. The day of the contest is Penelopes chance to regain what she has lost or to lose it forever, and the two possibilities are reflected in Penelopes prayer, signaled by the fruitless Pandareids on the one hand, and a suddenly vivid recollection of Odysseus on the other. She knows that nobody could possibly accomplish this feat except Odysseus. Penelope characterizes Helen as vain, cruel, and flirtatious. Telemakhos is the courageous son of Odysseus who goes on a quest in search for information about his fathers whereabouts. Penelope also loves her son, Telemachus, but she knows that he is too young and nave to be able to help her fend off her suitors. 3 What is an epithet in the Odyssey Book 9? Some have attempted to derive the name from the Greek word (pn), meaning weft or loom.[1] This would make Penelope the weaveress, an apt moniker that reflects both the literal weaving that plays an important role in her myth (see below), as well as her more metaphorical weaving of cunning plots to fend off her suitors. Question|Asked by monkeylikesbananas. Soon after, Penelope and Telegonus had a son named Italus, from whom Italy derived its name.[34]. Penelope is fuming with anger over how Melantho has mistreated the beggar, as she is anxious to hear news of her husband from . Penelope had to take care of their son, their estate, and their servants for 20 years. Also, she could have asked any question, but she knew this was the one thing that would get Odysseus all worked up to find out the truth. She continues this pattern for three full years before one of her maids reveals her secret. In Homers The Odyssey, Penelope is a good match for Odysseus because she is clever, and she shows that cleverness when she stalls the suitors by weaving the burial shroud, when she devises the contest with, Unlike Odysseus Penelope is confined by the gender roles of her time and cannot use physical strength against the suitors or even direct verbal rejection, instead Penelope resorts to her emotional resilience and wit in order to challenge the suitors. Meanwhile, back in Ithaca, Odysseus was presumed dead. Another reason this shows we can trust Penelope is because before this scene Odysseus went through all the trouble to find out if she was faithful or not and then she continues with the same thing that Odysseus had found out. British Museum, London. copyright 2003-2023 Study.com. 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. Penelope is an elegant Greek name that means "weaver." Its origin is traced back to Homer's epic poem "The Odyssey," a staple of Greek mythology that reached immense fame across the world. The rays of light from each sunrise looked similar to fingers of pink and red. HOMER / The Odyssey, Book One 273 05_273-611_Homer 2/Aesop 7/10/00 1:25 PM Page 273 Page 2 of 339. children and fools, they killed and feasted on the cattle of Lord Hlios,2 the Sun, and he who moves all day through heaven took from their eyes the dawn of their return. So she came up with a clever test: she told her servants to bring Odysseus bed outside to the main hall so that he could sleep there. In Homer's Odyssey, Odysseus is repeatedly referred to as "many-minded," Penelope as "prudent," and Telemachus as "sound-minded." [28] In public, Penelope remained steadfast in her resolve, regularly meeting with the suitors but never agreeing to marry; privately, she would mourn, fast, pray, and weep. 4 West. Penelope is a loyal and patient character. In the seventeenth year of his absence, the young men of Odysseus kingdom108 of them in total, according to Homer[26]flocked to his palace to seek Penelopes hand in marriage. 103-104, 112-113) Penelopes actions are strategic and well calculated. a traditional story that reflects a culture's beliefs about its origins or about an element of nature; does not have a known author; has been passed down orally from ancient times Zeus king of the gods and ruler of mankind; god of the sky Hera queen of the gods; wife of Zeus Athena What experience do you need to become a teacher? Soon they had a son named Telemachus. Penelope plays a very important role in Odysseuss journey home, in fact, she is the main reason for his return to Ithaca. An epithet is a word or phrase that describes a chief trait of a person or thing. By clicking Accept All, you consent to the use of ALL the cookies. She uses her cunning to fend off 108 other suitors who are vying for her hand on the assumption that Odysseus is either dead or is never going to return. While Odysseus is gone, Penelope remains faithful to him. In both myths, then, there is a first part in which a daughter is separated from her reluctant father and taken away by her new husband, and a second part in which the husband has to compete for her with his bow against a challenger or challengers. any word or phrase applied to a person or thing to describe and actual or attributed quality. Ameirk), Arnacia (Greek , translit. On Ogygia, Kalypso questions Odysseus about why he would want to still go home to his mortal wife after all his years with her, and she says Can mortals compare with goddesses in grace and form? (V. 223) while talking about Penelope. They had one son, Telemachus. Nonnus, Dionysiaca 14.92, where Pans mother is named as Penelope of Mantinea (who may or may not be the same Penelope who married Odysseus). In Homer's Odyssey she is pictured as a chaste and faithful wife. 110ca. March 31, 2022 by zahsya salsabila sa. For this reason, Odysseus, Telemachus, and Athena often prefer to leave her in the dark about matters rather than upset her. When the suitors begin invading her house and asking, then demanding, her hand in marriage, Penelope knows she must handle them herself. 