The Penelopiad: Themes

Themes are the fundamental and often universal ideas explored in a literary work.

The Nature of Perspective

The Penelopiad takes a well-known ancient story and tells it from another character’s point of view, showing how stories are influenced by the perspective of the people who recount them. The entire purpose of Penelope’s story is to, in her view, correct the misconceptions people have about her because of the stories that have been accepted as true for so long. Penelope has been perceived as a patient, loyal, and devoted wife, and sometimes even ignorant of what is going on. Some of Penelope’s actions were interpreted by men like Odysseus as being due to her modesty, a classic feminine quality. Penelope shares what was going through her mind at these times, showing she was not quite the paragon of womanly virtues she has been proclaimed to be.

However, Penelope also proves that she can be an unreliable narrator and that her perspective is influenced by personal biases and opinions, just like anyone else’s. Though Penelope wants to dismiss the assumptions that she embodied all qualities of an ideal woman, she still puts herself in a positive light, as anyone might do when narrating their own story. Penelope rejects the rumors that she slept with the Suitors and talks a great deal of her affection for the Maids. However, some of her actions, as well as the Maids’ narration, contradict Penelope’s words. This shows how a narrative can never truly capture objective reality, as all narrators are, in some sense, unreliable.

The Oppression of Women

Unlike the Odyssey and most other Greek myths, The Penelopiad is told solely from the perspective of women—Penelope and the Twelve Maids. The fact that the perspective of women was ignored for so long shows just how oppressive ancient Greek society was for women. Readers can see this oppression in the experiences of both Penelope and the Maids. However, because they are from two vastly different social statuses, readers can also see how their oppression is not equal. As women, they are all viewed as what they are worth to a man. When Penelope is to be married, it is only her wealth that interests the men who compete for her hand. Similarly, the Maids are enslaved and viewed as Odysseus’s property. While Penelope and the Maids find comfort in working together to deceive the Suitors, what ultimately happens to the Maids shows how society views them as inferior to Penelope. In the Maids’ version of the story, Penelope even uses them as a scapegoat to prevent Odysseus from discovering her infidelity, showing how the oppression of women leads them to turn on each other to avoid retribution from men.

The oppression of women is also evident in how women tend to view each other as enemies instead of men. Women are valued only for their monetary worth or beauty, a system perpetuated by men. However, Penelope, who acknowledges she is no great beauty, targets her anger on her cousin Helen, who is very beautiful. Penelope blames Helen for all the suffering of the Trojan War, rather than the men who instigate it. Penelope also finds herself at odds with Odysseus’s mother, Anticleia, and his nurse, Eurycleia. This antagonistic relationship shows how, rather than taking comfort in each other and allying themselves against an unfair society, women are pushed to isolate themselves and be suspicious of each other, only furthering their subjugation.

The Subjectivity of Justice

Throughout The Penelopiad, several characters either exact their version of justice or wish they could see justice served to those whom they believe deserve it. Odysseus murders the Suitors for their prolonged stay in his palace and then murders the Maids for being disloyal to him. He sees his actions as perfectly justified, though in reality, he has no idea whether these crimes were committed. Though Penelope insists she did not welcome the Suitors’ advances, her true behavior remains unknown. Also, the Maids had been working on Penelope’s side, following her orders to speak poorly of Odysseus and his family.

Odysseus’s actions show how, often, a person’s sense of justice is based on personal views rather than objective law. However, even the legal system shows how unfair justice can be. Odysseus is put on trial for the murder of the Suitors, though the case is summarily dismissed. His crime of murdering the Maids is never addressed until they bring it up. Even then, Odysseus’s defense is that he did not grant permission for the Maids to be raped, highlighting the absurdity of the legal system. These events show how enforcing the law or exacting justice in a purely objective manner is nearly impossible when humans, known for their fallibility, are the ones in charge of it.

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