Mythology

HELEN OF ARGOS. 

Helen is the daughter of Zeus, and played a major role in the Trojan War. Her beauty is comparable to that of Aphrodite's. Many suitors wanted Helen, and this is how Odysseus and Penelope first meet. Odysseus is under control of the many suitors, making sure no life ended in bloodshed as Helen chose a suitor to marry. As a reward, he is able to marry Penelope. 

QUOTES. 

"In my heart of hearts I always cringed with fear some fraud might come, beguile me with his talk: the world is full of the sort, cunning ones who plot their dark ends. Remember Helen of Argos, Zeus's daughter - would she have sported so in a stranger's bed if she had dreamed that Achaea's son were doomed to fight and die to bring her home again?" (Book 23, 242-250)

Geography

ITHACA.

Odysseus is finally home in Ithaca after being at sea for 20 years. Present day Ithaca does not exactly parallel with the one described in the Odyssey. For example, it is described to be very flat land in the epic, where in real life Ithaca is very mountainous. Also in the epic, it is said to be one of the islands furthest out to sea and "towards the sunset" meaning it would be the most Western when realistically, there is a whole separate island that is out that far. 

QUOTES. 

"It's bed you'll have, whenever the spirit moves you, now that the gods have brought you home again to native land, your grand gracious house." (Book 23 92-94)

"But now I must be off to the upland farm, our orchard green with trees, to see my father, good man weighed with so much grief for me." (Book 23 406-409)

Character

PENELOPE.

In the Odyssey, there are several powerful female characters. One of the most dynamic is Penelope, Odysseus' wife. She has waited many years to see Odysseus again and still remains composed and wise upon being reunited. Homer created Penelope to be a strong character in respect of women. For example, when the maid comes in to tell Penelope the news of her husband's homecoming, she is wise enough to question the validity of this versus being overzealous as most female characters would, but all at the same time she still shows her love for Odysseus. 

QUOTES. 

"They've unhinged you, and you were once so sane. Why do you mock me? - haven't I wept enough? - telling such wild stories, interrupting my sleep, sweet sleep that held me, sealed my eyes just now. Not once have I slept soundly since the day Odysseus sailed away to see that cursed city . . . Destroy, I call it - I hate to say its name! Now down you go" (Book 23, 15-22)

"Penelope's heart burst in joy, she leapt from bed, her eyes streaming tears, she hugged the old nurse and cried out with an eager, winging word, "Please dear one, give me the whole story. If he's really home again, just as you tell me, how did he get those shameless suitors in his clutches?" (Book 23, 34-39)

Greek Culture

SUITORS IN ANCIENT GREECE. 
A suitor is a male who pursues a relationship/marriage with a particular women. More times than not, the men are only interested for things such as fame and wealth. This is what is happening to Penelope while Odysseus is out at sea, and it was required she remarry by the time Telemachus grow his first beard. Clearly, Penelope fights off the suitors for many many years and refuses to remarry until Odysseus returns to Ithaca and slaughters all the suitors. 

QUOTES.

"I didn't see it, I didn't ask - all I heard was the choking groans of men cut down in blood. We crouched in terror - a dark nook of our quarters - all of us locked tight behind those snug doors till your boy Telemachus came and called me out - his father rushed him there to do just that. And then I found Odysseus in the thick of the slaughtered corpses; there he stood and all around him, over the beaten floor, the bodies sprawled in heaps, lying one on another . . ." (Book 23, 41-50)

Summary

Eurycleia, the maid for Odysseus' family, runs upstairs to notify Penelope that her husband has returned. When told this news, Penelope does not believe it, until seeing Odysseus with her very own eyes. Upon first reuniting, Penelope just stared with wonder until Telemachus scolds her, wondering why she is not more excited to see her long lost husband. Music begins to play, so no passerby will suspect a mass murder of suitors has just occurred, and they will think Penelope has just found a noble suitor to finally marry. Penelope then demands the maid to move their bed, still very suspicious this man is not Odysseus. However, this bed is impossible to move since Odysseus carved it out of the trunk of an olive tree. Odysseus explains this process down to the last detail, so Penelope knows this must be her husband. The next day, after spending the night telling stories of his travels to his wife, Odysseus and Telemachus leave with the help of Athena to set off to Laerte's (Odysseus' dad) orchard leaving Penelope behind.