Penelope is one of those characters in Greek mythology who only appeared for a short time. She was mentioned in the Odyssey and is known for being the wife of the hero Odysseus. In fact, the plot of the Odyssey is entirely focused on the hero and his quest to return to his wife and family in Ithaca. Although she technically only appeared in a few scenes, the hero’s awareness of her was something that was on his mind throughout most of the work. Here’s a look at her story.
Who was Penelope?
She was the wife of the hero Odysseus in Greek mythology. She was the daughter of Icarius and Periboea. She was especially known for her strong character. In contrast, she remained faithful and devoted to him throughout his absence.
The story suggests that she had many opportunities to take a lover or remarry, but she refused. Throughout Greek mythology and within Greek culture, the name “Penelope” has always been associated with fidelity.
Her parents
She was actually the daughter of two famous figures in Greek mythology, Icarus, the individual who flew too close to the sun on his man-made wings, and Peribea, who was known to be one of the nymphs. However, depending on the source, Icarus may not have been her father, but rather her brother. In other words, her parents were up for debate and varied depending on the origin of the story.
Wife of Odysseus
Thanks to the Odyssey, we know for certain that she was the wife of the Greek hero Odysseus. Due to the Trojan War and the hero’s long journey home, we know that the couple endured many years of separation. In fact, the plot of the Odyssey centers on his desire to return home. However, his journey was fraught with danger and it took him a long time to return to his family.
Myth of Penelope
Penelope, Queen of Ithaca
In any case, Penelope and Odysseus would marry, and Odysseus succeeded his father as king of the Cephalopods. They would live happily together in a palace on Ithaca, and Penelope would give birth to a son for Odysseus, a boy named Telemachus.
Penelope was left alone
The happy life of Penelope and Odysseus would come to an end when Menelaus invoked the Oath of Tyndareus, and Odysseus, despite his misgivings, would have to gather a force and travel to Troy to fight for Helen’s return.
Ten years of fighting would ensue after they parted, and during this time, she ruled her husband’s kingdom in his stead. During these ten years, she also remained faithful to her husband, in stark contrast to Meda, wife of Idomeneo, and Clytemnestra, wife of Agamemnon, who took lovers in the absence of their husbands.
The war ended, and news of the Achaeans’ victory reached the lands of the Greek heroes, and slowly, the leaders of the Achaeans returned home. Odysseus did not return, and there was no news of her husband since his departure from Troy.
Finding a suitor
As the story goes, she was finally persuaded to take a new husband, but in her heart she still wanted to be faithful to her marriage. Although she consented, she made her requirements almost impossible because she did not want to be with anyone but Odysseus. So she organized a contest in which the suitors had to prove that they were good at certain tasks. In her heart, she knew that only her husband, Odysseus, could pass the tests.
Meanwhile, Odysseus finally returned home. He learned of the contest, but instead of telling his family that he was home, he entered the contest in disguise. He ended up outdoing each of the competitors, and finally, when he won, he revealed his true identity to his wife.
Penelope and the Shroud of Laertes
Penelope couldn’t simply reject all of her suitors, so instead she tried to delay any decision by telling the assembled suitors that she couldn’t make a decision until she had finished weaving Laertes’ funeral shroud. Laertes was Penelope’s eldest father-in-law, and although he was not dead, she told the suitors that she would be ashamed if he died before the shroud was completed.
So for three years the suitors watched her weave, but unbeknownst to them, every night Penelope unraveled the day’s work, so she was never closer to completing the shroud.
Finally, however, one of the palace servants betrayed his mistress to the suitors, and now the suitors pressed for a decision. While the suitors waited for Penelope to make her decision, they indulged themselves with food, wine, and Odysseus’ servants. The suitors even conspired to kill Telemachus, Penelope and Odysseus’ son, perceiving him as a threat to them and their plans.
Penelope’s husband returns
Odysseus finally returned to Ithaca after many trials and tribulations, and although his return was known to his son, the king visited his own palace disguised as a beggar. After 20 years of separation, she did not recognize her own husband, but the stories the beggar told of his encounter with Odysseus cheered her up after years of sadness.
The next day, the suitors felt that she was finally ready to make a decision, for the Queen of Ithaca declared that whoever could string Odysseus’ bow would be her new husband.
Odysseus’ test
It was a test of strength, but when the bow was presented to them, suitor after suitor failed to string it. Suddenly, however, the bow was in the beggar’s hands, and with a single movement, it was strung, and shortly thereafter, the arrows were released by the disguised Odysseus. Thus, all of Penelope’s suitors were slaughtered by Odysseus and Telemachus.
Odysseus then revealed himself to Penelope, although she initially refused to believe that her husband had finally returned home, but she was finally convinced when the details of their marital bed were revealed. Then she and her husband were happily reunited, and perhaps she bore her husband two more sons, Polyporthes and Acusilaus, and if Tiresias’ prophecy came true, then the couple died of old age.
Penelope is awakened by Eurycleia
The faithful Penelope is the most enduring version of the Greek myth, and it is the version that Homer wrote, and the one that the Romans retold. Some writers thought it was too good a story to be true, and like many other tales, these writers made sure that there was no happy ending for Penelope and Odysseus.
In some tales, Odysseus is exiled from his kingdom for killing the suitors, but in most versions of Odysseus’ exile, Penelope is not in the company of the Greek hero.
Penelope is unfaithful
This separation is perhaps due to the fact that she was not the faithful wife she is normally portrayed as, with the belief that Penelope had slept with Antinous, or Amphimedon. When Odysseus discovered his wife’s infidelity, some say that Odysseus killed Penelope, while others say that Penelope was returned to her father’s house in Aquarius.
Penelope remarries
Some writers recounted that she was later seduced by the god Hermes, a relationship that resulted in a man named Pan.
Those writers who spoke of Odysseus’ death also spoke of Penelope’s remarriage, because when Telegonus killed his father Odysseus, he sought out Penelope and made her his wife. It was said that this relationship had produced a son, Italus, the eponym of Italy. Penelope and Telegonus may have later met on the Island of the Blessed.
