Character Analysis : ' Penelope '

Penelope is a great example of how Greek women should act in early society. Penelope was loyal to her husband, she was clever, and she was a good mother to her son Telemachos. Penelope honored her husband and didn’t go against him even though he was gone for over 20 years. She also had to face over 100 suitors while Odysseus was gone. Penelope showed her cleverness when she told the town she would remarry when she finished weaving the rug. Every night Penelope would undo the work she weaved so she could buy time for her husband. She was very faithful to her husband and believed him that he would return to her. These traits that Penelope show are how other Greek women should act in society. The roles women played in society was that they

Odysseus's wife, Penelope plays a crucial role in Homer's ‘The Odyssey’, with not only providing the motivation for Odysseus's return to Ithaca, but she is also the center of the plot involving the suitors and the fate of Telemakos and Ithaca itself.  Therefore the objective of this essay is to analyze the importance of Penelope’s role in ‘The Odyssey’.

While traditional readers of Homer’s, The Odyssey, view Odysseus as a hero, they often reduce Penelope to Odysseus’s helpless wife, but Penelope is more than just a damsel-in-distress. Penelope proves to be Odysseus’s heroic equal, as through her resilient, witty and strategic actions she ensures Odysseus fighting advantages over the suitors.

The Odyssey, written by Homer, tells the story of Odysseus after the Trojan War. It not only includes an insight on the adventures and return of Odysseus, but it also includes the stories of Telemakhos and Penelope. Telemakhos is the courageous son of Odysseus who goes on a quest in search for information about his father’s whereabouts. Penelope is an extremely clever woman who could match Odysseus in his wit. Penelope is able manipulate the suitors that have come to pursue her in Odysseus’s absence. Though Penelope often spends many nights weeping over the absence of her husband, it seems as if she never loses faith in her husband, and she truly believes that he will return to her and punish the suitors that have taken over their

During Odysseus’ journey in ‘The Odyssey’, Odysseus runs into a couple problems. He leaves home ready to fight in the Trojan War. Although he had plans on coming home, he never made it home. His wife Penelope and his son Telemachus assumed that Odysseus was dead. It was not until Athena came to Telemachus and gave him everything he needed to make it to his dad. What Telemachus did not know was that Odysseus wanted to come home, but he could not because he was being held prisoner on an island named Ogygia. Odysseus wants nothing more to return home and see his lovely wife Penelope.

"My lady, there is no man in the wide world who could find fault with you. For your fame has reached broad heaven itself, like that of some illustrious king."(Page 289,Book 19)

Penelope: In the opening chapters of The Odyssey Penelope is angry, frustrated, and helpless. She misses her husband, Odysseus. She worries about the safety of her son, Telemakhos. Her house is overrun with arrogant men who are making love to her servants and eating her out of house and home, all the while saying that they are courting her. She doesn't want to marry any of them, and their rude behavior can hardly be called proper courtship. She has wealth and position; she has beauty and intelligence; most of all she has loyalty to her husband. But against this corrupt horde who gather in her courtyard shooting dice, throwing the discus, killing her husband's cattle for their feasts, and drinking his wine, she is powerless.

Homeric similes can be used throughout an epic to compare two unlike things in a way that will redirect the reader’s attention or intensify heroic stature of a subject. In three main places in The Odyssey, Homer uses this type of elaborate simile to engage the reader on a deeper level. These three points of the epic in which the Homeric similes create depth are the reunion of Odysseus and his son, the stringing of a bow, and the battle against the suitors. The reunion of Odysseus and his son, Telemachus, is a poignant moment in the epic.

            Despite this high opinion of Penelope, before he left, Odysseus and Kalypso " . . . retired, this pair [He and Kalypso], to the inner cave/to revel and rest softly, side by side."(Homer V:235-238)  This was not the only time Odysseus "retired", with another woman.  On the island of Kirke "[he] entered Kirke's flawless bed of love"(Homer X:390).  Despite these few instances, Odysseus remained faithful to Penelope in their twenty years apart.  He never loved either Kalypso or Kirke as he did Penelope, and thusly chose not to stay with either of the two.  Although the principle might get lost in the tale, Penelope played the part of the goal for Odysseus to obtain, or re-obtain by the end of the Odyssey.

"The soul has no secret that the behavior does not reveal,” said Lao Tzu. The essence of

"Here 's to the ones who see things differently. They 're not fond of rules. And they have no respect for the status quo. They change things. They push the human race forward. And while some may see them as the crazy ones, we see genius. Because the people who are crazy enough to think they can change the world, are the ones who do (Rob Siltanen)." Penelope Trunk, author of the blog site Penelopetrunk.com, neglects and criticizes most of the common beliefs of the world and offers her own unique perspective about these beliefs through her blog posts. She has become a popular blogger because she sets herself apart from other bloggers by utilizing a writing style that is rare and entertaining. Blog posts such as "Don 't go to grad school" or "Don 't do what you love" may be offensive to some readers, but are shocking in that they recommend reasonable, practical advice that would probably not be offered anywhere else. Although Penelope Trunk 's brutally honest, pessimistic character may be unfavorable to most readers, it allows her to use her counterintuitive advice to pique their interests and challenge them to expand their critical thinking skills by viewing situations from different standpoints.

Odysseus’s strong desire to return to his family inspires foreign rulers to assist Odysseus in returning home. Odysseus states, “Nevertheless I long—I pine, all my days— / to travel home and see the dawn of my return” to Calypso (5.242-234). Odysseus stayed with the goddess Calypso as her “unwilling lover” until he leaves on a raft (5.172; 179-187). Calypso grants Odysseus leave from her island because he is in grieving over being separated from his family. Odysseus lands in Phaeacia after leaving Calypso’s island. While begging for passage home, Odysseus says, “How far away I’ve been / from all my loved ones—how long I have suffered” (7.180-181). King Alcinous

The purpose of the paper is to compare and contrast the characters of Penelope in the epic, The Odyssey, Lysistrata in the comedy, Lysistrata, and Medea in the tragedy, Medea. The writer will first give a brief synopsis of each character, followed by a comparison and climaxing with the contrast.

I like some of the characters but some I don’t like because they are rude to people in the novel. Some of the characters I like are penelope, jaime, and maribella. I like them because they are nice people and they believe that some people make a mistake but are a really good person or people who hurt people for the fun of it. Maribella made a big mistake but Jaime forgave her because he knew she did it for a good reason and not for the fun of it. I love people like this because it shows that those people try to find the good in everyone.

Odysseus and Jessica are very ambitious to achieve their goals. Odysseus is gone for 20 years and is now returning to his son, and wife back in Ithaca. At first Telemachus does not believe that Odysseus is his father. Telemachus' reaction is revealed in the quotation, “Then throwing his arms around his marvel of a father, Telemachus began to weep” (Homer 693). Odysseus stays ambitious to get back to Ithaca to see Telemachus and Penelope. Telemachus is thrilled to see his father. He hasn’t seen his father since he was a baby. When Telemachus enthusiastically embraces his father, it demonstrates how happy he is to see his father. Odysseus struggles through The Sirens and The Lotus Eaters to make it home to Penelope and Telemachus. Odysseus is very ambitious to