Comparing Penelope In The Tragedy Of Romeo And Juliet

Have you ever had a loved one leave for a long period and you do not know when they will be coming back? I know I have not. Since it is someone you love, it may seem hard for you to see them leave and not know when they will get back. You may begin to think that they are never coming back or that they have died, and they would want you to move on. So, you start dating again or get married to men who have been asking for a long time. Both in The Odyssey and The Tragedy of Romeo and Juliet, it shows us that even though you don’t know when your loved one is coming home does not mean you cannot stay loyal to them until they come home. Although Penelope from the Odyssey and Juliet from Romeo and Juliet are from different time periods, both Penelope

Penelope loses Odysseus when he goes off to fight in the Trojan War. He promised her that he would come back, but after 20 years of him being gone, she began to have doubts. Penelope believed her husband would come back and held off the suitors. An example of Penelope staying loyal to Odysseus is when she tricked the suitors by telling them that she would choose one to marry once she finished sewing the shroud. She tricked them by taking it apart every night so she would never finish and would get some time for Odysseus to arrive. Homer says, “So every day she wove on the great loom / but every night by torchlight she unwove it; / and so for three years she deceived Akhaians.” (II, 112-114). In this quote, it shows in detail what and how long Penelope tricked the suitors into waiting for her. Much like Penelope, Juliet had an offer for someone to marry her after Romeo left. Paris offers to marry Juliet and her dad finally chooses himself that she will and sets a date. Juliet is in love with Romeo and does not agree to marry Paris. She is furious with her father, but her father is furious that she is in love with a Montague. Juliet shouts, “Now, by Saint Peter’s Church and Peter too, / He shall not make me there a joyful bride.” (3.5.116-117). In this quote, Juliet had just figured out that her father had planned her to marry Paris without her consent and she is not happy about it. Overall, Juliet and Penelope both stay loyal to their loved ones even though they have marriage offers and don’t know when their loved ones will be getting