Penelope's Enduring Faithfulness in Homer's Odyssey
Penelope, the wife of Odysseus, can be contrasted in various ways to the
other characters in Homer's poem The Odyssey. In many ways, Penelope
embodies the "ideal" woman, in that she conforms to the values and ideals of
her society. These ideals include faithfulness, loyalty, willpower,
long-suffering, pride in one's home and family, and hospitality to strangers.
The majority of the other characters in the poem lack one or more of these
attributes. Although Odysseus proves to be a character of strong will and
determination throughout the Trojan War and the trials he endured at sea, he
demonstrates weakness and wavering resolve when he is faced with sexual
temptation. For example, when enticed by Circe to "mingle and make love,"
Odysseus submits to her appeals and enters her "flawless bed of love," thus
committing adultery against his wife Penelope (Book X). When Circe tells
Odysseus to remain with her, he "could not help consenting." Odysseus
remains with Circe and continues to be unfaithful to Penelope for the duration
of a year. It is only after hearing the appeals of his men that Odysseus
decides to head back out to sea. Later, Odysseus has another adulterous
relationship with the nymph Kalypso. This relationship endures for seven
years. Throughout his stay on Kalypso's island, Odysseus weeps for
Penelope, yet he continues to lie with Kalypso every night (Book V). In
contrast, Penelope exemplifies tremendous will power and resourcefulness in
that she remains faithful to Odysseus throughout his exile. While awaiting her
husband's return, Penelope endures perpetual insolence and sexual
advances from the suitors who invade her household. Penelope rebuffs the
advances of the suitors and remains a devoted and faithful wife. Deferring the
suitors is no easy task; therefore Penelope is very resourceful and goes to
great lengths to postpone marriage to one of them. She puts the men off for
three years by promising to marry one of them upon her completion of a burial
shroud for her father-in-law, Laertes. In order to delay the completion of the
shroud, she unravels her work every night (Book II, p. 223). Penelope also
privately sends promises to each of the suitors in order to divide them so that
they will not unanimously demand a decision from her as to which one she
Shakespeare constructs King Richard III to perform his contextual agenda, or to perpetrate political propaganda in the light of a historical power struggle, mirroring the political concerns of his era through his adaptation and selection of source material. Shakespeare’s influences include Thomas More’s The History of King Richard the Third, both constructing a certain historical perspective of the play. The negative perspective of Richard III’s character is a perpetuation of established Tudor history, where Vergil constructed a history intermixed with Tudor history, and More’s connection to John Morton affected the villainous image of the tyrannous king. This negative image is accentuated through the antithesis of Richards treachery in juxtaposition of Richmond’s devotion, exemplified in the parallelism of ‘God and Saint George! Richmond and victory.’ The need to legitimize Elizabeth’s reign influenced Shakespeare’s portra...
know that she has a lot of suitors staying at her house and they all want to
this, for once the suitors are gone Odysseus is free to reclaim is post in
The Odyssey - Scylla and Charybdis & nbsp; One of the most difficult tasks as a parent is to teach your child life lessons. Many have tried, and many have failed. But over the ages, the most successful ideas have come in the form of a story or tale. Aesops Fables, nursery rhymes, and other tales of caution are used even today to teach this common knowledge one must have. In the Greek civilization, thousands of years ago, many children were taught through these fun and interesting stories.
In the novel The Once and Future King, by T.H. White, the character, Queen Guenever, is depicted as a confused and lost woman in an arranged marriage. She had an internal struggle with a shameful secret, an affair with the ugly knight, Lancelot. In the time of King Arthur, women were limited to what they could do, and what decisions they were able to make. She ultimately made some wrong choices in her life, which led to the disapproval from those around her. She was in her marriage by force and had no malicious intensions, but did what she felt she needed.
In the ending chapters of The Odyssey Homer bring about many interesting points in which would bring us to believe that in fact Penelope had helped to slay the suitors. Penelope did not physically help to slay the suitors when Odysseus had been in the room killing them. It was Penelope’s actions leading up to this scene that may have helped Odysseus in his successful killing spree of the suitors. For the case of the argument we will discuss points in which it is believed that she had recognized him disguised as the old man, which gave her the ability to help Odysseus. On the other hand, the argument that she may have not recognized Odysseus would contribute us into believing that she did not help Odysseus to slay the suitors but that things
The first scene of the play begins with a soliloquy, which emphasizes Richard's physical isolation as he appears alone as he speaks to is audience. The idea of physical isolation is heightened by his references to his deformity such as "rudely stamped ....Cheated of feature by dissembling Nature, deformed unfinished". "( 1.1.21-22). This deformity would be an outward indication to his audience of the disharmony from Nature and viciousness of his spirit. As he hated "the idle pleasure of these days" and speaks of his plots to sent one brother against another, Richard seems socially apart from the figures around him, and perhaps regarded as an outsider or ostracized because of his deformity. His separation his family is emphasized when he says "Dive, thoughts down to my soul"(1.1.41) when he sees his brother approaching. He is unable to share his thought with his own family as he is plotting against them. Thus, we are given hints of his physical, social and spiritual isolation which is developed throughout the play. But despite these hints, he still refers to himself as part of the House of York, shown in the repeated use of "Our"
Camelot, the musical adaptation of The Once and Future King, allows for an interesting twist on the portrayal of Guinevere’s personality, mindset, and desires. The use of song and excellent acting allows for a unique display of the different aspects that make Guinevere a complex and strong character. Analyzing “The Lusty Month of May” shows Guinevere as a woman driven by her desires for the fantastical aspects of romance. However, contrasting “The Lusty Month of May” with other songs paints her as a more dynamic character and explains her relationship dynamic with Arthur, Lancelot, and other men in the court. This verse by verse analysis characterizes Guinevere as a woman driven by feelings of dissatisfaction and destiny.
