Strength of The Weak: Penelope in The Odyssey

In the Odyssey, Penelope may appear to be a character with abundantly positive traits: a faithful spouse, an endearing mother, a gracious hostess, and a gifted weaver. In fact, many would consider her to be the absolute role model for women in Ancient Greece. While these many be true, Penelope’s life lacks one major characteristic: power. At no fault of her own, much of Penelope’s destiny is out of her hands, a commonality for mortal women in Ancient Greece. Be that as it may, Penelope uses Métis to reclaim some power and become an exception to the pattern common among mortal women in Ancient Greece. Métis gives her the tools to make an impact on what is occurring and have a greater say in the decisions that will affect her life.

Having waited 20 years for the return of her husband, the king of Ithaca, Penelope is admired by some for bringing patience and faithfulness to an entirely new level. However, some immediately dismiss her as merely an exemplar of marital fidelity and, thus, weakness. After all, she has spent the better part of those 20 years surrounded by rivers of her own tears. It’s hard to imagine how much else, other than weaving (and unweaving), could have occupied her time. It’s no secret that mortal women are effectively powerless and have limited agency in The Odyssey. Penelope is subject to these same circumstances, and one could justifiably argue her weakness.

In Odysseus’s absence, Penelope is courted by 108 suitors. They take refuge in her own home and galavant around playing games, being boisterous, and trying to impress Penelope. Bounded by the rule of hospitality, known as “Xenia” in Greek, Penelope is rendered incapable of doing anything about their presence in her home. The suitors are blatantly abusing the social tradition, nevertheless, Penelope can’t do anything to fix the situation. The role of women in Ancient Greece was far different from that of man, and this a good example of that. The patriarchal structures of Ancient Greek society ensured power lie in the hands of men — fathers, brothers, sons, and so on. Men controlled the lives of women and were sure women were aware of their subordinate place in society.

When Telemachus calls an assembly, only men are able to participate while the women stay back at home. The dialogue of this meeting is even more of an indication of how women had no control of their futures or even who they could marry. “Send your mother away with orders to marry / Whichever man her fathers likes best,” (Hom. Od. 2.23-24). Marriage is just another opportunity for men to display power over Penelope. Marriage, in this case resembles, a business transaction rather than a romanticized match which essentially equates Penelope to a piece of property to be traded amongst men. Penelope’s fate appears to be beyond her grasp, and she is subject to the poor treatment of the men in her life. Even Penelope, a woman with high status; beauty; and intelligence, is seemingly powerless amongst men.

While the circumstances certainly are not in Penelope‘s favor, she uses her Métis to transform her position of powerlessness into one of strength. The suitors were adamant about maintaining their stay in Penelope’s household and showed no regard for Penelope or her resources that they were using. Penelope devised a plan to hold off the Suitors until the return of her long lost husband:

“Young men — my suitors, since Odysseus is dead —

Eager as you are to marry me, you must wait

Until I finish this robe — it would be a shame

To waste my spinning — a shroud for the hero

Laertes, when the death’s doom lays him low,” (Hom. Od. 2.105-109).

The queen’s clever tactics led the Suitors on without raising their suspicions and allowed Penelope to continue on without having to choose a partner. She told them that she needed to focus all of her energy on weaving a burial shroud or her father-in-law, Laertes. Penelope says that she can only choose a suitor once the shroud is finished in its entirety. Penelope appears to be up to nothing out of the ordinary during the day, weaving and working the loom, but at night, her plan takes course, and she unweaves all of her work from the day past. This works wonderfully until, eventually, one of her servants betrays her and tells the suitors what has been happening for the past three years.

Although Penelope did not completely solve the problem, her brilliant plan managed to keep the suitors at bay for a few years. In a hidden way, Penelope’s position of powerlessness gives her the ability to quietly influence the plot. No one was expecting to be fooled by Penelope, and they were not searching for the ways in which she was deceiving them. This gives a mortal woman with cunning, like Penelope, a slight advantage to manipulate the world around them. She will never be able to engage in everyday political dialogue, but she does have the ability to attain some strength with her Métis.

Moreover, Penelope managed to secure some power by remaining in the roles of her gender sphere. One of a woman’s primary functions in Ancient Greek society was to produce cloth, and their lives likely consisted of not much else. Therefore, by making everyone believe she was weaving, Penelope takes advantage of a way to maintain appearing as normal as possible. A woman’s ability to weave could indicate their value to society so it is imperative for Penelope to not stray too far away from that.

Another great example of Penelope displaying the ability to transform her position of powerlessness into one of strength is the contest of the bow and the axes. Penelope retrieves Odysseus’s bow from a storeroom deep in the estate and announces to the suitors that she will marry the man who can successfully string it and shoot a single arrow through a line of twelve axes. The suitors are initially threatened, but not for reasons their concern is worth. Unbeknownst to them, Penelope has created this archery contest hoping that the only man who would ever be able to succeed is her long lost husband. One by one, the suitors try and fail. The suitors are not even able to string the bow, let alone fire an arrow through the axes. Penelope’s ruse is working, and the game is going just as planned. Odysseus, disguised as a beggar, requested to try his hand. The suitors were opposed but Telemachus insisted he have his shot. To the astonishment of the suitors, and the unspoken satisfaction of Penelope, the beggar fired the arrow through the axes. 'And now Odysseus’ cunning was revealed. / He stripped off his rags and leapt with his bow / To the great threshold,” (Hom. Od. 22.1-3). Penelope’s Métis has brought her one step closer to securing her future with Odysseus.

Penelope knew exactly what she was doing when she created the contest, but she also possessed the ability to execute her plan. The suitors were enraged upon discovering they had been fooled by the queen for years and demanded an answer. Quick on her feet, Penelope crafted a way to ensure her fate is desirable. She was well aware the only man with a realistic chance of winning the contest was Odysseus, and this way she could be sure the beggar was Odysseus in the flesh.

Even though Odysseus has revealed himself, Penelope still cannot be certain that this is her husband who was a part of her life twenty long years ago. So for a final display of Métis, Penelope asserts power with one last test. She orders her slave named Eurycleia to move the bed in the master bedroom. Odysseus objects and claims that this bed cannot be moved. This demonstrates his intimate knowledge of the household. Only he would know that one of its legs is a living olive tree because he built it himself. It is clear that Penelope isn’t taking anything for granted and is constantly searching for ways she can evade her position of powerlessness. This test is a sure fire way that Penelope can trust that it is truly Odysseus. Having passed the test, Penelope can be at peace and sure she is finally with her husband. With endurance and craft, she’s earned this moment.

Undoubtedly, Penelope is a dynamic character. The sorrow she suffers is like no other, and the position she is in grants her no power to help her situation. The patriarchal structures in The Odyssey and ancient Greek society put Penelope at the very bottom of the totem pole. Men view Penelope as something to be taken advantage of and something that should not be granted choice in her own affairs, even marriage. Through Odysseus‘s absence, she suffers great pain. At one point, she even wishes for death: 'If only Artemis / Would send as soft a death to me at once / So I would no longer waste away in sorrow,' (Hom. Od. 18.16-18). Her weakness is sometimes undeniable, but what is remarkable is that she used Métis, like Odysseus, to improve her situation and gain strength. Her plot to get rid of the suitors, the archery contest, and her final test of Odysseus’s true identity are all great examples of Penelope transforming her position of powerlessness into one of strength. It is Penelope’s cleverness and faithfulness that make her such a good match with Odysseus and why many call her Acient Greece’s ideal woman.