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Penelope In The Odyssey Analysis

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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 …show more content…

However, for a woman in Homer’s society, who belongs to either her father and her husband, she is the head of the household for 20 years in the absence of Odysseus. She does not preserve peace in the household, but she takes actions to prevent the destruction of ranks of the household by delaying her marriage so that when Odysseus come back home, he can reclaim the kingship, or when Telemachus is old enough, he can take the throne which is rightfully his. In the position where women have no power, she uses her intellectual strength to control the suitors. Penelope promises the suitors that she will choose one of them to marry after she finishes weaving the shroud for Laertes because it is shameful if she does not do anything for her father-in-law. The suitors eagerly comply to her request without knowing what Penelope plans to do. After discovering Penelope’s deception, the suitors complain, “Her very words, and despite our pride and passion we believed her. So by day she’d weave at her great and growing web- by night, by the light of torches set beside her, she would unravel all she’d done. Three who years, she deceived us blind, seduced us with this scheme” (Homer, Odysseus, 2. 101- 106). With one simple promise, she is able to keep the suitors in control for three years, which demonstrates her intellectual strength. Penelope, a woman who perceives to be a weak character and unable to keep the household together, manages to assert dominance over 108 men with words alone. She shows wisdom in personal management in private household, satisfying the role of head of the household, through

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Homer’s epic, “The Odyssey” includes many fascinating and intriguing characters that readers can become engaged upon. Although not entirely fascinating or in any way praised, Penelope’s suitors are characterized in a stupidly ignorant and egotistical manner. Upon Athena first encounters in Ithaca, she sees the suitors abusing xenia as the “Heralds poured water over their hands for rinsing, serving maids brought bread heaped high in trays and young men brimmed the mixing-bowls with wine” (171-173). The suitors are living luxuriously as if they are the true ruler of the house, who has lived there all their lives, due to the heralds’ obedience in “rinsing” their hands and their wine “brimmed” to their mixing-bowls. A very disorderly tone is surfaced in this image, due to the suitor’s presumptuous demeanor.

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Penelope is “luring gifts from her suitors”, which is clever enough in itself, not to mention she has “something else in mind”, namely, Odysseus (18.317-9). This not only shows how clever she is and a possible reason for keeping the suitors in the house, but also shows her unfailing loyalty as previously noted. All the while, it is believed that she was only keeping the suitors around because she is indecisive but really she is more clever than she seems. The fact that she got gifts as a sort of repayment for the damage the suitors were inflicting on her household is something that requires a lot of forethought. She must also be a clever manipulator in order to repeatedly convince the suitors to give her presents, even though she did not choose one to marry.

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Everyday women like Penelope were believed to have no purpose in common society other than being confined to a kitchen each day and complete domestic house duties. The name Penelope was deliberately selected as it translates to mean pulling, or spinning which is an allegorical phrase in itself, the first meaning associates her cunning weaving of plots and schemes which proves her to be sly and the secondary referring to cloth which was a part of an everyday life duty for women, producing articles of clothing. Being a hospitable host to guests was also a key function, which is first noticed when she offers help to Odysseus in disguise “Give him a wash and spread a couch for him here, with bedding and coverlets and with shining blankets”. It is argued that Penelope is secretly a spider, weaving her own web of lies getting stuck in her own trap which is hidden from the public as women were not meant to be clever or be known for any kind of crafty intelligence. In contrast to this old way of societies expectations, Atwood utilizes Penelope’s strength in character to warn women not to follow in her footsteps by giving them the advice of “Do not look the other way”, “Tell them (referring to males) what you think”, “Argue with them”, and “make them squirm”, these pieces of wisdom create a stronger emphasis on having equal respect and appreciation for women which also conflicts the differences between Ancient and Modern times and highlights the evolution of society.

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The women in Homer's Odyssey are judged largely by their appearance. If a certain man considers a woman beautiful, or if she is related to a man in an important position such as a nobleman or king, the woman is seen as successful. That is why Penelope has the kingdom but can do nothing with it without Odysseus by her side. Being a woman, Penelope has absolutely no power over what the suitors do and cannot get rid of them.

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“The Odyssey” is an Epic Poem which discusses the life story of Odysseus. The main focus of the poem is the journey of Odysseus and his way back home. Certain events distract him, most importantly; his encounter with the Gods, Goddesses. It takes Odysseus all of what it takes to head back home, including his bravery and intelligence. These qualities in Odysseus not only help himself but his men survive through the chaos of the journey called “The Odyssey”.

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Imagine landing in a difficult situation... getting stranded from home, encountering beautiful woman at the same time, but you have a wife. You have to choose your wife, or a beautiful woman. This is exactly what happened to Odysseus on his travels in The Odyssey, by the Greek poet Homer. In this epic poem, Odysseus is married to his wife Penelope and has a happy family, who lives in Ithaca. Even though Odysseus has been stranded from home for many years, he still remains loyal to his wife.

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