Penelope: Helping The Suitors In Homer's The Odyssey

1324 Words3 Pages

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 …show more content…

Not only had Penelope mentioned her dream, but she also had asked Odysseus what he had been wearing the last time that he had seen him when entertained in Crete. Penelope had given him a test that would have proved most difficult for any man who may have actually seen what Odysseus had been wearing. Odysseus went on to describe that he had been wearing a mantle, a tunic, and also a golden pin. This golden pin was something that Penelope had given him right before he had left for war and was important to her. By Odysseus mentioning the pin it had signified to her that he may have still loved her for the 20 years he had been away. She had began weeping after the description had been given as she likely knew that it had been Odysseus in which the old man claimed to see. During this moment it is very likely for her to have recognized that the old man was Odysseus and that is why he was able to describe his outfit with such …show more content…

She was out of the room when the slaughter had begun but her actions leading up to that moment definitely contributed to his success. Had Penelope not stayed faithful the suitors would have gotten their way and Odysseus would have not been able to come back and reclaim his throne which he had left for war. There are many moments in the book where it is almost irrefutable that she had known it had been him and been able to act upon the situation in a beneficial way. Had their conversation not occurred it would have been much harder for one to argue that she had known it was him. Penelope asked questions which she knew almost nobody would know and after receiving some confirmation that it had been him decided to place the competition of the bow. The night of the contest gave him the perfect opportunity to lock all of the suitors in the room and to slay them so one could say that she had helped him to slay the

Show More
Related

  • Penelope´s Cleverness In Homer's 'Odyssey'

    1733 Words  | 4 Pages

    With confidence, Penelope speaks up “if only Odysseus came back home to on native soil now, he and his son would avenge the outrage of these men—like that!” (17.600-01). In the Quote one is able to notice that Penelope is trying to get a spark out of her son, to see how he would reply to her after having found out that her husband is said to be on the island from the god Theoclymenus. Penelope realizes that her son said that he did not speak to Odysseus but she senses that her son may be lying to her. Moments after Penelope voiced how she wished for her husband to be home her son “shock with a lusty sneeze like a thunderclap resounding up and down the halls” (17.602-03). At this point in the book Penelope has already been told about the arrival of a beggar and she has formed an idea that the beggar may be her husband. Penelope speaks in response to the sneeze, “bring me this stranger now, face –to-face! You hear how my son sealed all I said with a sneeze?” (17.606-07). This response shows that Penelope got what she wanted, which was to get her son to reveal what she believed to be true this whole time. The belief was that the beggar is her husband which is confirmed when she said: “bring me the stranger now” (17.606). Homer portrayed Penelope as oblivious but the sneeze shows that she is able to pick up on the little things

    Read More

  • Penelope's Ambiguity In The Odyssey

    675 Words  | 2 Pages

    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

    Read More

  • Optimism In The Odyssey

    644 Words  | 2 Pages

    She could have moved on after a little while, but she didn’t marry any of the suitors that were trying to court her; instead she was hopeful and believed that Odysseus could come back after 20 years. In the story, while Odysseus is gone, many suitors have come to try to court his wife, Penelope. But, Penelope doesn’t want to marry any of the suitors, she wants to marry Odysseus. When Odysseus, described as a beggar, comes to his house, Penelope immediately wanted her maid to “go get that man…[because]he may have heard rumors about Odysseus,” (Homer 1282-1285). The quotation proves that Penelope is an optimist because you can infer that when new people come, the first thing Penelope does is ask them whether they have seen or known Odysseus, because she doesn’t know anything about the beggar that makes him special to ask him about Odysseus, which shows that Odysseus is in her thoughts, and that she has hope that he can come home. Penelope is an optimist because she kept hope that Odysseus would come home

    Read More

  • Penelope's Recognition of Odysseus as a Beggar

    1534 Words  | 4 Pages

    Through all of these examples, it is obvious that Penelope recognized Odysseus to some extent in the beginning, and throughout his time posing as a beggar she became more convinced of his identity. She hides this knowledge only to protect herself and her husband. Their interactions, though subtle to the naked eye, upon closer examination reveal that she did in fact recognize her husband as the beggar.

    Read More

  • The Odyssey - A Creton Lie

    793 Words  | 2 Pages

    The beggar assures Penelope that he has really spent some time with her husband in Amnisus because there was a terrible storm and, 'Then on the thirteenth day the wind died down and they set sail for Troy (Homer 397, 19.233-234).'; There are two statements that reassure Penelope that the beggar does know Odysseus. 'So I took Odysseus back to my own house, gave him a hero's welcome, treated him in style....';(Homer 396, 19.222-223) and 'A dozen days they stayed with me there.... (Homer 397, 19.228-229).'; By giving Penelope this information about her husband, it gives her hope that he is still alive and on his way home.

    Read More

  • Free Essays on Homer's Odyssey: Penelope's Enduring Faithfulness

    1445 Words  | 3 Pages

    of a year. It is only after hearing the appeals of his men that Odysseus

    Read More

  • Woman Character of The Odyssey, Medea, and Thousand and One Arabian Nights

    1052 Words  | 3 Pages

    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...

