Who Penelope is
Penelope lives in Ithaca, where her absent husband's palace is crowded with unwelcome guests. She fears Odysseus is dead, but she cannot bring herself to abandon hope of his return. Her waiting gives the journey across the sea a human center, a household under pressure.
What Penelope wants
Penelope wants to hold off the suitors while she waits for news of her husband. She tells them she will choose a husband after finishing a burial shroud for Laertes, Odysseus's father. By day she weaves the cloth, and by night she secretly unpicks her work. This quiet deception lets her delay a choice the men keep pressing her to make.
Penelope and the others in the story
Penelope and her son Telemachus share a home whose guests consume Odysseus's cattle and wine. The suitors want her hand in marriage and the kingship they expect it to bring. While Telemachus begins to challenge them openly, Penelope's weaving shows another way of resisting their demands.
Questions
Who is Penelope in The Odyssey?
Penelope is the wife of Odysseus and the mother of Telemachus. She remains in Ithaca during her husband's long absence.
Why does Penelope undo her weaving?
She undoes it to postpone choosing a new husband. The unfinished shroud gives her a reason to keep the suitors waiting.
How is Penelope like Odysseus?
Both use cleverness and deception to face threats. Her secret unweaving echoes his reliance on tricks rather than strength alone.