Student Question
What kind of love do Odysseus and Penelope share in Homer's Odyssey?
Quick answer:
Odysseus and Penelope share a love characterized by enduring commitment despite challenges. Penelope exemplifies unwavering faithfulness, waiting 20 years for Odysseus and devising strategies to deter suitors. In contrast, Odysseus's love is more complex due to his prolonged stay with Calypso, but he ultimately undertakes a perilous journey to return to Penelope. Their love is rooted in the sacrifices and efforts each makes to reunite and maintain their marriage.
If you are writing a paper on this topic, it might be interesting to argue that the love that Odysseus and Penelope share is not the same. Let me explain.
Penelope has been a model of faithfulness. There is no doubt about this. She waited twenty years and she was faithful all throughout. She was under enormous stress to marry one of the suitors and all indicators pointed to the fact that Odysseus was dead, but she still held out in hope. She even concocted various schemes to ward off the suitors. In a word, her love for Odysseus was true and it showed in her faithfulness.
When it comes to Odysseus. His twenty years was a bit more complicated. He stayed with Calypso for seven years as a love slave - somewhat willingly. Eventually he had to go through great struggles to get home, but the Calypso episode could...
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be seen as a blemish.
In the end, I suppose that you can say that Penelope and Odysseus share the love that is found in marriage and it is evidenced in sacrifice.
How do Odysseus and Penelope define love in Homer's Odyssey?
This is a good question. It is clear that Penelope is a model of faithfulness and love. She not only waits for Odysseus, but she does so in the midst of conflict and many hardships. The easiest thing for her to do would be to marry one of the suitors, but she holds outs. She even concocts a plan. She states that she would marry a suitor once she finished a funeral robe for her father-in-law. All day she makes it and every night she undoes it.
Odysseus's love is a bit more complex. He does stay that Calypso for a while, but then his longing for home gets the best of him. So, he make a difficult journey, to say the least. He finally comes to Ithaca and he finds that he has a lot of work to do to get rid of the suitors. He risks his life and reunites with is life.
From this perspective, we can say that there is love. Both show great tenacity to make this love work.