What Is The Significance Of Penelope In The Odyssey

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Penelope is possibly the most interesting character in the Odyssey. Cunning, forgiving, and kind, she rules the kingdom and raises her son without her true love. The poem, “Penelope” by James Harrison represents Penelope holding her pent up anger inside, and her internal debate over the suitors. Harrison uses the literary device, caesura, to illustrate Penelope’s feelings. The first example of this is, “Oh, I have no illusions as to what he’s been up to all these years -- a sea nymph here, a minor goddess there.” The resentment is so thick in this sentence that you can almost see Penelope rolling her eyes. The dash gives this sentence what it needed to punch the fact that Penelope is not some dumb damsel. She knows what’s going on, even if …show more content…

But is that realistic? With over 100 constantly eating her food and disrespecting her rule, who wouldn’t want a real father to kick them out and teach her son to be a man? In the poem we get to see this new side of Penelope, While the book shows us a much more two dimensional character. In the book, all we see is Odysseus doting wife. She is cunning, don’t get me wrong, but we can only guess at Penelope’s true feelings about her situation. Both her smarts and love for Odysseus are shown through Penelope’s weaving. Penelope had told the suitors that once she was finished making a burial shroud for Odysseus’s father, she would choose one to marry. But, every night, she would unravel ehat she had done. Antinous speaks of it, saying “She finished [the weaving] off. Against her will, We forced her.” (1.122) This depicts Penelope as a damsel in distress, being pushed Into things by the suitors - quite a contrast from the poem. Later in the story, Penelops speaks of how much she misses Odysseus; “Odysseus- if he could return to tend my life the renown inad would only grow in glory. Now my life is torment.” (18. 285-287) In this section, Penelope sits, just feeling sorry for herself, while in the poem she at least thinks about how she could fix it. Lastly, “Penelope demurred… ‘wed the man you like’ … staunch Odysseus glowed with joy to hear all this- his wife’s trickery” (18.317-3.19) Odysseus doesn’t think for a second that his wife would actually love one of the suitors - he knows immediately that she is tricking

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