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Penelope And Athena In The Odyssey

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Two female characters are Penelope and Athena. Penelope is the beautiful wife of Odysseus. She hasn't seen her husband for twenty years and fears he is dead. She is pursued by many suitors who wish to take Odysseus' place. She weeps for Odysseus nightly. Some criticize that she doesn't kick the suitors out of her home because she likes attention. However, she has been without her husband for so long while he has been entertained by goddesses. If she wanted a little attention, then that would not be such a horrible thing. Nevertheless, she remains steadfast in her faithfulness to her husband. She even puts off the suitors using trickery that would make her husband proud, promising to remarry once she has finished weaving a shroud for Laertes, …show more content…

Athena is Odysseus' most powerful ally. She appears throughout The Odyssey in disguise, offering instructions, encouragement, and magical protection to Odysseus. She also aids in part to test the character development of Odysseus. When he is disguised as a beggar, she tests Odysseus to see if his pride will cause him to fight against the suitors prior to when she advised. She also does not intervene in the battle against the suitors until the end (by showing her shield), once Odysseus has proven himself. Likely, Odysseus would have never survived or made it home to reunite with his wife and son without Athena. Other mythical creatures were using powers in attempts to delay or kill Odysseus. While Athena did not seem to have the power to prevent those acts by other gods, she did appeal to her father on Odysseus' behalf. She also gave him the benefit of her wisdom and battle skills. Odysseus did benefit from her wisdom during the final events that take place in the poem. Athena is portrayed as a spirit person that cares deeply for Odysseus without any sexual interest. Some of the events in the poem could not have happened without some magical intervention in the background. For example, Odysseus becoming taller and even better looking after the battle. The poem is supposed to have an element of fantasy and it would be less enchanting without her

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