24 CE): Penelope and her family are mentioned a few times in Book 10 of the Geography, a late first-century BCE geographical treatise and an important source for many local Greek myths, institutions, and religious practices from antiquity. Penelope continues to be evoked in modern pop culture. 2023. These cookies help provide information on metrics the number of visitors, bounce rate, traffic source, etc. In what appears to have been a well-known tradition, Odysseus had no sooner returned to Ithaca than he was forced to leave again on another odyssey, this time to do penance for blinding Poseidons son Polyphemus. To unlock this lesson you must be a Study.com Member. The Odyssey, written by Homer, tells the story of Odysseus after the Trojan War. Scholia on Homers Odyssey 1.275, 1.277, 4.797. . The Odyssey ends when Odysseus proves his identity to all who are surrounding, slaughters the suitors, and reconquered his kingdom of Ithaca. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Analytics". . When Odysseus encounters Antikelias ghost in the underworld, he says to his mother, Tell me about the wife I married, what she wants, what she is thinking (Book 11, lines 176-177). Log in for more information. She is also cunning and intelligent, able to use her skills to postpone remarriage to one of her suitors. This may be an alternate name for Poliporthes/Ptoliporthes. Early Greek Myth: A Guide to Literary and Artistic Sources. Penelope is also very kind, which we see when she interacts with the servants and her son. f. Get an answer. He showed great bravery by going up against Hector in battle, but the epithets applied to him in The Iliad refer to him as dear to Zeus, great-hearted, and simply gentle. Robert S. P. Beekes, Etymological Dictionary of Greek (Leiden: Brill, 2009), 1186; Pierre Chantraine, Dictionnaire tymologique de la langue grecque (Paris: Klincksieck, 1974), 3:897; cf. The story of the Trojan War is one of the foundational myths of Western culture. After the massacre, Odysseus revealed himself to Penelope. She is 'the bright of women,' but her constant epithets are 'exceeding wise,' and 'self-controlled'; a word which conveys a sort of power . She told them, Penelope may not have as exciting of a life as some of the other characters in Homers The Odyssey, but she makes up for it by being very clever, which makes her a good match for her husband, Odysseus. She has been teaching English in Canada and Taiwan for seven years. What are various methods available for deploying a Windows application? In all of this she stayed strong and independent, and despite the pressure of the suitors she stayed loyal to Odysseus, even when she didnt even know if he was alive or not. Felson, Nancy. If Penelope would have given in, The Odyssey would not have ended with Odysseus returning to a loyal home. When Odysseus told her that this was impossible, as he had built the bed out of a living olive tree (a fact that only the real Odysseus could have known), Penelope knew it was really him.[33]. Homer, Odyssey 18.2025, trans. Eustathius on Homers Odyssey 1.344; scholia on Homers Odyssey 4.797 (citing Didymus). It can be argued that Penelope is the hero of The Odyssey, thus besting her husband for being the main character. . Theopompus of Chios, FHG 1 F 114 (cited in John Tzetzes on Lycophrons Alexandra 806); Servius on Virgils Aeneid 2.44. One of the most important parts of Penelope's story is Penelope's shroud. Gantz, Timothy. Her ploy failed only when one of her servants eventually betrayed her and told the suitors what was happening. She is mortal after all and you, you never age or dieNevertheless I long-I pine, all my days-to travel home and see the dawn of my return (Book V, lines 239-243). Apollodorus, Epitome 7.3637, who adds that Circe sent Telegonus and his new wife Penelope to live in the Isles of the Blessed (but makes no mention of Telemachus marrying Circe). . She worries that Odysseus prefers Helen to her. While the readers could focus on the triumphs and accomplishments of Odysseus, Odysseus has done wrongs. For Penelope, the Odyssey is a story of incredible patience. [23], When Penelope was of marriageable age, many suitors came to seek her hand. In the narrative and in Greek society women played a variety of roles, as mothers, herons, and many other strong roles yet, they were treated as less significant, and were made to be loyal and . Thus in the Odyssey books 1 4 you will find several epithets including bright eyed Athena sensible Telemachus, rosy fingered dawn and wise Penelope. She falls far short of you, your beauty, stature. Antinoos being aware of this, and admitting to it, is testament to Penelopes smarts. An error occurred trying to load this video. When Telegonus discovered his mistake, he buried Odysseus and mourned his death. At the beginning of Homers Odyssey, Odysseus has been absent from Ithaca for twenty years. Penelope. In Lexicon Iconographicum Mythologiae Classicae, vol. Penelope was the famous queen of Ithaca in Greek mythology, for Penelope was the wife of the Greek hero Odysseus. But in my version, I have chosen deliberately to interpret these epithets in several different ways, depending on the demands of the scene at hand. The repeated use of a word or phrase for the same person, place, or object. Zurich: Artemis, 1994. And though Penelope is presented as a faithful wife, women in The Odyssey, such as Calypso, are often fearsome and predatory, their wiles typically enhanced by their stunning beauty. [31], With this information, Odysseus and Telemachus began plotting. Odysseus doesnt simply utter his name; rather, he attaches to it an epithet, or short, descriptive title (raider of cities), his immediate paternal ancestry (Laertess son), and a reference to his homeland (who makes his home in Ithaca) ( 9 . Penelope's scheme is eventually revealed by her traitorous maidservant Melantho, who developed a carnal relationship with one of the suitors. Throughout the Odyssey, Odysseus a prominent Greek epic hero is on a quest to return back to his home in Ithaca; to his wife Penelope, and his son Telemachus. 