Odysseus' wife Penelope has suitors because of Odysseus' long absence. They assume that he is dead, and they hope to marry Penelope
to inherit all that she has
. The suitors believe Odysseus to be dead. They wish to inherit his vast fortune and kingdom.
Why did so many men want to marry Penelope?
Odysseus' wife, Penelope,
has suitors because she is physically attractive and possesses great wealth
. In other words, she is both beautiful and rich. There is another reason Penelope has suitors, and it is cultural in nature. The ancient Greeks viewed marriage as both a necessity and privilege for women.
What did the suitors do to Penelope?
Basically, the suitors
run rampant through Odysseus' mansion, eating all of the food, slaughtering the livestock, and harassing Penelope for her hand in marriage
. Remember, poor Penelope and her son have to deal with this for years and years.
Why did Penelope not marry the suitors?
Penelope didn't have a choice
. She may have been Queen of Ithaca, but she had little actual power. All men loyal to Odysseus had followed him to Troy, she simply had no way of forcing the suitors to leave the palace. And of course she feared that antagonizing the suitors in any way would put Telemachus' life in danger.
What does Penelope arrange for the suitors who want to marry her?
What challenge does Penelope create for the suitors?
Whoever could string Odysseus' bow and fire an arrow through twelve axe handles
would be able to marry her. … Penelope asks Odysseus if he will arrange to have his bed moved out of their bedroom while she gets used to him being home.
Does Penelope cheat on Odysseus?
Pausanias records the story that
Penelope had in fact been unfaithful to Odysseus
, who banished her to Mantineia upon his return. … Other sources report that Penelope had sex with all 108 suitors in Odysseus' absence, and gave birth to Pan as a result.
How does Penelope decide to choose a husband?
Does Penelope really intend to marry one of her suitors? In Book 19, Penelope declares her intention to remarry. … To determine which man she will marry, she devises a contest:
Whoever can string Odysseus's old bow and shoot an arrow through the twelve axes will win her hand
.
Why are the suitors bad?
There he found that 108 young men, the suitors, had invaded his house. Their purpose was to put pressure on Odysseus' wife, Penelope, to marry one of them. The suitors are described
negatively as being rude, slovenly, disrespectful and ungrateful
.
Who did Calypso marry?
Calypso loves
Odysseus
and wants to make him immortal so he can stay with her and be her husband forever, even though she understands that he doesn't love her back and wants to return to Penelope.
Who does Penelope think killed the suitors?
What (who) does Penelope believe caused the deaths of the suitors? Penelope thinks that
the gods
killed the suitors because she thinks Odysseus couldn't have done it all by himself.
How did Penelope delay her marriage?
For three years, Penelope has put off choosing a husband among the suitors by saying that she must first finish weaving a shroud for Laertes. Each day she weaves and each night she unravels her day's work. Thus she delays for three years
until a treacherous maid spills the beans
.
What test does Penelope give the suitors?
The test was that Penelope says that
she will marry whichever suitor can string the bow and then shoot an arrow through 12 axe handles
. None of the suitors can even string the bow so none of them even gets a shot at the axe handles. So this is a way of showing that Odysseus is much stronger than any of the suitors.
Who are the most rude and demanding suitors?
Antinous
.
Antinous
, son of Eupheithes, is the first of the suitors to speak in the epic and the first to die upon Odysseus' return. Antinous is the most disrespectful of the suitors and is the one who devises a plan to murder Telemachus upon his return to Ithaca.
Why does Penelope give this test to the suitors?
To assure herself of Odysseus' identity
, Penelope tests him. As he listens, she asks Eurycleia to move the bedstead out of the couple's chamber and spread it with blankets.
Why does Penelope put the suitors through the contest of the bow?
Penelope's choice of contest — one that only Odysseus could win —
supports the suspicion that she is aware of the beggar/Odysseus's real identity
. When the beggar/Odysseus asks for an unofficial chance at the bow, Penelope immediately counters Antinous' objection.
Why did Penelope wait for Odysseus?
Penelope, in Greek mythology, a daughter of Icarius of Sparta and the nymph Periboea and wife of the hero Odysseus. They had one son, Telemachus. To spare herself their importunities she insists that they
wait until she has woven a shroud for Laertes, father of Odysseus
. …
