The marriage bed of Penelope and Odysseus also symbolizes their love, with one leg rooted deep into the ground and still alive despite the years. It is also shown in her attempts to keep suitors at bay by unraveling her woven cloth every night, in the hope that Odysseus would return before her trick was discovered. The theme of fidelity is an important part of the myth of Penelope, and is shown in her refusal to entertain other suitors in the twenty years her husband is gone. Penelope has traditionally been viewed as a symbol of faithfulness and fidelity. However, as a woman who waited twenty years for her husband's return, fending off over one hundred suitors and enduring the vengeance of gods and goddesses, Penelope undoubtedly served as an example of what ancient Greek husbands hoped for in their wives.
There are passages in the Odyssey that indicate Penelope was occasionally torn in her devotion to Odysseus, and was even considering choosing one of the suitors. She is also clever, as illustrated by her nightly unraveling of the shroud she weaved, as well as her statement that she would marry the man who could string Odysseus's bow, since she knew no other man could perform the feat. She is dutiful, caring for the kingdom while Odysseus is away, and she remains faithful to him despite the many suitors that gather around her. Penelope is generally viewed as a reflection of the ancient Greek idea of the perfect wife. However, Odysseus revealed his true identity by telling Penelope a secret about their marriage that only they knew-that one leg of their bed was made from a still-living olive tree- and the loving couple were finally reunited. At first Penelope would not believe that Odysseus was her husband, for the gods had hidden his identity from her. The disguised Odysseus won the archery contest and then killed all the suitors with help from his son Telemachus. He wanted to review the situation in his kingdom before revealing his return.
Unknown to Penelope, Odysseus had arrived home disguised as a beggar. When her suitors became insistent again, Penelope announced that she would marry the man who could string a bow that Odysseus had left behind, and shoot an arrow through the loops on a row of twelve axe heads. After three years, a servant revealed Penelope's secret, and she had to finish the shroud. Each day Penelope would sit weaving the cloth, but at night she would secretly unravel her work. For a while, she put them off by saying that she would consider marriage only after she finished weaving a shroud for her father-in-law, Laertes (pronounced lay-UR-teez), who was grieving over Odysseus's absence. During that time, Penelope received the attentions of many suitors. The Trojan War lasted ten years, and it took Odysseus another ten years to get home to Ithaca. Penelope and Odysseus were deeply in love, so it was with great sorrow that Odysseus later left her and their infant son, Telemachus (pronounced tuh-LEM-uh-kuhs), to fight in the Trojan War.
Although reluctant to part with his daughter, Icarius agreed, and Penelope went with her new husband to his home on the island of Ithaca (pronounced ITH-uh-kuh). When Penelope reached womanhood, Odysseus asked for her hand in marriage. But a family of ducks rescued her, and seeing this as an omen, or a sign from the gods, Icarius named the child Penelope (after the Greek word for “duck”) and raised her as his favorite child. As soon as Icarius discovered the baby girl, he threw her into the sea to drown. Periboea hid her infant daughter as soon as she was born, knowing that Icarius had wanted a son. Penelope's parents were Prince Icarius (pronounced i-KAHR-ee-uhs) of Sparta and Periboea (pronounced pehr-ee-boh-EE-uh), a nymph, or female nature deity. For the twenty years that her husband was away during and after the Trojan War, Penelope remained true to him and helped prevent his kingdom from falling into other hands. The wife of the hero Odysseus (pronounced oh-DIS-ee-uhs) in Greek mythology, Penelope was celebrated for her faithfulness, patience, and feminine virtue. Daughter of Icarius and Periboea Character Overview
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