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John Ross Bradford Mrs. Brzykcy Honors Archetypes in Literature Period 8 25 March 2014 No Match for Her Wits Throughout The Odyssey, almost every event involving the suitors revolves around winning Penelopeia’s hand in marriage, yet they give her no voice in the matter. Because of the suitors’ lack of courtesy and respect towards Penelopeia, she seems to take on an overall passive role in the story. Her specific character had no direct say in any occurrences, even if she was the “prize” to be won in the end. However, in order to get her way, Penelope attempts to deceive every suitor on several occasions, making them think that they had control over what was going on. And although Penelopeia seems to be a helpless victim, she is quite the opposite. Taking control of every situation that she can, Penelopeia hopes that Odysseus will return to finally put an end to all of this chaos. First off, Penelopeia did not want the 117 suitors to stay in her home and become dependant upon her family’s wealth and resources. However, her will was not taken into consideration when the suitors decided to do so. And although Penelopeia was a good host, the suitors never showed her any respect. Then, when the suitors set a deadline for Penelopeia to choose a suitor to marry by, she almost immediately found a way around it. When the suitors told Penelopeia that she would have to choose a husband, “she set up a great warp on her loom in her mansion, and wove away [...] and told [the suitors], ‘[...] wait until I finish this cloth [...] it is a shroud for my lord Laertes, against the time when all-destroying fate shall carry him away in dolorous death’” (Homer 18). The clever part about her suggestion was that every night, Penelopeia would undo t... ... middle of paper ... ...marriage bed cannot be moved, for it is part of their home. When she commands the nurse to do so, Odysseus nearly goes completely mad, yelling at Penelopeia for even entertaining such a foolish idea, which shows Penelopeia that Odysseus truly is the man that she married many years ago. Because of her second test, Penelopeia is able to see that Odysseus still remembers the secret of their bed. Penelopeia is also able to see that Odysseus has remained the same as he was before he left Ithaca. There are many points throughout The Odyssey in which one might believe that Penelopeia is not strong or smart enough to handle, but she finds a way around each occurrence and comes out on top. As the intelligent and faithful companion of one of the greatest heroes to ever live, Penelopeia humbly but surely remains on top of every situation, without letting anyone know about it.
Despite the number of years that have passed since Odysseus left home, his loyal wife is still clinging onto the hope that he will return. Many “random drifters” come by Odysseus’ house where Penelope is residing and “lie through their teeth,” saying that they of know news regarding the long lost Odysseus. Before even welcoming the “wanderer[s]” into her home, Penelope knows deep down that the truth that they claim to know is a lie. However even with her knowledge, her hopeful heart drives her to tolerate and hear everything that the travelers have to say. She “[presses] for details” and “ushers [them] in” believing that one day, some traveler will come uncovering the truth instead of generating lies. After every falsehood is revealed to Penelope, “warm tears of grief come trickling down her cheeks” and it is as if her heart is breaking all over again after she hears each voyager’s dishonest story. This “loyal wife” is not the kind of woman to give up hope easily, especially in regards to her beloved
In the Odyssey, written by, Homer Penelope seems, at first, to be portrayed as someone constantly weeping for her husband, while being oblivious to the struggles of her kingdom. However, the story actually portrays her as someone who is in control of her surroundings. Penelope is torn at the thought of not seeing her husband again. Back when Penelope was alive it was not proper for a lady to be with more than one man and Penelope knew this. She did not wish to be with more than one man, so she used her weeping to distract her suitors so she would not be looked at with disgrace in her century. After twenty years Penelope is given strength, while pretending to be oblivious, in a categorical way Penelope demonstrates her
There was kind of ambiguity when the Odyssey and Penelope started to talk to each other’s after the maid had wash his feet. When Penelope described her dream as she said about the eagle who came and killed all the suiters whom she would not like to marry with and talked to her with a human voice, telling her that he is her husband. I also found Odysseus responds tricky a little bit, because sometimes he is about to say that he is Odysseus and sometimes his responds are just like a new story to Penelope. The poor Penelope did not recognize her beloved husband Odysseus, because she is certain that he died many years ago. However, she held her hope like a woman holding a candle in the middle of the dark. She could not forget her husband and it
Now comes the part where he puts Penelope to the test. By sharing this information with her about her husband he comes to understand her feelings for him. Penelope has not only been loyal to Odysseus as her husband, but also as the authority figure. She has demonstrated her loyalty by being true to him for twenty years in his absence and has not remarried.
Firstly, Penelope who plays Odysseus’s wife is alone tending to her city Ithica until her husband returns. Meanwhile Odysseus is out fighting in the Trojan War and against many of the Greek God’s who are trying to make his trip back home as eventful and hard as possible; “…work out his journey home so Odysseus can return” (Homer 276). While King Odysseus is away Penelope is to deal with a bunch of suitors who are eating and trashing out Ithica, “…if those suitors have truly paid in blood for all their reckless outrage” (559). In order for Penelope to keep peace until Odysseus returns she has to come up with a clever plan to keep the suitors from completely taking over. For almost 2 years Penelope was able to keep the suitors from getting out of hand by saying she will find someone to marry and replace Odysseus after she is d...
