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 does Penelope test Odysseus identity?
Penelope’s determination to test Odysseus shows that she is intelligent and not easily tricked . In this way, she is very like Odysseus. Penelope’s test reminds us that the two characters are soulmates.
Why does Penelope test 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.
How does Penelope feel about the suitors?
How does Penelope feel about the suitors in her house? Penelope does not want to marry any of the suitors and resents their presence , thought she considers Antinous worse than the others. ... He may feel that he is not yet ready to trust that his wife has been loyal to him.
How does Penelope manipulate the suitors?
On Odysseus’s return, disguised as an old beggar, he finds that Penelope has remained faithful. She has devised tricks to delay the suitors, one of which is to pretend to be weaving a burial shroud for Odysseus’s elderly father Laertes and claiming that she will choose a suitor when she has finished.
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 avoid marrying the suitors?
Penelope stalls the suitors for three years by saying that she would marry when she is finished weaving a shroud for Odysseus’s family . She would weave during the day and undo her work at night, so she would never finish. NOTE: The burial shroud will be the final act of respect for Odysseus’s family.
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.
Does Penelope recognize Odysseus in Book 19?
In Book 19, Penelope does not recognize Odysseus for who he is because he is disguised as a beggar. He expresses that he knows Odysseus and Penelope tests the validity of the alleged Odysseus sighting the “beggar” had by asking about Odysseus’ appearance.
What is Penelope compared to in the final lines?
Penelope is being compared to an island which shipwrecked sailors finally find: “...his dear wife, clear and faithful, in his arms, longed for as the sun-warmed earth is longed for by a swimmer spent in rough water where his ship went down under Poseidon’s blows...” (B. 23, lns. 83-87).
Why is Penelope upset and why does she leave?
Why is she upset, and why does she leave? They play a song that reminds her of grief, so she leaves .
What is Penelope a symbol of?
Penelope has traditionally been viewed as a symbol of faithfulness and fidelity . The theme of fidelity is an important part of the myth of Penelope, and is shown in her refusal to entertain other suitors in the twenty years her husband is gone.
Why does Penelope talk to the beggar?
Penelope is a fair and kind person and she is horrified at how the beggar was treated. She invites the beggar in because he wants to give him food and ask him about Odysseus . ... Penelope reveals to the beggar that she does not like the suitors invading the castle and she is loyal to Odysseus and will wait for him.
What qualities does Penelope reveal about herself through her actions?
What qualities does Penelope reveal about herself through her actions on page 933? She displays generous hospitality, loyalty to her husband, discretion, kindness, and love for her son .
How many suitors does Penelope?
Once Odysseus returns home (whom Athena initially disguises as a beggar so he can plot his revenge in secret), his son Telemachus tells him that there are 108 suitors : 52 from Dulichium, 24 from Same, 20 Achaeans from Zacynthus, and 12 from Ithaca.
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 . ...
