Penelope

Penelope was the wife of Odysseus, the mother of Telemachus, and the queen of Ithaca in Greek mythology. She is best known from Homer’s Odyssey, where she waits twenty years for Odysseus to return from the Trojan War and his long journey home. During his absence, her palace is filled with suitors who pressure her to choose a new husband. Penelope resists them with patience, intelligence, and careful tricks, and Agamemnon’s shade later says that the fame of her virtue will never die (Odyssey 24.191–202).

Who Was Penelope?

Family and Background

Homer calls her the daughter of Icarius (Odyssey 1.329), and Apollodorus names her mother as Periboea, a Naiad nymph, and gives her five brothers, Thoas, Damasippus, Imeusimus, Aletes and Perileos (Library 3.10.6). Icarius was a brother of Tyndareus, the father of Clytemnestra and the mortal father of Helen (Library 3.10.3–4). This connection placed Penelope close to the wider world of the Trojan War, even though her own fame comes mainly from Ithaca and the Odyssey.

Queen of Ithaca

Penelope became queen of Ithaca through her marriage to Odysseus. Ithaca was a rugged island, but it was the home to which Odysseus longed to return throughout the poem. While he was away, Penelope became the main protector of his house, his throne, and his memory.

Mother of Telemachus

Penelope and Odysseus had one son, Telemachus. He was still an infant when Odysseus left for Troy (Odyssey 11.447–449; Library, Epitome 3.7). By the time the Odyssey begins, Telemachus has grown into a young man, but he has never really known his father. Penelope’s position is therefore doubly difficult: she must protect herself and her son while the royal house is under pressure.

Penelope and Odysseus

The Marriage

Later mythic tradition connects the marriage of Penelope and Odysseus with the courtship of Helen. Odysseus was one of Helen’s suitors. Seeing how many they were, Tyndareus feared that the choice of one would set the others quarreling; Odysseus promised that, if Tyndareus would help him win Penelope, he would suggest a way to avoid any quarrel. He advised Tyndareus to make all of Helen’s suitors swear an oath to defend the man she chose as husband, and Tyndareus in return helped him win Penelope (Apollodorus, Library 3.10.9). Pausanias reports a different tradition in Sparta, that Icarius set a foot-race for the suitors of Penelope and Odysseus won it (3.12.1–2). When Icarius tried to keep Penelope in Sparta, Odysseus asked her to choose; she said nothing and covered her face with her veil, and Icarius understood that she would go with her husband (3.20.10–11).

A Marriage of Intelligence

Penelope and Odysseus are often seen as well matched because both are intelligent and cautious. Odysseus is famous for cunning in war and travel, while Penelope shows her own kind of cunning inside the household. She cannot fight the suitors openly, but she can delay them, test them, and keep control of her choices for as long as possible.

Odysseus Leaves for Troy

When Paris took Helen to Troy, the Oath of Tyndareus was invoked, and the Greek kings were called to war. Odysseus had to leave Ithaca and join the expedition. Penelope remained behind with their young son, not knowing that the war and Odysseus’ return would keep him away for twenty years (Odyssey 19.222; Library, Epitome 3.6–7).

Penelope During the Trojan War

Ten Years Without Odysseus

The Trojan War lasted ten years. During this time, Penelope waited in Ithaca, raising Telemachus and preserving Odysseus’ house. News from Troy was slow and uncertain, and many Greek heroes died before the war ended. Penelope had no sure way to know whether Odysseus would come home alive.

The War Ends, But Odysseus Does Not Return

Even after Troy fell, Odysseus did not return. His voyage home lasted another ten years. He faced storms, monsters, hostile lands, divine anger, and long delays with figures such as Circe and Calypso (Odyssey 9–12). For Penelope, this meant that waiting after the war became even harder than waiting during it.

The Problem in Ithaca

As the years passed, many people assumed Odysseus was dead. Noblemen from Dulichium, Same, Zacynthus and Ithaca itself came to his palace and demanded that Penelope choose one of them as her new husband (Odyssey 16.245–253). These men, known as the suitors, consumed Odysseus’ wealth, feasted in his halls, and insulted Telemachus. Penelope had to survive in her own house while surrounded by men who wanted to take it from her family.

The Strategy of Penelope: Shroud, Suitors, and the Great Bow Test

The Shroud of Laertes

Penelope’s most famous trick was the weaving of a burial shroud for Laertes, the old father of Odysseus. She told the suitors that she could not choose a new husband until the shroud was finished. By day, she worked at the loom where everyone could see her. By night, she set up torches and secretly undid the work she had completed (Odyssey 2.93–110; 19.137–156; 24.128–146).

The Trick Revealed

This plan delayed the suitors for three years. In the fourth, one of her maids, who knew the secret, betrayed it, and the suitors caught her at the loom (Odyssey 2.106–110), so that Penelope could no longer use the shroud as an excuse. The trick shows her intelligence clearly. She does not simply wait; she acts within the limits placed on her and uses the tools of the household to defend her marriage.