    Read More

  • The Role Of Women In Homer's Odyssey

    730 Words  | 2 Pages

    She is loyal, having waited for Odysseus for twenty years, not remarrying, though she thought he was gone for good. She also plays a much more active role in the marriage she has with Odysseus. Perhaps the most defining characteristics attributed to Penelope involve her role as a woman, in marriage and as a presumed “widow”. First, there seems to be a double standard, like described in Calypso’s case, between the loyalty of Penelope and the loyalty of Odysseus. Penelope is physically and emotionally loyal to Odysseus, while Odysseus is only emotionally loyal, meaning he has had sexual relations with other women within the twenty years he has been gone. During this time period in Greek culture, this was not frowned upon and was quite normal, suggesting that women were held to a different standard than men. In addition, as Penelope is presumed to be a widow, at least by the suitors, she is prized solely for her beauty. The suitors speak only of her beauty and none of her intelligence or of her personality or soul. This suggests that marriage was not always about love, and that women were judged and valued merely for their beauty. This idea further proves the act of sexualizing women during this

    Read More

  • Wisdom And Order In Odysseus

    995 Words  | 2 Pages

    She shows him that the only way to reveal the identity of Odysseus was through trial. It is a final test of Odysseus’ desire for wisdom and order. Odysseus’ unity with Penelope creates peace: “And the pledges for days to come, sworn to by both sides / were settled by Pallas Athene… who had likened herself… to Mentor”(Odyssey 24.546-48). Odysseus proves to Penelope that he deserves her prudence and their complementary marital union results in Ithaka’s unification, blessed by the grace of Pallas Athene.

    Read More

  • Most Valuable Experience for Odysseus

    744 Words  | 2 Pages

    If Odysseus told Penelope everything, he would have been slaughtered by the suitors right in front of his wife. Ultimately, Odysseus has gone through many experiences since his departure from Troy. The most influential experience that serves most valuable against the suitors is his time spent on Helios’ Island. Three important lessons he learns are to reveal things at the right time, to practice self-restraint, and to remain above temptation. Ultimately, these lessons learned from his experience at Helios will assist him tremendously on his mission to reclaim the throne as King of Ithaca.

    Read More

  • What Is The Similarities Between The Odyssey And The Epic Of Gilgamesh

    1574 Words  | 4 Pages

    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.

    Read More

  • Penelope and Odysseus

    869 Words  | 2 Pages

    This shows that she does recognize Odyssey but she says that because she just wants to be sure that it's him. Odysseus does not want to suffer the same fate as a gamemnon, so he dresses up as a beggar when he returns to Ithaca. Only a few people recognize him, and one of them is his wife Penelope. During their conversation beside the fireplace, Odysseus tries to signal to Penelope that it's him by making her suspicious of the things he says. The wise Penelope picks up these signals, recognizing that the beggar is an odysseus.

    Read More

  • Female Role In The Odyssey

    1080 Words  | 3 Pages

    She is a testament to women of this era in that she is not pushed around by men. The unknown writer for a website that analyzes the role of women in the art of ancient Greece writes this about Penelope,” One of the points that can be made of the story is that even though women are weaker than men there are tools available to keep them from being overpowered. The main tool is the rule of law, but even before laws customs could be used” (rwaag.org). Her tactics finally pay off in the end of the epic, when Odysseus returns from his voyage and she once again proves her intelligence by hosting the archery contest to prove Odysseus is

    Read More

  • Relationships In The Odyssey

    406 Words  | 1 Pages

    While the relationship between Odysseus and Telemakhos is a blind love, the relationship between Odysseus and Penelope is a love between two people who just want to be together. Odysseus shows his love towards Penelope throughout the Odyssey. In spite of the fact that Odysseus has been gone for twenty years, he never forgets his wife back in Ithaca. One example of how much he wanted to go home was when he went to the island of the Lotus-Eaters. He could have stayed on the island of the Lotus-Eaters where everything he ever wanted was there, but the thing he wanted the most was to be with his wife. Penelope likewise displays this kind of love towards Odysseus.

    Read More

  • Tone in The Odyssey

    598 Words  | 2 Pages

    The tone in the beginning of this book is very frantic; it starts out with Eurycleia rushing through the hallways and into Penelope’s room to inform her of the good news. The old nurse tells Penelope that Odysseus is indeed back home to Ithaca. At first Penelope couldn’t believe it but when she was reassured she cry tears of joy. The tone then shifts to a calmer one, even a little harsh. When Penelope sees Odysseus in person she seems to show no emotion at all. The reason for all this is because she fears the Gods are playing a trick on her or maybe Odysseus is no longer the man he used to be. With these assumptions she keeps a distance from her husband. But then Odysseus proves himself to his wife by describing their bedstead in deep detail, with this Penelope is reassure that Odysseus has not changed after all these years. The tone then changes to a more happy and joyful one to go along with their reunion as husband and wife.

    Read More

More about Penelope: Helping The Suitors In Homer's The Odyssey

Open Document