Penelope

Penelope was the daughter of Icarius and a first cousin of Helen of Troy. She was the faithful, devoted wife of Odysseus in The Odyssey. Though she had not seen her husband in over twenty years, she did not lose faith in him. She passed her days in continuous mourning, finding relief only in tears or sleep (Parada), though she did not know if he was dead or alive. She could have assumed that Odysseus was dead, as many warriors had not returned from Troy and were presumed dead, and she could have moved on with her life. Almost everyone else believed Odysseus to be dead and many knew, rich and handsome men were after her, but she stayed true to Odysseus and to her marriage (Horne).

These suitors were attracted to her beauty, as well as vying for the wealth of King Odysseus and were determined to gain it before his son, Telemakhos, comes of age and claims his father's inheritance. They invaded Odysseus's hall, feasted day and night, and abused the laws of hospitality. The suitors tried to force her to choose a new husband. Although she never outright refused to remarry, she rather put off her decision and led them on with promises that she will choose a new husband as soon as certain things occur. Her astute delaying tactics reveal her sly and artful side (Klutch).

For three years, she wove and unwove the burial shroud for Laertes, Odysseus’ father, telling the suitors that she would choose a husband after the shroud was complete. She continued to take it apart nightly and put it back together in the day time. As usually happens, the longer a bad situation goes on, the worse it gets and finally, a confrontation took place. One of her servants revealed her deception to the suitors, and they angrily demanded that she choose one of them for her husband immediately. Penelope did not want to choose any one, and continued to pine for Odysseus, so she asked Athene for assistance. Athene told Penelope to tell the suitors that she would marry the man who could string Odysseus’ bow and shoot an arrow through twelve axes (Hunter). Her great strength was her constancy (Klutch). Penelope showed cunning and shrewdness when she said that she would marry the one who could shoot an arrow through twelve axes knowing that none would be able to complete the task, except Odysseus. Unware that Odysseus had returned and was incognito, her proposal to test the pursuers with the bow of Odysseus gave him the opportunity that he needed.

Penelope played a very important role in Homer's Odyssey. While Penelope’s highest virtue is seen as her fidelity, she is very much like her husband: a wily and wary tactician. She is faithful to Odysseus, but she is also very politically shrewd and calculating in her actions (Lucas). She was famous for her ingenuity and for her faithfulness to her husband (Hunter). Penelope was the image of determination and devotion.

Works Cited:

Horne, Tom. "Penelope in The Odyssey by Homer". All Experts. February 26, 2004. Retrieved March 31, 2005. <http://experts.about.com/q/697/3426630.htm>

Hunter, James. "Penelope." Encyclopedia Mythica. 2005. Encyclopedia Mythica Online. 30 Mar. 2005 <http://www.pantheon.org/articles/p/penelope.html>.

Klutch, John F., Ed. “Penelope and Her Impact on Greek Art and Culture.” The Role of Women in the Art of Ancient Greece. Last Updated March 2, 2005. March 31, 2005. <http://www.fjkluth.com/penelope.html>

Lucas, Gerald, Ed. “The Odyssey: General Notes.” Dr. Gerald Lucas. September 01, 2003. 30 March 2005. <http://litmuse.maconstate.edu/~glucas/archives/000314.shtml>.

Parada, Carlos. “Suitors of Penelope.” Greek Mythology Links. Retrieved March 30, 2005. <http://homepage.mac.com/cparada/GML/SUITORSPENELOPE.html>