Penelope: The Wife Of The Warrior Odyssey

In her essay "Penelope as Moral Agent," Helene Foley attempts to discuss Penelope, a major character in Homer's the Odyssey, in terms of Classical Athenian portrayals of women and, as her title suggests, in terms of what she calls a "moral agent." In her introductory paragraph she lays out guidelines as set down by Aristotle and his contemporaries that constitute a moral agent: the character must make an ethical and moral decision "on which the actions turns...without critical knowledge of the circumstances" (Foley 93). To this end, Foley ultimately decides that Penelope meets these standards and adds that her social, familial and personal responsibilities play integral roles in making that decision. Foley's examples and her in-depth

HOMER AND EURIPIDES DEAL WITH THE SAME THEMES BUT IN DIFFERENT WAYS INTRO: Despite difference of around 400 years between them Greek poet Homer and tragedian playwright Euripides explore many of the same themes in their works the Odyssey and Trojan Women (written by each respectively). Both works are inspired by the events of 12th Century BCE Trojan War that Homer previously explored in the Iliad. The two examine the worth of cunning over brute strength, the dangers of temptation and the role of women in their respective time periods. Despite having extremely similar central ideas, the techniques employed by each are markedly different. These differences arise as the result of changes in socio-historical contexts and format of each work’s presentation, for example the critical shift of the 5th century which saw the rise of sophistry and a certain scepticism in regard to Athenian leadership and the very existence of the gods.

Greek society is highly stratified, one where the distinctions between Nobles, peasants, and slaves are explicit. While many people consider women oppressed in the ancient hierarchy, this notion is somewhat contradicted in the Odyssey, where many women act as powerful figures. Penelope separates herself from the suitors that plague her palace, who are relentless in their pursuit for her hand in marriage. Circe has the capability to seduce an entire unit of Odysseus’ men and turn them into pigs. Athena benevolently guides Telemachus over the many obstacles he faces on his quest to seek out his father. Helen defects from Sparta, rallying all of Troy for her cause. Clytemnestra deceitfully plans Agamemnon's death for her new love interest, Aegisthus. Women in the Odyssey show that through seduction, trickery, and wisdom, women of Ancient Greece are able to obtain significant power.

In Homer’s Odyssey, we see a small side of Penelope as she greets her husband Odysseus after his return from his 20-year long journey; she is sweet and gentle, treating him as if he left for a day. In T.H.S. Wallace’s “So the Old Beggar with Bow Can Shoot Straight as Death” and Dorothy Parker’s “Penelope”, Penelope is transformed from a gentle woman into a harsher one. In The Odyssey, Penelope is described as a somber lady that misses her husband dearly. In the poems, however, she is depicted in a different light. The Penelope of T.H.S. Wallace’s and Dorothy Parker’s poems is different from Homer’s Penelope; she is harsh, vengeful, strong, and overall more complex.

The Odyssey by Homer portrays Odysseus as a hero who spends his time defeating the Trojans, fighting a six headed monster, and going to exotic lands. The only thing Odysseus did not do was stay loyal to his family or keep hope the whole time. Who they don't mention is Penelope who shows loyalty, hope and other characteristics that also make her a hero. Because Penelope shows loyalty and hope in The Odyssey, Penelope is the greatest character.

“Sometimes you don’t realize your own strength till you are face to face with our greatest weakness”(Susan Gale).Susan Gale perfectly explains her quotes about strength in a person and how strong a person can be mentally and physically. Strong means to be fearless and being able to handle things that most people would cower when brought upon them. In The Odyssey by Homer, Odysseus and his beloved wife, Penelope, were the power couple of Ithaca, they were meant to be. Though they were strong, they were both strong in different ways. For example, Odysseus possesses physical strength on his epic journey while Penelope contains mental strength while her husband is gone. In The Odyssey, Penelope shows more useful strength throughout the course of

In the beginning there was darkness, and then magically God came to bring light. This light he brought on Earth would be day, when the light disappears it will be called night. Genesis is a crucial part of the bible because through this people could understand how the world was

One would naturally accept that the female character in a brave story plays the biased part of an article at the transfer of the male hero. The female character in a courageous story holds the generalization that she is insensitive, and will over and again run to the most great looking man.

Both Penelope and Odysseus put others through trials in books 19, 21, and 23 in order to test their loyalty and identity. The trait of constantly testing others eludes to the little trust that Odysseus and Penelope have in others making them a perfect match for each other. In Book 19 Homer shows Odysseus in the presence Penelope describing to her how well she is known and why. He suggests that her fame “has reached the vaulting skies” and that the kingdom she has built is “proud and strong” and under her “sovereign way” her people “flourish” (19: 118-120, 124). All of these positive attributes Odysseus is mentioning serve the purpose of testing Penelope on if she is still loyal by acknowledging how these are all things Odysseus thinks he has

Within a majority of ancient society, women were not seen as significant or powerful members. Despite this, Homer’s The Odyssey explores a large variety of females who hold a sort of dominance, whether it is social, supernatural, or another form. Calypso, the beautiful nymph, is a suitable representation of a powerful woman as she is able to utilize her allure to influence the actions of others. Circe, the nymph with lovely braids, can not only do the same as Calypso, but she has also been gifted with godly abilities that help her manipulate the men that seek her. Although, in spite of being the most mortal, the wise Penelope appears to be the most powerful, using her immense charm and strong will to fend off numerous suitors and maintain her place in her palace until her husband’s return. Nonetheless, many aspects come into play when determining the most powerful woman.

Penelope and Penny are lady associated with Odysseus and Everett. Two men were unbelievable for a considerable length of time. Whenever, Eurycleia (the old medical attendant) revealed to Penelope that Odysseus returned from his voyage, she

The second reason which I think that Penelope and Odysseus are a good match is because of Penelope’s cleverness. Penelope is very clever in many ways during odysseus’ absence. 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

Compare and Contrast: In The Odyssey it seems that Penelope has lost all hope. She prays: “O honored goddess Artemis, daughter of Zeus, strike now I pray an arrow in my breast and take away my life this very instant…” (Homer 250). Her prayer sends off a chain of events. Odysseus wakes up and also prays, but he prays to Zeus, who thunders although there are no clouds (Homer 251). A woman outside then foreshadows the end of the suitors. These are crucial events in the story that warn the reader of what will happen, all started by Penelope’s prayer to Artemis. In Mythology neither Penelope’s dream nor any of these events are mentioned. Hamilton once again sticks to only main events. She probably does this to keep the story moving since the facts of the story can remain the same without these events. Hamilton should have mentioned Penelope’s dream though, because she is asking to be killed and although it doesn’t affect the story it is still an important part that shows how Penelope is feeling. Homer moves the story along smoother while Hamilton keeps out small details like these to quickly summarize the story.

Telemachia frames the character of Penelope, wife of protagonist Odysseus, through her loyalty her husband. Telemachia presents Penelope as the epitome of faithfulness by giving her a storyline that consistently tests it. In the books, Penelope’s home has been flooded by suitors seeking her hand in marriage for years after Odysseus’ disappearance, as her son, Telemakhos tells Athena they “are here courting my mother… Spurn them she dare not, though she hates that marriage, nor can she bring herself to choose among them.” (1.293, 1.295-296.) Through the initial exposition of Penelope’s resistance to the suitors, her unfailing loyalty to Odysseus is established early in the poem. Penelope’s other important character traits are also revealed through