ipl-logo

Maids In The Penelopiad

589 Words3 Pages

At the end of The Odyssey, Odysseus rage slaughters the suitors who were after his wife. After the battle, Odysseus is left with a tremendous mess, “...one and all in their numbers, lying fallen in their blood and in the dust, like fish whom the fishermen have taken in their net with many holes...and all of them lie piled on the sand… (page 331, line 382)” Instead of cleaning up and going to his wife, who is mysteriously sleeping, Odysseus asks to bring all of the non-loyal maids to him, “Do not waken her yet, but tell those women who have been shameful in their devisings to come here to my presence. (page 332, line 435)” Odysseus' priorities seem a bit off at this point, but maybe he just wants to give a quick stern talking to. Nope, he forces …show more content…

In one of the first asides, a rope-jumping rhyme, the maids stick it to Odysseus, “we did much less than what you did you judged us bad (page 5).” This sets up the maids through The Penelopiad to express their understandable hate for Odysseus. Later, the Maids lament that they were essentially slaves and had no choice, “If our owners or the sons of our owners or a visiting nobleman or the son of a visiting nobleman wanted to sleep with us, we could not refuse… All this happened to us when we were children (page 14)” The Maids continue to describe their terrible lives in which they had no choice. Odysseus did not think about the role of his servants when he passed judgment. In reality, what were they supposed to do? The maids assert that they were a scapegoat or an outlet for Odysseus' anger, “Blame it on the maids! Those naughty little jades! Hang them high and don't ask why – Blame it on the maids! (page 151)” Towards the end of The Penelopiad, Penelope seems hurt by Odysseus' actions. While discussing with Eurycleia she describes the maids chosen for slaughter as, “The ones who'd been raped … my eyes and ears among the Suitors, I did not add. My helpers during the long nights of the shroud. My snow-white geese. My thrushes, my doves. (page 160)” It is apparent from this statement that Atwood does not portray Penelope's love for Odysseus in this scene, but rather describes him as a

Show More
Related

Examples Of Machiavellianism In The Odyssey

1541 Words | 7 Pages

His wife is not the only one who is troubled by Odysseus’ selfish ways. Odysseus doesn’t even show his own father the respect he deserves. When Odysseus sees his father, he is “worn down with years” and “heart racked

Read More

Quotes That Show Odysseus Loyalty

597 Words | 3 Pages

Odyssey’s longing to return home shows his loyalty towards Penelope. In the last books of the Odyssey, Odysseus’s loyalty is displayed by killing the suitors. “He has come home again. and he has taken revenge on all the suitors who abused him”(496) By killing the suitors, Odyseus is reclaiming his role while protecting his family.

Read More

Odysseus Justice Quotes

898 Words | 4 Pages

Odysseus is trying to be a good household member

Read More

Odysseus And Greed In Homer's The Odyssey

1277 Words | 6 Pages

Penelope, his wife, is greatly affected; as many greedy suitors disrespect her and move into their home to try and win her hand in marriage. Throughout ‘The Odyssey’, the greed and folly of men play a huge part in increasing the difficulty and severity of Odysseus’s situations and ultimately change his fate and the directions of his journey. The greed and folly of men are largely represented by Penelope’s suitors. In the very first book of The Odyssey, the disgusting actions of the suitors were introduced to the readers.

Read More

Did Odysseus Right To Kill The Suitors Essay

680 Words | 3 Pages

Odysseus came home to find suitors who were trying to marry his wife when he was away at war for 20 years. They have ruined his home and made it into a place of their own, all they wanted was the fame and power that Odysseus had and did not care to respect Penelope and Telemachus. When Odysseus finally revealed himself in the epic, he was able to get his revenge against the suitors. It has been long awaited but was able to kill them all including the fact that justice was served after all those years of their disrespect. Odysseus was able to put his revenge on the suitors when he found the opportunity after finding a way to disguise himself that way to gain trust from his people in his home.

Read More

Examples Of Courage In Odysseus

563 Words | 3 Pages

The natives there gave Odysseus and his men an intoxicating fruit of the lotus. After Odysseus and his men eat the fruit, they forget all of their thoughts about home and decide to eat more of the fruit. The only way that Odysseus can get him and his men back home is by dragging his men back to the ship and lock them up, Odysseus decides to go along with it. When Odysseus went back to Ithaca, He made the wise choice to go and see his wife Penelope. Odysseus was so brave to go see his wife because he didn’t know if she was going to recognize him at all or want to be with him for the rest of her life.

