Previous Next

Penelope decides to tell her story to set the record straight, correcting the accepted portrayal that she was the epitome of the loyal, devoted wife. However, Penelope’s version of events shows a narrator that is not truly reliable, as she presents her story with her biases and interpretations. Though Penelope resents that she is held up as the model of an ideal wife, she still tries to present herself in as positive a light as possible. However, her own story, as well as the Maids’ perspective, calls into question whether Penelope was as faithful as she proclaims to be. Penelope’s judgment of others also reveals her negative qualities. She despises her cousin Helen for her beauty, even blaming the entirety of the Trojan War on Helen’s vanity. Penelope’s resentment shows how deeply her jealousy goes and reflects how women may turn against each other in a male-dominated society.

Penelope also turns against other women to protect herself. Though she claims to love her Maids as if they were her daughters, she has no qualms about encouraging them to spend time with the Suitors, even when the Maids seek her comfort after being raped. After the Maids are hanged, Penelope goes right back to being affectionate with Odysseus and does not speak out against her husband during his trial. Even in the Underworld, Penelope wishes the Maids would leave Odysseus alone as they continue to haunt him. This shows that, while Penelope may have been more powerful and cunning than mythology lets on, she acted at the expense of other women.

Previous section Character List Next section The Twelve Maids

Take a Study Break