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Penelope of Ithaca. Penelope of Ithaca Penelope was the daughter of Icarius,
of Sparta. Her father was the brother of Tyndareus, making ...
... love him, he might think twice about revealing his identity to his wife and to the
island of Ithaca. He wants to get a feeling of how Penelope feels towards ...
... As far as Penelope, and almost everyone else on Ithaca, was concerned Odysseus
was dead. Penelope had a strong need for a husband ...
... As far as Penelope, and almost everyone else on Ithaca, was concerned Odysseus
was dead. Penelope had a strong need for a husband ...
... to his wife. Telemachus, in Greek mythology, son of Odysseus, king of
Ithaca, and his wife, Penelope. The constant companion of ...
Submitted by trackerdog on December 16, 2005
Category: Biographies
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Penelope of Ithaca
Penelope was the daughter of Icarius, of Sparta. Her father was the brother of Tyndareus, making her a cousin to Helen of Troy, and Clytemnestra. It was during the contest for Helen’s hand that Odysseus was able to wed Penelope. Odysseus knew he had little chance of winning Helen, as he was not as wealthy as some of the other suitors; he instead used his greatest asset, cunning, to secure a wife. He approached Tyndareus with the offer of a trade; in exchange for Penelope’s hand, he, Odysseus, would guarantee that the choice for Helen’s husband would end in peace. Fortunately, for all involved, the match between Odysseus and Penelope appears to have been a good one, and they produce a son, Telemachus.
Throughout the long twenty years of his absence, Penelope earns the title of the ideal wife. And she is, in many ways. She keeps the household and raises her son to be a fine young man, exhibits xenia to all who come to her home and works diligently at her weaving, quiet, serious and constant. Above all other things, she is chaste, loyal and virtuous, despite the presence of 108 suitors vying for her hand in marriage. Although it is certainly true that Penelope does embody the elements of an ideal wife, it can be argued that she becomes the driving force of Odysseus’ journey and a central presence in the plot.
While Penelope’s wifely virtues have been recorded for centuries upon close examination we may see that there is considerably more to her than that. She is in a very precarious position during her husband’s absence, and when the suitors begin demanding she choose among them, she could find herself in trouble. Certainly she is aware that her son’s coming of age will have ramifications. It would be easy for one, or more, of the many suitors to kill him before, or after, she remarries. It is her intelligence that keeps the suitors at bay and creates some semblance of peace in Ithaca. The weaving...
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