Essay on Penelope, Clever Wife of Odysseus

He competed in a bow and arrow challenge to win over his own wife, Penelope. Odysseus revealed his identity to his son, Telemachus, and some of his servants to then slaughter Penelope’s wooers that tried to win her over when he was away. He had the aid of Zeus’ daughter, Athene to help guide him.

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’.

Three traits that Odysseus and Telemakhos share are clear-headedness, eloquence, and showing strong emotion. They are portrayed with these traits in the Odyssey, composed by Homer. Odysseus is a renowned military strategist, warrior, and the King of Ithaca. He was forced to go to war against Troy twenty years ago, and since then has traveled all over the Aegean trying to find a way back home. Meanwhile, his son, Telemakhos, has developed into a full-grown man from the mere infant he was when his father left for war. He has searched far and wide for news of his father, still hoping, along with his mother, Penelope, that Odysseus is still alive somewhere and somehow, even though most have assumed he is dead. Through his ventures, Telemakhos

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.

Chapter 21- Penelope gets Odysseus’s bow, to check if any suitor was capable of stringing it and shooting it through the line of 12 axes. Meanwhile, Odysseus reveals his identity to Eumaeus and Philoetius. No one can string or shoot Odysseus’s bow so Odysseus, still disguised, shoots the bow effortlessly and flawlessly.

Furthermore, Odysseus reveals his cautious qualities that verify his heroism. In "Sea Perils and Defeat", Odysseus does not notify his men about the Sirens: "Odysseus decides to tell the men only of Circe's warnings about the Sirens"(narration). Odysseus noticeably gave forethought to this action because he knew his men would be fearful, and that it would interfere with their goal. His judgment forestalled his men from trying to avoid Scylla, as the anxiety of facing Scylla may have overwhelmed them, therefore, saving them from annihilation. Correspondingly, Odysseus shows his circumspect behavior in "The Challenge": "Odysseus took his time, turning the bow, tapping it, every inch"(lines 1359-1360). This instance reflects Odysseus' value of prudence; he made sure that the bow was in suitable condition for him to make an accurate shot. Placing importance on his discretion, Odysseus displays his heroic characteristics. Odysseus' alertness in these situations validates his heroism.

In Homer's epic, The Odyssey, Odysseus is an epic hero with an epic wife, Penelope. Penelope is also the Queen of Ithaca, a vital role indeed. Penelope's love and devotion towards Odysseus is proven when she waits nineteen years for her husband to return from the wine dark sea, rather than losing faith and marrying another man. Penelope's character is strong and solid, and her personality remains consistent throughout Homer's Odyssey.

Everyone thinks that Odysseus is dead and he will never come back and that is the cause for many suitors to go to Penelope’s home and try to convince her to become their wife. The two main things that make Penelope very clever are the two tests she decides to do on the suitors; the test of bow and the test of the bed. “Here is my lord Odysseus’ hunting bow. Bend and string it if you can. Who sends an arrow through iron axe-helve

To begin, Penelope thinks of Odysseus and immediately lets her emotions out: “Odysseus—if he could return to tend my life / the renown I had would only grow in glory. / Now my life is torment … / look at the griefs some god has loosed against me!” (The Odyssey, 18.285-288). Furthermore, Homer expresses Penelope’s sadness by making her sink “on her well-built chamber’s floor” and through her “sobbing uncontrollably” (The Odyssey, 4.810-813). Clearly in Penelope’s mind, Odysseus’ absence is not something she can easily forget. Homer introduces Penelope as a very caring and devoted wife.

Penelope declares, “I set before you the great bow of King Odysseus now! The hand that can string this bow with greatest east…he is the man I follow” (Homer 426), knowing for a fact that only a man as strong as Odysseus can string this bow. Penelope’s wisdom, in the end, reconsolidates Odysseus’ role by providing him the chance to declare his power and kill all the ambitious suitors at bay. Homer gives Penelope the wisdom, courage and faithfulness that only an ideal woman can have. Although a wife and woman in a male-dominated society, Penelope is capable of assuming the role of a female heroine by keeping the suitors at bay.

Penelope is Odysseus’ wife. While Odysseus is gone for 10 years, she had to stay loyal to him. She was waiting for him to come back. She had to pick someone else to be her husband because they all thought Odysseus was dead. Odysseus comes back disguised as an old beggar and wins the challenge to be Penelope’s husband. She was smart enough to make everyone use Odysseus’ bow because he was the only one that could

Only thing is, Odysseus tricks Penelope by dressing up as a beggar man, wearing nothing but rags in order to not be recognized by anybody. He does this because he wants to test to see if Penelope has been loyal and to figure out who else is still loyal to Odysseus so that he could recruit them for his team to kill off all of the other suitors. Penelope tells the beggar man, “Odysseus my lord among the rest. If he returned, if he were here to care for me, I might be happily renowned… [others] are here to court me, against my wish” (19.150-57). After Odysseus hears this, he knows that Penelope is still loyal and loves him.

Odyseus shows great strength on his baleful journey to his beloved home of Ithaca. His great strength is seen many times, once as in the bow and arrow test. Penelope sets up twelve axes along with a bow and arrow. She then announces to all the suitors that she

In chapter 21 of the Odyssey, Odysseus finally reveals himself to the suitors and his wife Penelope by Stringing his bow that no other man on that Island other than possibly Telemachus could string,

After he arrived, his wife Penelope had made a speech explaining a competition she was proposing. She had said that she need to wed and told the wooers that they'd compete to be her husband and live in the palace with her. The competition was to use Odysseus' bow and shoot all 12 axes. All the wooers had tried but not one was successful. This was Odysseus' chance for revenge. He kreptout of the corner and with ease, shot each axe directly. After succeeding, he transformed into his normal self