The Suitors

The suitors are one of the main dangers in the Odyssey. They do not only court Penelope; they also abuse the rules of hospitality. They eat Odysseus’ animals, drink his wine, pressure his wife, mock his son, and act as if the king will never return. Their behavior turns the palace into a place of disorder.

The Great Bow Test

When the pressure becomes too great, Penelope brings out the bow of Odysseus and sets a contest. She says she will marry the man who can string the bow and shoot an arrow through twelve axe heads (Odyssey 19.572–581; 21.68–79). This is not a random test. The bow belongs to Odysseus, and the task is tied to his strength, skill, and identity.

Only Odysseus Can Pass

The suitors fail to string the bow. Telemachus would have strung it on his fourth attempt, but Odysseus signals him to stop (Odyssey 21.124–129). Then Odysseus, still disguised as a beggar, asks to try. Penelope has the bow brought to him over the objections of the suitors, and he strings it with ease and shoots the arrow through the axes (Odyssey 21.275–423). The test reveals that the true master of the house has returned.

Penelope in the Odyssey

A Woman Under Pressure

Penelope spends much of the Odyssey under pressure from all sides. The suitors want her to remarry. Telemachus is growing into manhood but is not yet fully secure. The people of Ithaca do not remove the suitors. Her own servants are not all loyal. Even hope itself becomes painful because Odysseus has been gone for so long. Her parents, too, urge her to marry again (Odyssey 2.195–197; 19.157–161).

Her Grief

Penelope often mourns Odysseus. She weeps for him until Athena sheds sleep upon her eyes (Odyssey 1.328–364), speaks of her lost husband, and fears that his return is impossible. Yet her grief does not make her weak. It gives emotional weight to her patience and shows how much the long absence has cost her.

Athena and Penelope

Athena helps Odysseus and Telemachus, but she also shapes events around Penelope. In the Odyssey, Athena puts Penelope to sleep, makes her more beautiful before the suitors, and puts it into her mind to set the bow contest (Odyssey 18.158–196; 21.1–4). Penelope is not a warrior, but she is still part of Athena’s world of intelligence, strategy, and careful timing.

Penelope and Telemachus

Mother and Son

Penelope’s relationship with Telemachus is an important part of the Odyssey. Telemachus loves and respects his mother, but he also begins to assert himself as the son of Odysseus. Their household is in crisis, and both must grow into stronger roles before Odysseus returns.

Telemachus Leaves Ithaca

With Athena’s guidance, Telemachus leaves Ithaca to seek news of Odysseus from Nestor in Pylos and Menelaus in Sparta. Penelope is deeply distressed when she learns of his journey, especially because the suitors plan to ambush him on his return. She learns of the journey from the herald Medon and from the suitors’ talk (Odyssey 4.675–714; 4.842–847). Her fear for Telemachus adds another layer to her suffering.

The Future of the House

For Penelope, Telemachus is not only her son but also the future of Odysseus’ house. If he dies, the royal line is broken. If she is forced to marry one of the suitors, Odysseus’ household is lost. This is why her delay matters so much: she is protecting both memory and inheritance.

Odysseus Returns in Disguise

The Beggar in the Palace

When Odysseus finally returns to Ithaca, he does not reveal himself at once. Athena disguises him as an old beggar so that he can test (Odyssey 13.397–403) the loyalty of the household and plan revenge against the suitors. Penelope meets him without knowing for certain who he is.

Penelope Questions the Stranger

Penelope speaks with the disguised Odysseus and asks him about her husband. He tells her a false story, claiming to be a Cretan who once entertained Odysseus, and swears that Odysseus will return that same year (Odyssey 19.165–360, 19.268–307). Their conversation is full of hidden meaning, because the audience knows what Penelope does not: the man she mourns is sitting in front of her.

The Recognition Delayed

Unlike the old nurse Eurycleia, who recognizes Odysseus by his scar while washing his feet (Odyssey 19.386–475), Penelope does not accept him too quickly. This delay is important. She has survived for years by being careful. To believe too soon would be dangerous. Her caution is not lack of love, but part of her wisdom.

The Marriage Bed Test

After the Suitors Are Killed

After Odysseus kills the suitors, Penelope still tests him before accepting him as her husband. She has heard claims and stories for years, and she must be certain that the man before her is truly Odysseus. She first sits silent, and Telemachus reproaches her for her hard heart (Odyssey 23.93–103). Penelope answers that, if he is truly Odysseus, the two of them will know each other by signs hidden from everyone else (23.107–110).

The Secret of the Bed

Penelope tells the nurse to move their bed out of the bridal chamber. Odysseus reacts angrily, saying that the bed cannot be moved unless someone has cut through it, because he built it around a living olive tree and made the room and bedstead himself. This secret was known only to the two of them and one maidservant. By mentioning the bed, Penelope proves his identity without asking a direct question (Odyssey 23.177–204).

The Reunion

Once Odysseus reveals the secret of the bed, Penelope runs to him in tears, kisses him, and explains that she had feared some man might deceive her (Odyssey 23.205–230). Their reunion is one of the most powerful scenes in the Odyssey. It brings together love, memory, testing, and the restoration of the household after twenty years of separation.

