Penelope: The Loyal Hero

Lindsay LaRoche

Topics in Literature

Dr. Ruth Benander

2 October 2012

Penelope

Although Odysseus is the obvious hero when reading The Odyssey, his wife Penelope personifies heroic qualities as well.  She was able to prove her loyalty to her husband through her faithfulness and cunning plans that held her off from marrying a different man.  While left alone to raise hers and Odysseus’ son, Telemachus, Penelope goes on her very own heroes journey.  This starts with the crossing of the threshold where her home essentially leaves her and she must keep control of the estate and raise her son as a single mom.  In order to do this she faces a road of trials by holding off the suitors.  Luckily she gets some help in the form of supernatural aid from Athena before she reaches her ultimate boon when Odysseus comes home and kills the suitors.  This heroes journey that Penelope endures along with her classical heroic qualities make her just as much of a hero as her husband.

Penelope’s most notable heroic quality was her loyalty to Odysseus.  Twenty years had gone by and Penelope had not heard a word about Odysseus, yet she still waited for him.  She was miserable without Odysseus.  She describes her nights by saying “I take to my bed, my heart throbbing, about to break, anxieties swarming, piercing – I may go mad with grief” (Fagles 407).  Her grief caused her to weep every night and she had to rely on supernatural intervention from Athena to help her fall asleep.  It was her true devotion to Odysseus and the fact that she had not heard from him in so long that causes this anxiety.

Penelope was a very beautiful woman, but her status as Queen made her most desirable to the suitors who tried to win her affection.  She spent every day finding ways to hold off a marriage to one of the suitors.  Her cunning plans helped to further show the loyalty she had for Odysseus.  One of these plans was that she would not marry until she completed the burial shroud she had been weaving for Odysseus.  What made this plan ingenious is that every night, she would unravel the parts of the shroud she had worked on all day. Penelope showed that she was proud of her plan while describing it to Odysseus when he was disguised as a beggar.  She said “I deceived them blind, seduced them with this scheme” (Fagles 395).  Although her maids eventually exposed the plan to the suitors, Penelope was able to hold off a marriage for many years because of her scheming.

Another example of her ability to set up long-term strategies was her test for the suitors.  At this point, she was almost sure that the beggar was actually Odysseus.  She decided that the suitor who was able to string Odysseus’ bow and shoot it through a row of axes would be her new husband.  This was another ingenious plan because she knew that this was something that only Odysseus would be able to do.  This ensured that in the case that it was Odysseus, it was her husband and that he was armed against the other suitors.  It also ensured that if it were not Odysseus, she would continue to hold off marriage.  The suitors and her outwitting them represents the road of trials that Penelope goes through in her search for her ultimate boon.

The ultimate boon comes after one more plan.  Odysseus had strung the bow and killed all the suitors but Penelope was not jumping into his arms just yet.  She was very cautious in accepting that it was really Odysseus who had come home, as she was afraid that it could have been a fraud.  She told Eurycleia to move hers and Odysseus’ bed out of the bedroom.  Odysseus had carved the bed into an olive tree trunk and knew that it was impossible for it to be removed.  Penelope knew that if this truly were Odysseus it would anger him.  He indeed got angry and lashed out at Penelope “woman—your words, they cut me to the core!  Who could move my bed?  Impossible task” (Fagles 461).  This is another example of Penelope coming up with a cunning plan.  She knew where to hit Odysseus hardest which would reveal whether it were him or not.  In finding out that it is actually her husband, Penelope reaches her ultimate boon.  It says that “she dissolved in tears, rushed to Odysseus, flung her arms around his neck and kissed his head” (Fagles 462).  This realization shows us that by Penelope staying loyal to Odysseus, the whole time he was gone, they were able to end up together and live happily together in the end.

Many of Penelope’s classical heroic qualities correspond to those of modern 21^st century female heroes.  Her ability to keep the estate and raise her son while Odysseus was gone proved that she was an independent woman.  This is an important characteristic of female heroes in current movies and television shows.  She was also confidant and strong willed during the time that Odysseus was away and she had to deal with the suitors.  Her clever plans to avoid having to marry them set her apart from other women who may have given into the temptation after being away from her husband for so long.  These struggles that Penelope faced in The Odyssey make her more of a relatable character than Odysseus.  While he is off battling the Cyclops, Penelope is raising her son and making sure the estate stays in her control.  By being able to relate to these common trials, a modern audience would find Penelope to be a hero because of her ability to overcome the difficult times and end up happy in the end.

By overcoming different yet equally demanding trials and hardships, Penelope became a foil to Odysseus’ hero journey.  Both of them were clever at coming up with ideas to get them through the challenges they faced.  While Odysseus conquered monsters and other extreme dangers, Penelope faced the challenge of raising her son while holding the estate together and staying loyal to her husband.  Her loyalty was shown through the heroes journey she goes on while awaiting the return of Odysseus.  As a reward for being faithful, clever, and cautious, Penelope ends up happy in the end with her husband in her arms.

Fagles, Robert. The Odyssey. Penguin Books, 1996. Print.