Character Analysis of Penelope in The Odyssey

Homer’s Odyssey very closely in order to set up the themes which will be in play throughout the semester. Next we shall encounter alternative formulations of Odysseus’ life in the Epic Cycle and examine how the Lyric poet and philosopher Xenophanes viewed the Homeric hero. By the time of Odysseus’ arrival on the Greek stage in 5th century Athens much has changed in the world of the Greeks and Odysseus has changed with the times. Sophocles portrays two very different Odysseus characters in his…

works of literature, the protagonist is typically either the main hero or the main villain of the story. He or she is often either the person that the audience aspires to be or the person the audience aims to avoid becoming. In Homer’s epic poem The Odyssey, Odysseus is a hero who is trying to reach and reclaim his home. Throughout his journey, Odysseus encounters all kinds of people and beings who affect both his trip home and the repossessing of his home. The majority of Odysseus’s encounters…

Toward a Recognition of Androgyny claims to be the first deep analysis of androgynous storytelling and symbolism in English literature. Essentially an extensive case study of stories and novels from Greek antiquity up to the 19th century, the essay argues that androgyny has existed as an ideal in storytelling for centuries, albeit as a “hidden river” (xx). More general statements on the androgynous ideal can often be inferred from the analysis of specific texts. Heilbrun begins her expedition at…

Pride and Loyalty: An Analysis of Strengths and Weaknesses in The Odyssey Many great characters throughout history exhibit the same tragic flaw-- hubris. From Oedipus to Faustus, many heroes fall victim to their excessive pride, which manifests itself in a number of different ways, including a lack of trust and a desire for power. Pride is especially prominent in Homer’s Odysseus, as it prevents him from returning home for twenty years in The Odyssey. Odysseus’s pride, while not a tragic flaw,…

distinctly bigger picture. His story doesn’t fall into the confines of bigger happenings, like a moment in the Trojan War or the end of a ten year journey home. Aeneas’ journey is the founding of Rome. It’s not as personal a journey when comparison to the Odyssey where Odysseus makes his voyage home to his wife and son. While there is no doubt that Vergil has created a story about Aeneas and his experiences, the end result is about much more than his legacy, it is about the legacy of Rome. In…

In Homer’s Odyssey, Penelope is waiting for her husband, Odysseus, to come home from war (Kamil, 2014). In the meantime, there are fifty suitors that live in her house and they “eat-up” her husband’s wealth” (Kamil, 2014). She has a dream one night where fifty geese are killed by an eagle, which later reveals itself to be Odysseus (Kamil, 2014). There are many symbols in this dream (for example, the geese represent the suitors), and the dream is also wish-fulfilling because Penelope wants the…

For all of human history, females have fulfilled one of two major roles in society. The first is the mother-figure. This is the woman that starts out as a maiden belonging first to her father, then to her husband. In literature this is what women should aspire to — this is the prize that the hero gets at the end of his physical and moral journey. The other category of women is the harlot. This is a sexual figure that appeals to man’s baser desires. In society, that dichotomy gives rise to the…