outright. In the ancient world there were variant stories. some commentators claim that her decision to marry whomever wins Odysseus was one of the original suitors of Helen and came to the Spartan court for that purpose. Let us know if you have suggestions to improve this article (requires login). In one of them, Telegonus, son of Odysseus and Circe, sets forth to find his father but mistakenly kills him. Ann Arbor: Michigan University Press. Her cares make her somewhat flighty and excitable, however. Instead, she puts off her decision and leads them on with Use up and down arrows to review and enter to select. Telegonus and Penelope have one son, Italus, the eponymous hero of Italy. She only has one son by Odysseus, Telemachus, who was born just before Odysseus was called to fight in the Trojan War. What makes Odysseus “the man of twists and turns”. Princeton: Princeton University Press. Penelope is also associated with linen and cloth through her role as hostess. Wohl, Victoria Josselyn (1993), ‘Standing by the stathmos: the creation of sexual ideology in the, Zerba, Michelle (2009), ‘What Penelope knew: doubt and scepticism in the. Odysseus’s son. Her astute delaying tactics reveal her sly and artful side. Visit BN.com to buy new and used textbooks, and check out our award-winning NOOK tablets and eReaders. Though her love for Odysseus is unyielding, she responds Omissions? her, for Penelope would otherwise spend her nights weeping in her that she will never complete cleverly buys her time. Encyclopaedia Britannica's editors oversee subject areas in which they have extensive knowledge, whether from years of experience gained by working on that content or via study for an advanced degree.... Who led the Argonauts in search of the Golden Fleece? She is a complicated woman with a wry sense of destiny who weaves her plots as deftly as she weaves a garment. Updates? This shows us two ways Penelope is like her husband: first, she’s a skilled deceiver, and second, she’s proud of it. ), Reading the Odyssey: Selected Interpretive Essays. Odysseus 's wife and Telemachus 's mother. the archery contest of Book 21 results from bed. The notion of not remarrying until she completes a burial shroud Athena often prefer to leave her in the dark about matters rather It was Odysseus who had proposed the oath that settled the suit for Helen. https://www.britannica.com/topic/Penelope-Greek-mythology. Her cares make her somewhat flighty However, Penelope is not a pasteboard figure. Karen Van Dyck), This page was last edited on 3 October 2020, at 17:30. Schein, Seth L. (1996, ed. To spare herself their importunities she insists that they wait until she has woven a shroud for Laertes, father of Odysseus. For this reason, Odysseus, Telemachus, and Athena often prefer to leave her in the dark about matters rather than upset her. For this reason, Odysseus, Telemachus, and Heitman, Richard (2005), Taking her Seriously: Penelope and the Plot of Homer's Odyssey. to the suitors with some indecision. Penelope, in Greek mythology, a daughter of Icarius of Sparta and the nymph Periboea and wife of the hero Odysseus. her awareness that only her husband can win it. Penelope, in Greek mythology, a daughter of Icarius of Sparta and the nymph Periboea and wife of the hero Odysseus. Assured at last that it is her husband, Odysseus, who stands before her, Penelope explains her earlier hesitation. Some even claim Anghelaki-Rooke, Katerina (2009, ed. she does not discover Odysseus’s identity when Eurycleia is washing Though she has not seen Odysseus in twenty years, and Be on the lookout for your Britannica newsletter to get trusted stories delivered right to your inbox. In the beginning of the story, Penelope's most prominent qualities are passivity, loyalty, and patience (along with beauty and skill at the loom) – the age-old feminine virtues. ὄρνεα (predators) ποιά. When Penelope tells her story to the “beggar” (Odysseus in disguise), she cannot help boasting a little about her ability to deceive the suitors. and excitable, however. Kauffman, Angelica: Penelope Awakened by Eurycleia Penelope Awakened by Eurycleia (Odysseus's nurse), oil on … than upset her. Tyndareus was grateful that Helen’s suitors did not organize against him. Telemachus. She waits twenty years for the final return of her husband, during which she devises various strategies to delay marrying one of the 108 suitors (led by Antinous and including Agelaus, Amphinomus, Ctessippus, Demoptolemus, Elatus, Euryades, ὅπερ ἔνιοι <χηναλώπεκες>, "Mette Edvardsen, Matteo Fargion : Penelope Sleeps", https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Penelope&oldid=981657492, Wikipedia articles with SUDOC identifiers, Wikipedia articles with WorldCat identifiers, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License, Amory, Anne (1963), ‘The reunion of Odysseus and Penelope’, in Charles H. Taylor (ed.). happen. The Odyssey Though she has not seen Odysseus in twenty years, and despite pressure the suitors place on her to remarry, Penelope never loses faith in her husband. promises that she will choose a new husband as soon as certain things By signing up for this email, you are agreeing to news, offers, and information from Encyclopaedia Britannica. It is possible that the hand of Penelope was a reward to Odysseus arranged by Tyndareus. that she recognizes her husband before she admits it to him in Book 23. Penelope is the wife of the main character, the king of Ithaca, Odysseus (Ulysses in Roman mythology), and daughter of Icarius of Sparta and his wife Periboea. Penelope. Every night for three years, until one of her maids reveals the secret, she unravels the piece that she has woven by day so that she will not have to give up hope for the return of her beloved husband and remarry. An infant when Odysseus left for Troy, Telemachus is about twenty at … When Odysseus shows up in disguise, she tells her maids to "give him a wash and spread a couch for him here, with bedding and coverlets and with shining blankets" (19.317-18). loses faith in her husband. him. They had one son, Telemachus. Corrections? Penelope also has a sense of humor. despite pressure the suitors place on her to remarry, Penelope never They had one son, Telemachus. Similarly, (1985), ‘Penelope “ΠΟΛΥΤΡΟΠΟΣ”’. Homer’s Odyssey tells the story of how, during her husband’s long absence after the Trojan War, many chieftains of Ithaca and nearby islands become her suitors. Athena often comes to her in dreams to reassure or comfort Homer’s account has remained the dominant one. Some critics dismiss Penelope as a paragon of marital fidelity — a serious and industrious character, a devoted wife and mother, but one who lacks the fascination and zest for life that some of Homer's immortal women display. She never refuses to remarry She does very little but lie in bed and weep. Marquardt, Patricia A. Roisman, Hanna M. (1987), ‘Penelope’s indignation’. SparkNotes is brought to you by Barnes & Noble. Some critics dismiss Penelope's role in The Odyssey as a paragon of marital fidelity — a serious and industrious character, a devoted wife and mother, but one who lacks the fascination and zest for life that some of Homer's immortal women display. When at length Odysseus does return, she makes him prove his identity and finally accepts him. Athena must distract her, for instance, so that Our editors will review what you’ve submitted and determine whether to revise the article. However, Penelope is not a pasteboard figure. Telegonus returns to his mother’s island with Penelope, whom he marries, and Telemachus, who marries Circe.

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