Odysseus then summoned Eurycleia and told her to indicate which, Odysseus then told Telemachus to hack the, her, saying that Odysseus had hung the rape victims, the youngest, and the most beautiful, Penelope wonders if another explanation might be that Eurycleia knew of her, Chapter 24: The Chorus Line: An Anthropology Lecture, Responding to a critic in the audience, the, fulfill this role, and instead tore off the genitals of a goatherd and hung the, returns to Penelopes first-person narrative as she describes her feelings after the Suitors and the, Chapter 26: The Chorus Line: The Trial of Odysseus, as Videotaped by the Maids, did to be hanged. The Maids and Penelope, therefore, represent a cult of the moon goddess according to this reading, and the slaying of the Suitors stands for an annual ritual to renew their virginity. When a stranger comes to your door it is important not to be rude and not ask questions before you let them relax. What is the sign Menelos struggles to read? The passage that Homer exquisitely wrote in The Odyssey was in Book 5, lines 309-323. Instead, he waited until he could take them by surprise. Odysseus and his son Telemachus hanged the maids at the end of The Odyssey because Odysseus believed they were disloyal to him in his absence. No, Sir, we deny that this theory is merely unfounded feminist claptrap. Therefore I must dismiss the case. Struggling with distance learning? The section Would God I, too, had died there-met my end (V, 317) is heart-wrenching. That might be too upsetting. Penelope's intelligence holds its own when wily Odysseus returns. Though she has not seen Odysseus in twenty years, and despite pressure the suitors place on her to remarry, Penelope never loses faith in her husband. In the mornings wed exchange smiles of complicity Their Yes maams and No maams hovered on the edge of laughter, as if neither they nor I could take their servile behavior seriously. Melantho of the lovely cheeks upbraided him mercilessly, Melantho, Dolius child, whom Penelope had reared and loved as her own, giving her every plaything she desired. Although the suitors abuse an important social tradition of hospitality, Penelope lacks the natural, social, and familial protections that would enable her to remove them from her house. Several times in the Odyssey, Penelope and Odysseus do similar things, but Penelope is criticized and Odysseus is not. It concerned my flock of lovely white geese, geese of which I was very fond. 4. 5: Primary Sources. The second similarity between the Odyssey and the Penelopiad would be the 12 maids. Odysseus chose the way he wanted his life to go, everything he did lead up to what his destiny would be. The Maids are the daughters of poor women and slaves and they have spent their entire lives working for Penelope and her family. Penelopes maids also test her strength. Then Ulysses tore off his rags, and sprang on to the broad pavement with Were no more real than money. In Homers Poem, The Odyssey, Penelope is the exceptionally patient and clever spouse of the infamous hero, Odysseus, and the mother of Telemachus. The Suitors are the swarms of men who come to beg for Penelope's hand in marriage after Odysseus's departure. 3. When Odysseus returns to Ithaca, he and Telemachus kill all of the Suitors. On Odysseus way back to Ithaca he goes through many challenges such as defeating the Cyclops, Sirens, Helioss cattle, Scylla, killing all of the suitors in his house, and more. They had one son, Telemachus. In Homers epic The Odyssey many people are affected by their actions. To exemplify the mood, Homer inserted caesuras. The great, humble man categorized himself to the lowest position. In Homers The Odyssey the author symbolizes through Odysseus journey the journey of life. Penelope and Odysseus both have trouble sleeping that night. Homers techniques established an image that could never be forgotten. Odysseus was revered all throughout his kingdom by all men including those who envied him. Nine months he sailed the wine-red seas of his mothers bloodIn his frail dark boat, the boat of himself,Through the dangerous ocean of his vast mother he sailedFrom the distant cave where the threads of mens lives are spun,Then measured, and then cut shortBy the Three Fatal Sisters, intent on their gruesome handicrafts,And the lives of women also are twisted into the strand. She also wanted to explore Penelopes role as a wife, mother and materfamilias. Atwood waned to explore the poem from a female perspective. The movement sought to eradicate gender equality from society and draw the distinction between sex and gender. At the end the book, Melantho along with the other disloyal maids were treated similarly to the Suitors. An eagle killing a white goose is the sign that Zeus sends but turns to be hard to read for Menelaos. Margaret Atwood is recognised for her exploration of gender issues as an integral part of her literature, especially as the novella was written after the climax of 1960s feminist movement. Standards of behaviour were different then. Odysseus sounded as if he was reflecting what could have been in a Homer's poem The Odyssey depicts the tendency of people to ignore the consequences of their actions. Throughout the poem, Penelope encourages the suitors to stay in her home by making them think they are welcome. 6. Many are the ways Penelope exemplifies the ideal woman, in that she conforms to the values and beliefs of her society. and find homework help for other The Odyssey questions at eNotes. Nemasani: Penelope. Tormented by the loss of her husband and her commitment to remarry, Penelope wakes and prays for Artemis to kill her. We were the dirty girls. The story as told in the Odyssey doesn't hold water: there are The novel recounts the story of Odysseus in the voices of Penelope and a singing chorus of twelve maids who were killed by Odysseus for sleeping with the suitors during his absence. 12 maids executed in the Odyssey. The weaving, and subsequent un-weaving, of Laertes shroud is a brilliant ploy which successfully keeps the suitors at bay until the trick is revealed by one of her maids. Odysseus used his intelligence to make a plan to get the Cyclopes to role the stone away and for them to be able to escape. Are gods or humans responsible for what happens? There are many events in the Odyssey that may be interpreted as a double standard. At the end of The Odyssey, Penelopes 12 maids are executed for treason for sleeping with suitors who hung around the estate while Odysseus was gone for 10 years. The fate of Odysseus and all the mortals in The Odyssey is said to be controlled by the gods and not themselves.