Penelope’s Role and Symbolism

Loyalty

Penelope is often remembered as the symbol of faithful love. She waits for Odysseus for twenty years and resists remarriage even when many people believe he is dead. In the underworld, Agamemnon contrasts her with his own wife Clytemnestra and says the gods will make a pleasing song for men about wise Penelope (Odyssey 24.191–202). Her loyalty is not passive. It is active, difficult, and full of danger.

Intelligence

Penelope is also a figure of intelligence. The shroud trick, the bow contest, and the bed test all show her skill in planning and reading situations. She survives because she knows when to speak, when to delay, and when to test.

Female Power in the Household

Penelope does not rule like a king and does not fight like a warrior, but she holds the household together. Her power is domestic, political, and emotional. The suitors want her choice because her marriage decision would decide the future of Ithaca.

Penelope in Ancient Literature

Homer’s Odyssey

Penelope is one of the central figures of Homer’s Odyssey. She appears as a grieving wife, a threatened queen, a careful mother, and a woman capable of matching Odysseus in intelligence. The second half of the poem, especially Books 17–23, shows her at the center of the crisis in Ithaca.

Penelope and the Telemachy

In the early books of the Odyssey, often called the Telemachy, Penelope’s situation helps explain why Telemachus must act. The suitors are ruining the house, and Penelope cannot remove them by force. Telemachus’ journey begins because the family needs news, support, and hope.

Later Traditions

Later myths sometimes gave Penelope different endings after the events of the Odyssey. In the epic Telegony, as Apollodorus summarizes it, Telegonus, the son of Odysseus and Circe, kills Odysseus in Ithaca with a spear tipped with a stingray’s spine, not knowing who he is; he then brings the body and Penelope to Circe, marries Penelope, and Circe sends them to the Islands of the Blest (Library, Epitome 7.36–37). In the Thesprotis, Odysseus finds on his return a son born to Penelope, Poliporthes (Epitome 7.35; Pausanias 8.12.6). Other traditions are hostile: in one, Odysseus found her unfaithful and sent her away to Sparta and then Mantinea, where her grave was shown (Pausanias 8.12.5–6); in another, Odysseus sent her back to her father Icarius because Antinous had seduced her, and at Mantinea she bore Pan to Hermes (Epitome 7.38; Herodotus 2.145). These later stories are separate from Homer’s main account and show how Greek myth often allowed more than one ending.

Misconceptions and Lesser-Known Facts

Penelope Was Not Simply Passive

A common mistake is to see Penelope only as a woman who waits. In the Odyssey, she delays, tests, plans, and protects the royal house. Her action is quieter than Odysseus’ action, but it is just as important to the return story.

She May Not Know the Beggar Is Odysseus

Some modern readers think Penelope must know from the beginning that the beggar is Odysseus. The poem leaves room for debate, but the text shows her telling the stranger her dreams and doubting his promises (Odyssey 19.535–569; 19.309–316), and her final bed test shows that she still needs proof.

The Shroud Was for Laertes

The famous weaving trick was not just ordinary cloth. Penelope claimed she was weaving a burial shroud for Laertes, Odysseus’ father. This gave her excuse social weight: she said that she did not want any Achaean woman to reproach her if Laertes, who had won much, lay without a shroud (Odyssey 2.101–104).

The Bow Test Is Also a Test of Identity

The bow contest is not only a way to choose a husband. It tests whether any man can take the place of Odysseus. Since only Odysseus can complete the task, the contest becomes the path by which the true king reveals himself.

Penelope Is Odysseus’ Match

Odysseus is famous for cunning, but Penelope also uses cunning. Their reunion works because both understand testing, signs, and hidden meaning. The olive-tree bed proves not only Odysseus’ identity, but also the deep bond between them.

Unraveling Penelope: The Queen Who Held Ithaca Together

Penelope’s story is powerful because her strength is shown through patience, intelligence, and restraint. She cannot sail after Odysseus, fight the suitors, or command an army, but she can keep control of her own choice. In a house full of men trying to force her future, that control becomes heroic.

Her role in the Odyssey is essential: Odysseus returns to a house that Penelope, with Telemachus, has held together through the shroud, the bow and the bed.

Penelope Sources

Penelope appears most fully in Homer’s “Odyssey,” especially Books 1–2, 4, 11, 16–24. These books describe the suitors in Ithaca, Telemachus’ situation, Penelope’s grief, the shroud of Laertes, Odysseus’ return in disguise, the bow contest, the killing of the suitors, and the marriage-bed test.

Later mythic traditions about Penelope’s family, her marriage to Odysseus, and the Oath of Tyndareus are in Apollodorus’ “Library” (3.10.3–9) and its Epitome (3.6–7, 7.34–38), which also summarizes the lost Telegony. Pausanias (3.12.1–2, 3.20.10–11, 8.12.5–6) and Herodotus (2.145) preserve the Spartan, Mantinean and Arcadian traditions.

See Also: Odysseus, Telemachus, Icarius, Periboea, Laertes, Eurycleia, Telegonus, Helen