Penelope's Strong Character in Homer's Odyssey Homer's Odyssey is the story of Odysseus' return home after the Trojan War. Odysseus left his wife, Penelope, and their young son, Telemachus, nearly twenty years before the telling of this story to fight in the Trojan War. His absence places Penelope in a rather precarious position. Faced with many different circumstances, both good and bad, Penelope will have to decide for herself the path she wishes to take. Depending on your decisions, situations could be full of wonderful opportunities or dangerous dangers. