Penelope In The Odyssey

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Penelopiad by Margaret Atwood is a rendition of the Odyssey through Odysseus’s wife Penelope’s eyes. The story shows Penelope questioning odysseus’s faithfulness. Penelope also is not faithful herself throughout the story. Penelope was conflicted when others were viewing her as a faithful loyal wife even though she was not. Penelope also questioned Odysseus’s faithfulness throughout the book and she was correct about him.
The protagonist in my story is, Penelope Odysseus’s wife. This book is about Penelope supporting feminism. Penelope had a hard time dealing with Odysseus being gone and she had to deal with his suitors. Even after her father trying to murder her Penelope kept on going on with her life. That shows that she is resilient and …show more content…
She wants to tell her side of the story and she also wants to share her opinions about her husband's acts during their marriage. With those include Penelope herself and hades along with young cleaning woman who Homer said were hanged before Odysseus got back. Penelope tells her story with Odysseus and her relationship with Helen her cousin. She struggled to get acceptance in Odysseus's family in Ithaca as she waited Odysseus return with the woman from Trojan. Penelope's story is a little different than the classic told by Homer, other then the explanation for the crazy adventure. She explained about how the cleaning woman Odysseus cheated on her were murdered. Odysseus ended up getting tried for the murder charges and not Penelope. The end of the story left us drawing our own …show more content…
For example Odysseus’s poor treatment of his wife Penelope. "I had a reputation to keep up, and the reputation of a king's wife is under constant scrutiny." (72). This quote shows that Penelope was looked down upon only because she was a female. And that Odysseus didn't want Penelope to be smarter than him because that would make him lesser of a man. If they were treated as equals nobody would have a problem but the men needed to be in control back then and even in some cases still today. That's why this story is still relevant, people can relate to it in today's time, which is sad but true. "And so I was handed over to Odysseus, like a package of meat." This quote shows how women were viewed from the eyes of a man. Like previously stated Odysseus rigged the contest so he could marry Penelope. Women were not viewed as humans back then more like a package of meat like the quote says. That was demoralizing to every woman that happened to. It was not just penelope it happened to woman everyday and again, it still happens today in some
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