Atwood found many inconstancies in the story of the maids which she wanted to explore. Also I do not wish to be guilty of an anachronism. The great, humble man categorized himself to the lowest position. Through a close study of both these texts, composed millennia apart, much can be learnt about the evolution of society and its perception, as well as those values that have been retained. Your client’s times were not our times. We were told we were dirty. Penelope believes this force is the, Chapter 28: The Chorus Like: We’re Walking Behind You, A Love Song, ...final chapter of The Penelopiad is in the form of a poem narrated by the, “Would not have made it through AP Literature without the printable PDFs. ‘Only twelve,’ she faltered. The fact that Odysseus is a revered and admirable character shows these recurring themes in a way that could not be portrayed by a common person who was not supernatural or an idealic personality. It focuses also on an event at the end of the Odyssey in which Odysseus hangs twelve of the maids who had lived with Penelope in her absence. They're like having in-class notes for every discussion!”, “This is absolutely THE best teacher resource I have ever purchased. Just discard the sordid part. 12 maids executed in the Odyssey. The obstacles that Homer had Odysseus face were always symbolic of what all human beings face. The Odyssey. Now, he has lost control to the waters. In the mornings… we’d exchange smiles of complicity… Their ‘Yes ma’ams’ and ‘No ma’ams’ hovered on the edge of laughter, as if neither they nor I could take their servile behavior seriously. The weaving, and subsequent un-weaving, of Laertes’ shroud is a brilliant ploy which successfully keeps the suitors at bay until the trick is revealed by one of her maids. When a stranger comes to your door it is important not to be rude and not ask questions before you let them relax. After reading The Odyssey, it left Atwood with more questions than answers about the maids and Penelope. Several times in the Odyssey, Penelope and Odysseus do similar things, but Penelope is criticized and Odysseus is not. That is partially true but the gods do not control everything that goes on in a mortal’s life, but give them a choice of paths that the mortals can choose from and the gods have the power to try and change it, if a person does something bad it can change everything. Odysseus then summoned Eurycleia and told her to indicate which, Odysseus then told Telemachus to hack the, ...her, saying that Odysseus had hung the rape victims, the youngest, and the most beautiful, Penelope wonders if another explanation might be that Eurycleia knew of her, Chapter 24: The Chorus Line: An Anthropology Lecture, Responding to a critic in the audience, the, ...fulfill this role, and instead tore off the genitals of a goatherd and hung the, ...returns to Penelope’s first-person narrative as she describes her feelings after the Suitors and the, Chapter 26: The Chorus Line: The Trial of Odysseus, as Videotaped by the Maids, ...did to be hanged. The suitors mentioned are from well-up families. The sneaky hero went under disguise as a beggar with rags. Please join StudyMode to read the full document. The story as told in the Odyssey doesn't hold water: there are … Then Ulysses tore off his rags, and sprang on to the broad pavement with … Penelope’s maids also test her strength. Odysseus wanted to kill the suitors; they ate away at his fortune. This plan took a great deal of intelligence. It's not the suitors here who deserve the blame, Penelope's intelligence holds its own when wily Odysseus returns. But first off, a Greek leader must be different from the rest not only from their actions but their character, he must be able to lead a military well but also know when war is necessary. After they eat, how does Telémakhos question Odysseus, who is disguised as a beggar and whose real identity is still unknown to Telémakhos, about his home port? Feb 18, 2014 Instant downloads of all 1441 LitChart PDFs Homer uses imagery, symbolism and recurring themes to showcase all of the elements of Odysseus journey. Odysseus chose the way he wanted his life to go, everything he did lead up to what his destiny would be. He was taken as the most precious good that the Sidonian servant could have ever taken from the king. In Homer’s ancient Greece their are many steps that a host must follow to complete proper guest-host relations, these steps aren’t enforced but are expected. ”Odysseus had angered the sea god Poseidon (the brother of Zeus, the king of the gods) by blinding Polyphemus the Cyclops Poseidon’s son.” "The Odyssey." The servant sailed with the Phoenician sailors but after six days she died. Point being that you don’t have to get too worked up about us, dear educated minds. Odysseus chooses to control his own life and not let the gods create it for him. In Homer’s “The Odyssey” the author symbolizes through Odysseus’ journey the journey of life. Penelope has to conjure up the mental strength to keep them in line and keep composed at the same time. Atwood waned to explore the poem from a female perspective. Penelope is also associated with linen and cloth through her role as hostess. Antinous, a suitor, responds to accusations Telemachus made to the suitors at an assembly. The Odyssey is a poem which is about a man named Odysseus (also known as Ulysses in Roman myths) who is on his way back to Ithaca where his home is with his wife Penelope and his son Telemachus but is said to be dead. 3. Vol. From us... StudyMode - Premium and Free Essays, Term Papers & Book Notes. This shows that Melantho, despite Penelope's wishes, had made fun of Odysseus and was a lover of Eurymachus, which was very disloyal and unsympathetic. What is the sign Meneláos struggles to read? 5. ‘The impertinent ones. Thread Three : The third thread between the Odyssey and the Penelopiad would be the plot.In the Odyssey, the story is told in the point of view of Odysseus, while in the Penelopiad the story is told in the point of view of Penelope and the twelve maids.The Penelopiad retells the story of the Odyssey but adds in a few details, mainly about Penelope's life before she got married to Odysseus. 