Read More

How Did Odysseus Kill All The Suitors

154 Words | 1 Pages

Once Odysseus kills all the suitors, he makes the maids clean up the blood and pick up the bodies. After that, he hangs the maids that were sleeping with the suitors. “And snatching in a powerful hand a sword left on the ground - Agelaus dropped it when he fell - Odysseus hacked the prophet square across the neck and the praying head went tumbling in the dust.” This

Read More

Role Of Punishment In The Odyssey

443 Words | 2 Pages

The wooers commanded Odysseus ' the servants to do what they asked them to do. They would make them cook for them, clean up after them, and fetch them drinks. They basically forced Penelope out of her own home. After three years of weaving and then unweaving the robe a maid tells the wooers of her plan. Then Penelope is forced to finish weaving the robe and has no more excuses to put off marrying one of the wooers.

Read More

Read Literature Like A Professor Thomas Foster Character Analysis

1460 Words | 6 Pages

Odysseus goes om to say to Penelope, “What Zeus would have him do-- how to return to Ithaca after so many years- by stealth or openly. You see, then, he is alive and well and headed homeward now no more to be aboard far from his island, his dear wife and son. Here is my sworn word for it. (Homer) “. Here he is telling Penelope, that he is going to kill the

Read More

Odysseus Traits In Homer's Odyssey

1125 Words | 5 Pages

When Odysseus finally returns home, he has Athena disguise him so he can look at how his home has been going without him. Everyone besides his wife, son, and two other of his men have been disloyal to him and there is a group of suitors there who have overstayed their visit trying to get Penelope to be their wife. Odysseus locks the suitors all in one room where the

Read More

The Portrayal Of Women In The Odyssey

1401 Words | 6 Pages

These women influenced the conditions of the journey by guiding Odysseus in different directions, and aiding him crucially. Their authority showed the idea behind an old proverb, which states, “Behind every great man there’s a great woman”. Throughout The Odyssey, the women exemplified their power during the course of Odysseus’ journey.     Odysseus’ wife, Penelope, bravely held down the front in Ithaca while her husband struggled to find his way back home. In Book 18, Penelope spoke to the ever-so-desperate suitors about what Odysseus “told” her before he left.

Read More

Penelope In The Odyssey

794 Words | 4 Pages

In Homer’s Poem, The Odyssey, Penelope is the exceptionally patient and clever spouse of the infamous hero, Odysseus, and the mother of Telemachus. One poignant factor of Penelope’s character is her patience and devotion which is displayed throughout the poem. With her husband absent for a great majority of her life for the later of twenty years and his location unknown, Penelope stays, patiently awaiting Odysseus’ return, all whilst preserving their estate and raising her son by herself. Throughout this time, she had many persistent suitors in pursuit of her, abusing her husband’s absence.

Read More

Penelope In Margaret Atwood's The Penelopiad

1478 Words | 6 Pages

While the maids voice their opinion about Penelope and pretend to be her, they display their viewpoint on what Penelope’s actual actions are: “Point out those maids as feckless and disloyal, / Snatched by the Suitors as unlawful spoil” (Atwood 150). In other words, the maids accuse Penelope of saying awful things about them so that they are killed. Again, the rhyming shows that the maids claim this, not Penelope. Their perspective is that Penelope turned on them when Odysseus returned home, even though she loved and supported them.

Read More

The Punishment Of Odysseus In Homer's The Odyssey

713 Words | 3 Pages

While those who are loyal to Odysseus are rewarded, those who are unloyal receive severe punishment. Because Odysseus’ men are unloyal to him, they face

Read More

Penelope In The Odyssey Analysis

1041 Words | 5 Pages

In an epic poem, The Odyssey, by Homer, Odysseus struggles to come back home while his wife, Penelope, faces barbarous suitors who plague her house to court her for the marriage in order to claim the kingship of Ithaca. With an absence of the man of the household and a son who is not old enough to rule over the country and handle the domestic complications, Penelope endeavors to keep the household orderly and civilized. In order to prevent further chaos in the household, Penelope maintains her role as the Queen of Ithaca and Odysseus’s wife through her loyalty and cunning. For a woman who does not know when her man will return home, Penelope is extremely strong to keep hope and wait for her husband; thus, her unwavering loyalty to her husband

Read More

More about Maids In The Penelopiad

Related Topics

Open Document