Shown by her consistent weaving and unweaving of the shroud, Penelope has an internal debate with herself about marrying or not marrying a suitor. This can be compared to the way Odysseus returns home, which is in a zigzagging pattern, sometimes closer to home, sometimes farther away. He had almost gotten to Ithaca when his crew opened the bag of winds given to Odysseus by Aeolus. The large gust of wind, once again, threw them off course. Parallel to that situation is when Penelope was completely headstrong and close minded about not wanting to marry a suitor. She had little to no doubt that Odysseus was coming back but something abruptly changed her mind and she finished the
...s’ home alone, or find comfort in another suitors bed: “the time for bed, sweet rest, is coming soon, /…I lie in mine alone, my heart thudding, / …Or had I best join fortunes with a suitor” (XIX.592-612). Penelope displays that she desires a bed out of lust, the fact that she leaves her bed reluctantly shows that her true love is still Odysseus; this shows that true love will not leave easily, whereas lust often lasts for a brief period of time. Love is also used to distinguish the strong from the weak, Odysseus is strong because he never decides to give up on Penelope, but Penelope is shown to have a few flaws, as she almost gives up on Odysseus, and the suitors are all lust and no affection as they win the hearts of no one and only admire Penelope’s beauty, not her wits nor heart.
However, his journey isn’t over yet. This last leg of Odysseus’s journey is perhaps the most important and crucial. Odysseus’s nurse and maidservant, Eurycleia is the first woman in Ithaca to know that Odysseus is back after she recognizes the scar on his leg while she is washing him. Eurycleia vows to keep his identity a secret. Odysseus’s wife, Penelope has stayed faithful to Odysseus for all the years that he was gone. Penelope was consistently unweaving her web to the delay the suitors. The reader even grows sympathetic for Penelope as “we see her struggle to make the virtuous choice about her marriage, despite pressures from her suitors, her son’s endangered situation, and her own uncertainty about Odysseus’s survival” (Foley ). Finally, Odysseus reveals his identity and Penelope is bewildered, but quickly embraces her husband after he tells her the secret of their immovable bed. It is the faithfulness of Penelope and nurse Eurycleia that insures Odysseus’s survival to the very end.
Penelope makes each individual suitor feel special and makes him believe that she would pick him as her new husband. This action implies not only that she allowed the suitors to remain in her household, but more importantly that she wanted the suitors to stay. Therefore, Penelope’s speech and actions toward the suitors justified their remaining in the home.
Archetypes of the Odyssey The Odyssey is a work of art that expresses the thoughts, views, and fears of ancient Greece that are shown through archetypes. These archetypes are some of the primary tools to learn about ancient Greece. The Odyssey was written by Homer and it shows the ten year journey Odysseus took to get back home to Ithaca from Troy. There are three archetypes that have been found to reoccur throughout the course of the story. These archetypes will be used to explain their importance to the Odyssey and Greece.
Greek women, as depicted as in their history and literature, endure many hardships and struggle to establish a meaningful status in their society. In the Odyssey, Penelope’s only role in the epic is to support Odysseus and remain loyal to him. She is at home and struggles to keep her family intact while Odysseus is away trying to return to his native land. The cultural role of women is depicted as being supportive of man and nothing more. Yet what women in ancient Greece did long ago was by far more impressive than what men did.
The chief suitor, Antinoos, uses the word cunning to describe the queen after she had been able to deceive them (Homer 2.97). Penelope did this, firstly, by stalling her weaving, a task which she has insisted she must finish before she would be prepared to marry any of the suitors. However, Penelope never intended to complete her project, for “ ‘every night by torchlight she unwove it; / and so for three years she deceived the Akhaians.’ ” (2. 113-124). By unweaving the burial shroud - which she had been crafting for Odysseus’ father, Laertes - each night it was left incomplete, until an unfaithful maid told the suitors her secret. Despite having been discovered, Penelope’s ruse had successfully stalled the suitors for three - almost four - years. This would not be the last time she used her guile to delude the advances of her suitors. Nearing the end of the work Penelope proposes a challenge to these men, that who ever had the ability to string
...ow Greek civilization was founded by women; they were the ones who gave birth to the heroes. Similarly, The Odyssey is a story created by women. The plot revolves around the actions of women. Athena orchestrates all the events. The seductresses, such as Circe, the sirens, and Calypso, attempt to stop Odysseus from reaching home. The helpmeets, such as Nausicaa, Arete, and Athena, aid Odysseus in his homecoming. The wise and virtuous Penelope is the object of Odysseus’ quest. Unlike Helen who forsakes her husband, Penelope remains faithful. Unlike Clytemnestra who assassinates her husband, Penelope patiently waits for Odysseus. She becomes a model of female patience and of female intelligence. Her craftiness is the only one which can match up to Odysseus’. The Odyssey presents a wide array of women and demonstrates the influence that women have in the life of a hero.
Penelope’s household is incomplete in the absence of a man to lead Ithaca, which results in pressure from the political community to wed. Telemachus laments that because Odysseus is absent, he and his mother can only “parade in their wretched weakness” (Od. 2.62-65). Penelope’s situation is different from other women because her husband’s absence means that Ithaca does not have a king, which only places more pressure on her to replace Odysseus. As Telemachus later exclaims, “These suitors are not just ten or twenty, they’re far more… ” (Od. 16. 276). The
...t get close to Penelope, only her true love. This statement proves that it is in fact Odysseus and that he has returned. Penelope knows he is the only one to know how he made the room. Odysseus used his knowledge and intelligence to win back his love. No other person was ever able to move the bed except for Odysseus. He and Penelope were the only two people who knew how the bed was made. Odysseus again conquers his task through his intelligence.