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The Love Between Odysseus And Penelope In Homer's The Odyssey

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In Homer’s epic, “The Odyssey” he illustrates to the readers a compelling love between Odysseus, the King of Ithaca and his wife Queen Penelope. The couple is separated because of the Trojan War when Odysseus leads his men into battle. Prior to Odysseus’ departure, he communicates to Penelope that if he doesn’t return to Ithaca within 10 years or if he should parish; then she should find another man to marry, become King and raise their infant son, Telemachus. Penelope is distraught at the very thought of him not returning, but gently replies that she will wait upon his return or until Telemachus grows a beard before remarrying. The author takes us on Odysseus’ journey back to Ithaca, but no matter the situation he encompasses, Penelope …show more content…

Wedding vows are a significant living commitment that couples share, and this remains as relevant today as when Odysseus and Penelope joined together in 800 B.C. Some men believe they are capable of having a physical and sexual relationship for another will not interfere with their feelings for their spouse. The reader may ponder if Odysseus’ feelings fall within this same category. Homer depicts some of Odysseus’ elaborate adventures, which involve other women’s lust for him and his willingness to oblige them. Calypso questions Odysseus about his love for Penelope, “You spend all your daylight hours yearning for her” (Homer 390). Homer wants the reader to believe that Odysseus’ love for Penelope is so pure and honest that he would not dream of another woman. Yet Circe and Calypso have little trouble in enticing Odysseus. Odysseus says, “My heart aches for the day I return to my home” (Homer 390). Nevertheless, that very evening Odysseus gave in to his physical needs, “made sweet love and lay side by side through the night” with Calypso (Homer 390). For many years this behavior has been seen as a double standard because it is widely acceptable for males while women are ridiculed for similar

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Odysseus slept with Circe to get his men transformed back into men. But then Odysseus stays with Circe for seven years, when Odysseus thought that he was with Circe for seven days. Penelope on the other hand kept faith in Odysseus. She never lost hope that one day he’d come home. Many suitors want to Ithaca to try to take Penelope's hand in marriage, but she refused, believing that

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Even some women were crushing on Odysseus and even held him captive Athena guided Odysseus through most of the journey. There is much cheating in the Odyssey among royalty and gods/goddesses When Odysseus finally returns back to his hometown, he is unrecognizable and rejected among his people Penelope has her doubts and holds and archery contest to prove his worth, which

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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.

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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.

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“The Odyssey,” written by Greek poet Homer is an epic tale depicting the brutally enduring quest home of the Greek hero, Odysseus. Within this heroic story, women play a very large and pivotal role in Odysseus’s trip home from the Trojan War. In his attempt to get back to his wife, Penelope, Odysseus’s progress is constantly hindered by the intervention of women who will do anything in order to either convince the heroic figure to stay with them or have him killed. The intentions of the women in the epic are all very different but one of the most prominent roles lies in the seductresses and the alluring women who will deeply influence Odysseus. Most importantly, Penelope plays a large role in portraying the importance of women’s roles in the story.

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Soon after Kalypso gives Odysseus permission to leave, she tries to convince him that he should stay. She tells him that she is better than his current wife and she is not any “less desirable than she is” (5.220). This lures Odysseus in and he agrees with her saying that “death and old age being unknown to [her], while [Penelope] must die” (5.227). During this scene, Kalypso is using her beauty, sexual appearance, and immortality to lure in Odysseus. This image of women constantly succeeds in attracting men.

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However, Penelope still loves Odysseus and remains loyal to him by stalling the marriage. She still continues to persist in being hopeful and refuses to believe that Odysseus will never return to her, so she creates several excuses to help her evade marriage for as long as possible. She presents tasks to keep the

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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.

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Antigone and Penelope are both known as significant women during the ancient Greek time period. Antigone is considered to be a strong-willed woman who is deemed a noble heroine in the book titled Antigone, one of The Three Theban Plays written by Sophocles. Similarly, Penelope, in the Odyssey written by Homer, is considered to be a strong, independent woman who is a loyal mother and wife. Penelope sets an ideal womanly example during ancient Greek time period. While both of these women are known for they individual strengths and fearlessness, they are both motivated to proceed in different manners.

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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

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829 Words | 4 Pages

The Greek gods and goddesses are the ultimate representation how Greek culture. Since the gods and goddesses did not mention Odysseus’ lack of sexual fidelity, this shows that the values for men in Greek culture were not infringed upon. Sexual fidelity and how it is dealt with by the story’s most important characters in The Odyssey show the morals of Greek

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1078 Words | 5 Pages

They both uphold the general values society places on their sexes, but through their hardships they are able to gain a fluidity in these roles not often given in their society. Odysseus was able to express emotion without undercutting his masculinity, and was able to appreciate his wife for more than her domestic accomplishments. While Penelope became a paradigm of fidelity, she also embodied inner-strength as she dealt with the turmoil of her missing husband, rowdy suitors, and the destruction of her kingdom; which allowed Odysseus to come to appreciate her ingenuity and his marriage in

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1294 Words | 6 Pages

(5. 277). In contrast, Penelope is powerless without the presence of her husband by her side, even begging to “be blown out by the Olympians!/ Shot by Artemis” so that she “still might go and see amid the shades/ Odysseus in the rot of underworld” (20. 89-92). She also becomes emotionally unstable in the wake of Odysseus’ disappearance, becoming easily swayed by her son’s words and reaching brief moments of clarity, before regressing back to “weeping/ for Odysseus, her husband”... when she mount[s] to her room again” (1. 410-412). But despite Penelope’s fragile state, she is still seen as being preferable over Kalypso due to the belief that it was good for women to depend on men.

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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.

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1181 Words | 5 Pages

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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