139) Penelope is not only extraordinarily clever, but she is also a caring and loyal mother. Penelope is mortal, yet Odysseus still chooses her because she has still surpassed her weaknesses in a way that compels her husband to choose her instead of an immortal. Penelope's wit is also shown in her scheme to mislead the suitors by saying that they must wait for her to weave a shroud for Odysseus's father Laertes. A characteristic of Homers style is the use of epithets, as in rosy-fingered Dawn or swift-footed Achilles. By clark February 11, 2022. Penelope uses her intelligence and slyness again as she tells them whoever wins an archery contest using Odysseus bow, which only he could use, she would marry. I feel like its a lifeline. This cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. Telemachus leaves home to search for his father without telling his mother, which distresses her greatly. However, Penelope is not a pasteboard figure. Penelope. Mythopedia, December 08, 2022. https://mythopedia.com/topics/penelope. This shows us two ways Penelope is like her husband: first, she's a skilled deceiver, and second, she's proud of it. Penelope's Odyssey quotes give a great deal of insight into her character. succeed. [2] This etymology may be related to the myth that Penelope was thrown into the sea as a baby and saved by ducks. It is an attempt at reading the "Odyssey" from Penelope's point of view, which is grounded in the fact that the structure of the "Odyssey" points to such a perspective. Penelope and the Penelops. It is perhaps noteworthy that our earliest evidence for the linking of the sun with Apollo comes from Euripides, The first thing to observe about this myth is its striking structural similarity to the story of Odysseus and Penelope, if the latter story is considered as a chronological whole, including parts that are not mentioned in the. To further ensure that Penelope does not get in the way of the killing of the maids, Odysseus made sure that all the women were locked securely into the womens quarter, including Penelope. The way, While Antinoos tells stories of Penelopes scheming he says Does she intend to keep us dangling forever? (II. 1121 likes. Penelope has featured in literary retellings of the Odysseus myth as well, such as Nikos Kazantzakis The Odyssey: A Modern Sequel (1938), Eyvind Johnsons Return to Ithaca (1946), and Glyn Iliffes Adventures of Odysseus series (20082017). final opponent/child of the earth; his defeat allows Zeus to become unopposed king of the gods. Ten of those years were spent fighting the Trojan Warthe trick of the Trojan Horse, which led to a Greek victory, was his ideabut nobody had heard from him since. Were building the worlds most authoritative, online mythology resource, with engaging, accessible content that is both educational and compelling to read. Penelope is a very well portrayed character and she is needed in the story to be someone Odysseus could always be someone to come back, But now since you have given me accurate proof describing our bed, which no other mortal man beside has ever seen, but only you and I so you persuade my heart, though it has been very stubborn (Homers Odyssey, book 23. lines 225-230). 100; Herodotus, Histories 2.145; Cicero, On the Nature of the Gods 3.56; Apollodorus, Epitome 7.38; Hyginus, Fabulae 224; Servius on Virgils Aeneid 2.44; John Tzetzes on Lycophrons Alexandra 772. This cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. By crafting a lie that delays the suitors from marrying her immediately, Penelope restrains the suitors from seizing Ithaca, her household, and posing a threat to Telemachus or Odysseus. In speaking with Calypso, Odysseus describes Penelope: Look at my wise Penelope. Later in the poem, Penelope sets up an archery contest that she knows only Odysseus would be able to win. Penelope has also been highlighted as the most faithful of wives, as it was said that Penelope waited 20 years for her husband to return to her. Shes most upset about Odysseuss failure to return home: Shes perpetually crying and expressing her grief. Penelope's bright mind, even though she is mortal, is often represented by rhetorical questions that are posed by various characters throughout the story. Throughout the book we are told stories to show how wise Odysseus is, but is shown that he can be out smarted. Once again, Penelope is wise and patient in her decision-making. A. T. Murray. An epithet is a descriptive term or qualifier that identifies an attribute. Ovid (43 BCE17/18 CE): The first of the Heroides takes the form of a letter from Penelope to the long-lost Odysseus. "(Page 20, Book 2). In some alternatives to the familiar Homeric account, Penelope was not faithful to Odysseus while he was away. In some versions, Penelope slept with either Apollo, Hermes, or all of the suitors who came to court her in Odysseus absence. . Athena in the Odyssey by Homer | Character Analysis & Role. The author and epic poet, Homer, exemplifies our main character, Odysseus, to take on this idea of a hero throughout his writing. Part 1. The repeated use of a word or phrase for the same person, place, or object. 1) Great - his bravery was known to many; 2) Versatile - he quickly adjusted to new situations; 3) Strategist - he was exceptional at the art of war; 4) Master Mariner - he could captain a ship any where in the world; 5) Raider of Cities - he conquered the city of Troy.