Although
The Odyssey is, of course, primarily about Odysseus's
heroic wanderings, Penelope goes on a journey of her own without leaving the confines of home,
hearth and distaff. She displays truly heroic loyalty to her husband as she fends off the
insistent, unwanted advances of her multiple suitors. She has been apart from Odysseus for
twenty years, ravaged by grief and worry. She mourns for him as if he were dead and cannot get
to sleep without the aid of Athena.
Penelope's loyalty is not just to her
husband, but also to her various social roles as queen and mother. Amidst her unbearable sense
of loss and constantly having to fight off the attentions of suitors, she still has to maintain
Odysseus's estate and provide a good upbringing for Telemachus, one in keeping with his elevated
social status.
Her loyalty is inextricably linked with her cunning. Just
like her crafty husband, Penelope displays incredible ingenuity and guile in devising tricky
little plans that will hold off the...
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