analogous to the bow; both by virtue of the legendary weapons serving as vehicles for their possession and by how the handling of the bows reflect their own treatment at the hands of their husband. Odysseus’ bow is described as light and easy to handle, but unyielding. Furthermore, the first thing the greek hero does when his turn comes to string the bow is check to see if it has been eaten by worms in his absence (Akbari 586). This closely reflects Penelope, who is hospitable and amenable, but inflexible in her refusal to give in to the suitors, and whom Odysseus initially doubts when he is first reunited with her. Meanwhile, in The Ramayana, Rama’s successful drawing of Shiva’s bow culminates in him completely shattering the weapon; a violent foreshadowing of Sita’s suffering: her fidelity called twice into question by her husband before his ultimate abandonment and her despairing return to the womb of Bhūmi (Mother Earth).

Regardless of the portents of their eventual fate, the fact remains that Sita and Penelope are truly one and the same with the respective legendary weapons. Both bows can only be strung by one person, and possession of these weapons serve as indicators to others that Odysseus and Rama are preeminent among men. Consequently, the same parallel can be drawn to Sita and Penelope’s functions; they cannot be claimed by any man other than their husbands and possession of such virtuous wives underscores their husband’s exalted status. This reveals a shared cultural concern about the impact of a wife’s character and actions on the husband, particularly when he occupies a position in power. This fear can be seen deeply rooted in both texts; from Agamemnon’s ghost invoking the faithless Clytemnestra to Rama’s fears that doubt about Sita’s purity will result in a loss of respect for his rule.

At the same time that Penelope and Sita act as tools to indicate the corresponding virtue of their husbands, they also reveal the corruption of the antagonists. The moral maxim at the forefront of The Odyssey is xenia, the Greek concept of hospitality which dictates how hosts and guests are meant to behave towards each other. Penelope remains rigidly in accordance with xenia, welcoming the suitors into her home and treating them with generosity and courtesy while they are under her roof. Her righteous adherence to the divine law of xenia acts in dramatic juxtaposition to the suitors, who transgress against the precept both by their disrespectful behavior in Odysseus and Penelope’s home and their treatment of other guests such as the disguised Athena and Odysseus. Likewise, Sita appears as Penelope’s equal in virtue, acting in accordance with the Hindu principal of dharma by forgoing her own comfort in order to follow her husband into exile and remaining faithful to him in opposition to Ravana’s advances. It is Ravana’s abduction of Sita and his refusal to heed the warnings of those around him to return her that seal his fate to fall at Rama’s hands. In both poems, it is the antagonists’ treatment of the wives and infringement on their moral obedience that renders them as the villain of the narrative. Penelope and Sita’s determination to remain true to their husbands reflect the respective culture’s patriarchal concerns about female fidelity in the husband’s absence, by providing an archetype of the ideal wife as steadfastly loyal and painting men who would transgress against that loyalty as morally evil.

The moral dichotomy between the faithful wives of The Odyssey and The Ramayana and their villains is, however, very much a passive conflict. Penelope and Sita do not actively fight their aggressors, but rather are defined by their inaction. Neither women are permitted to seek their own retribution for being wronged, despite both having the power to liberate themselves. Penelope makes to use of her authority as Queen of Ithaca to drive the suitors out, nor does she make use of her tactical wit to slay them. To do so would have violated xenia and consequently the gods; even Odysseus does not begin to plot against the suitors until he has gained Zeus’ permission. Likewise, Sita also possesses the power to liberate herself, but stays her hand; explaining to Ravana that "I can by my own spiritual energy reduce you to ashes: but I do not do so on account of the fact that I have not been so ordered by Rama" (Akbari 1219). Even when Hanuman offers to carry Sita away and return her to Rama, she refuses, suggesting that the glory of both her rescue and Ravana’s death belongs to Rama. The same can be said of Penelope and Odysseus; it is not until Odysseus’ arrival that Penelope fully expresses her grievance with the men who have invaded her home. A close reading of the conversation between the disguised Odysseus and his wife give hints that Penelope is aware of her husband’s identity long before he reveals