Most women in Greek culture are expected to marry a man and remain loyal while their husbands could have several concubines. The women were not allowed to sleep with other people because the father needs to pass on his heritage to his true son, not a son who belongs to another man. One model woman and wife was Penelope, loyal to king Odysseus. While Odysseus was gone for twenty years and assumed dead, Penelope had remained loyal to him all throughout those years. Even when the suitors had attempted to court her hand in marriage, Penelope would always found many new ways to avoid marriage. Penelope’s traits make her one of the most wanted women in Greek culture. In Queen Penelope, Homer illustrates the qualities of loyalty, cleverness, and endurance
In Greece, on the island of Ithaka, the queen awaits the homecoming of her husband from the Trojan War. However, Odysseus does not return from the war unlike his fellow shield brothers, leaving his wife alone in Ithaka with their son. Penelope is left in a very vulnerable situation because suitors are now coming into her home looking to marry her, as whoever she chooses to marry would become the king of Ithaka. Penelope is forced to adjust to life without her husband, and in a way, fend for herself completely. This is not a problem for Queen Penelope, however. Penelope is not only the most loyal wife, but also exudes a self-confidence and intelligence befitting of the Queen of Ithaka.
Women play an outstanding large role in "The Odyssey" by the Greek poet Homer, although it is much of a tale of a man's heroic quest."The Odyssey" by homer is majority move around Odysseus's quest to return back to his home and wife, Penelope, so that he may be reunited with her someday and take control over his place, which was overrun by suitors. In the presence of the many suitors, Odysseus's son, Telemachos attempts to regain authority but he finds this difficult and he started his own journey under the guidance of Athena. The most parts of the story of "The Odyssey" focus upon the adventures of Odysseus as he endeavors to get back home, which he finally does in the end.
The undeniable pursuit for power is Richard’s flaw as a Vice character. This aspect is demonstrated in Shakespeare’s play King Richard III through the actions Richard portrays in an attempt to take the throne, allowing the audience to perceive this as an abhorrent transgression against the divine order. The deformity of Richards arm and back also symbolically imply a sense of villainy through Shakespeare’s context. In one of Richard’s soliloquies, he states how ‘thus like the formal Vice Iniquity/ I moralize two meanings in one word’. Through the use of immoral jargons, Shakespeare emphasises Richard’s tenacity to attain a sense of power. However, Richard’s personal struggle with power causes him to become paranoid and demanding, as demonstrated through the use of modality ‘I wish’ in ‘I wish the bastards dead’. This act thus becomes heavily discordant to the accepted great chain of being and conveys Richard’s consumption by power.
also said that Richard was always plotting ways that he could become king such as killing his brother Clarence and killing young
When all the courtly love elements that flow through The Knight of the Cart are composed, in addition to a tale of love affair between Queen Guinevere and Lancelot of the Lake, a document revealing the enchanting history of the Twelfth Century Renaissance is created. Troyes, our powerful storyteller, was able to do this by taking us on a journey with Lancelot, not only though his exciting battles to Guinevere but, through his passionate and enamored thoughts and behaviors that yearns for his beloved.
The character of Penelope in Homer's Odyssey reflects the faithful wife who waits twenty years for the arrival of her husband. Only a strong woman could sustain the stress, anxiety and confusion resulting from the chaos of a palace with a missing king whose fate is unknown. Her responsibilities and commitments toward the man she loves are particularly difficult to keep, under the strain of the situation. Although she does not actively pursue an effort to find him, her participation in the success of Odysseus' homecoming can be seen in her efforts to defend and protect the heritage, reputation and the House of Odysseus in his absence. As Odysseus withstands his trial, Penelope withstands her trials against temptations to give in to the many anxious suitors, to give up on her faith and respect for her religion, her husband and even her self. Penelope's strength in keeping the highest standards in her function as a wife, woman and mother contributes to the success of Odysseus' homecoming by keeping the home and family for him to come back to.