4. The maids are virtually unheard of until they are punished for this perceived guilt. Odysseus sounded as if he was reflecting what could have been in a... ...Homer's poem The Odyssey depicts the tendency of people to ignore the consequences of their actions. In contrast, Margaret Atwood’s The Penelopiad was written in 2005, almost three thousand years after the construction of Homer’s epic. No, Sir, we deny that this theory is merely unfounded feminist claptrap. We were the dirty girls. In this passage, Odysseus was being dragged down to the sea by Poseidon. 1. Are gods or humans responsible for what happens? With Odysseus gone Penelope chooses whom she hosts in the great palace. Though she has not seen Odysseus in twenty years, and despite pressure the suitors place on her to remarry, Penelope never loses faith in her husband. It takes a woman, one of Penelope's maids, to betray her. Detroit: UXL, 2007. One poignant factor of Penelope’s character is her patience and devotion which is displayed throughout the poem. A few examples of people that have been affected by this are Clytemnestra, Penelope, all of her suitors, Odysseus, and his maids. Consider us pure symbol. (including. Penelope (/ p ə ˈ n ɛ l ə p iː / pə-NEL-ə-pee; Greek: Πηνελόπεια, Pēnelópeia, or Greek: Πηνελόπη, Pēnelópē) is a character in Homer's Odyssey. It's your own dear mother [Penelope], the matchless queen of cunning. The maids laughed outright at his words, exchanging glances. They are disobedient, for example sleeping with the suitors. Ms. Young She also wanted to explore Penelope’s role as a wife, mother and materfamilias. Teach your students to analyze literature like LitCharts does. At the end the book, Melantho along with the other disloyal maids were treated similarly to the Suitors. In Greece and The Odyssey, not only was good hospitality etiquette expected, but the added pressure that if they didn’t treat their guests with respect the gods would punish them further compelled excellent manners. Detailed explanations, analysis, and citation info for every important quote on LitCharts. Odysseus was revered all throughout his kingdom by all men including those who envied him. Odysseus identity is the one hidden from Telemakhos. Odysseus chose to ignore the consequences and killed the suitors anyway. Odysseus punished Penelope's suitors without thinking of consequences that he would have to endure. The fate of Odysseus and all the mortals in The Odyssey is said to be controlled by the gods and not themselves. Our, "Sooo much more helpful than SparkNotes. The maids factor into “The Odyssey,” but they play a small role. The story goes further to explain how the suitors wanted to marry Penelope in the hope to inherit the estates of Odysseus and become King. In Homer’s epic The Odyssey many people are affected by their actions. I dreamt that they were happily pecking around the yard when a huge eagle with a crooked beak swooped down and killed them all, whereupon I wept and wept. Look here. We’re no more real than money. Beside this, what is the relationship between Odysseus and Penelope? In 2005, Margaret Atwood published the book The Penelopiad, which is a retelling of Penelope’s life. 6. She gives to Telemakhos, but especially for his future bride, a woven gown knitted by her own hands. Therefore, The Odyssey fails to adequately tell the story of the maids. Homer’s The Odyssey was composed during Archaic Greece, the period of large-scale technological development, and the shift from a monarchical to democratic political system, that spanned 800-500 BCE. She even makes the suitors think that she would be choosing her new husband soon and in this way she makes them feel welcome in her home. The Penelopiad begs fascinating questions about Penelope. To exemplify the mood, Homer inserted caesuras. They had one son, Telemachus. Atwood, however, recognized this injustice and wrote The Penelopiad to better explain the maids' point of view and how gender, as well as class differences could have played a role in their actions. Also another way intelligence was used by Odysseus was the plan to kill the suitors. Odysseus could have just stormed in his house a tried to kill the suitors but he would have been killed. Ed. ...Question: What are the concepts of a Greek leader? My students love how organized the handouts are and enjoy tracking the themes as a class.”, Note: all page numbers and citation info for the quotes below refer to the Canongate Books edition of. 2. This is important because most travelers go through long treacherous journeys to go from place to place, because of the fact that Greece is made up of mostly islands with a small main land. Penelope, played by a, ...the only people who know about her affairs with the Suitors are her twelve trusted, Chapter 23: Odysseus and Telemachus Snuff the Maids, ...door of the women’s quarters.