Penelope's Dark Circles: A Narrative Fiction

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

Atwood’s take on the character of Penelope in The Penelopiad first describes her as an average and modest woman with a single defining trait of intelligence, whereas Odysseus is introduced to the story as a cheat and a thief. In due time, Odysseus leaves to fight in the war against Troy, and then starts his ten year voyage back to Ithaca. However, in the twenty years he was gone, Penelope has learned to independently manage the land, and use her wits to trick the Suitors and learn of their plans. When Odysseus finally returns home, Penelope knows to not reveal his true identity and doesn’t tell him of her deceptive ways. The two characters have flipped traits in this way, as now Penelope is the master of tricks and Odysseus follows her lead.

Do you have a companion who is in war and you are waiting for them to return? Is he or she your true love? Do you push everyone else away just for that person? How long will you wait for them? There is an anonymous quote that relates to these questions and says, “No matter how long it takes, true love is always worth the wait”. Both Penelope and the Suitors by John Williams Waterhouse and “Penelope” by Dorothy Parker use the myth of Penelope and the Suitors to show that many people can be waiting for someone they love to return and neglect anyone else who tries to be with them.

Penelope is possibly the most interesting character in The Odyssey by Homer. She is an independent woman in Ancient Greece - a time where that is unheard of. Her husband is missing, but she continues to be faithful. Cunning, forgiving, and kind, she rules the kingdom and raises her son without her true love. The poem, “Penelope” by James Harrison represents Penelope as a fully developed character. She deals with grief for Odysseus, and solution for her situation with the suitors.

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

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

Listen, I have been fooled by many mortals that snuck into my cave at night. Their ship landed on my island and have wandered into my dwelling. They took advantage of me and have done terrible things to me. Will you do me a favor, and punish them severely. I came back to my cave from a day of hard work and I shut the door and spotted them in my reach. I was furious, and out of rage ate some of his men. Who is he you ask?, Odysseus, the king of Ithaca and his men who are on their return home from the Trojan War. Do you know who he is? First, he told me his name was “Nobody”, and I fell for it, what stupidity of me father. He gave me this drink called wine in which I passed out from. Later, I just awoken from immense pain, Odysseus and his

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.

They were wonderfully pretty eyes; and, indeed, Winterbourne had not seen for a long time anything prettier than his fair countrywoman's various features‹her complexion, her nose, her ears, her teeth. He had a great relish for feminine beauty; he was addicted to observing and analysing it; and as regards this young lady's face he made several observations. (7)

In the well-known epic The Odyssey we follow the ancient hero Odysseus as his faithful wife Penelope waits for his return to Ithaca. From the poem we know that Penelope looked after their home and weeps for the day her husband to return alive and no longer be tempted by other suitors to contemplate infidelity with her marriage. This is all we know about Penelope during the epic since the story is more focused on Odysseus being the hero. Only recently e have asked the idea of telling the poem by the woman herself Penelope. An example of this thinking is found in Margaret Atwood, The Penelopiad: The Myth of Penelope and Odysseus where she switched the importance of “Odysseus and Penelope” with “Penelope and Odysseus”.

Libby’s eyes are like lying in the grass under the sky on a summer day, you're warmed from the inside and from the outside. She has a constellation of freckles on her face. Her eyelashes are as long as my arm. Also, there's her smile. Let me tell you, it's amazing, like it comes from the deepest part of her, a part made of blue skies and sunshine. (..) All this time, I thought it was her weight that made me see her. But it's not her weight at all. It's her. (Niven 375-376).

The Superiority Complex of Atwood’s Penelope Unlike many versions of Helen of Troy, in The Penelopiad Margaret Atwood paints the infamous woman as a siren, a goddess, and a murderer. By making the reader see Helen’s imperfections through Penelope’s eyes, new layers are added to this character so often explored in literature. Helen and Penelope’s dynamic relationship adds a layer to not only The Penelopiad, but also to the male-dominated Odyssey. These factors create a dynamic feminine force that informs both characters: without each other, they would not be as interesting as they are.

Hello Penelope it is me Odysseus there have been some really rough things going on lately but it is starting to look like I might make it home soon. Last time you wrote to me you told me you would like me to tell you about some adventures me and my crew have been on so here I go. Me and my crew set out for the land of the dead after arriving there we find Circe. After a while at Circe’s, I decided it was time to go. She gave is provisions and sent us off to the underworld. In order to assuage the nations of the dead I would have to sacrifice a black lamb, handsomest of all our flock to Tiresias. They were coming out of every side and sought the pit with rustling cries I started to get really scared. The first to approach me was Elpenor. You

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

Homer's Odyssey is a story of the homecoming of Odysseus after the Trojan War.  Odysseus left his wife, Penelope, and their young son, Telemachos, almost twenty years before the telling of this story to fight in the Trojan War.  His absence places Penelope in a rather precarious position.  Faced with many different circumstances, both good and bad, Penelope is on her own to decide the path she wishes to take.  Depending on her decisions, the situations could either be filled with wonderful opportunities or perilous dangers. The strong character of Penelope is revealed by her decisions.