Her tapestry represents this vicious circle of resistance. She’s forced to do and undo her own work over and over again while her long-gone lover returns. Penelope is the model of the self-sacrificing woman, who keeps silent and patiently awaits. He actually kills her or returns her to her father for thinking she was unfaithful in other versions. However, Ulysses repudiates his wife in another version, mainly because he accused her of flirting to attract her many suitors. The most widespread, and the one people most like, indicates “they lived happily ever after”. There are several versions of what happens, of course. The mere presence of Ulysses makes the suitors back off. She puts him through some tests and finally recognizes him. She begins to weave by day and unweave by night so she spends four years doing it, at the end of which Ulysses finally returns. In order to avoid having to accept any of her suitors, Penelope tells them she’ll choose one when she finishes weaving a tapestry. However, she knows her husband is alive and will soon return. They all urge her to accept one of them, as they think Ulysses is dead. Some of them even take up residence in her house and eat and drink as they please. In the meantime, Penelope has multiple suitors given she’s a beautiful woman who lives alone. A nymph, a magician, and a princess seduce him during that time but he always kept his wife and son in mind. He spends 10 years in the war and another 10 on his return journey. Shortly after, the Trojan War breaks out and Ulysses has to leave. A year later, she gives birth to Telemachus in Ithaca. The new couple departs, but not before giving each other a long kiss to seal their love. Thus, implying she’ll only be with Ulysses (Icarius later builds a temple dedicated to modesty at the place where this happened). Icarus, her father, tries to keep her in Sparta but she becomes sad, silent, and covers her face with a veil. Relocation to Ithaca and subsequent separation It’s a silent moment and they just know they never want to be away from each other. Ulysses and Penelope fall in love immediately when they meet. She’s Helen’s cousin and has come to offer her advice. It’s around that time that another beautiful woman named Penelope arrives in Sparta. Ulysses is uneasy about the situation though. This is when the two agree to decree that the victorious suitor should be respected by those they defeat. Thus, her father, and Ulysses, fear the dispute for her attention will unleash chaos in Sparta. The woman is so beautiful her suitors are many. His search takes him to Sparta, where he meets the most beautiful woman he’s ever seen: Helen. Well, the story really begins when Ulysses, a brave warrior, feels lonely and decides to look for a mate to be his comfort and companion. The feminine, then, appears as an ambiguous, unreliable, and, by the same token, dangerous terrain.Īccording to Homer’s story, Penelope was born in Sparta to a freshwater nymph and to the king of the region. These traits are about being cunning and having the ability to deceive as means to an end. Penelope is the symbol of devotion and self-sacrifice but she also exhibits traits that appear in different mythologies. It speaks about the feminine and the position of women in relationships in particular. The story of Penelope is quite beautiful but also revealing if you care to scrutinize what it represents from a cultural standpoint. In other words, they synthesize a series of values and skills that make them the ideal models to follow for living within a society.Īs is often the case with these mythical stories, the most interesting messages are those that come between the lines. Thus, the characters in this narrative are archetypal. The function of an epic poem is, among others, to build role models for people to imitate. The myth of Penelope is part of the epic poem The Odyssey, written by Homer.
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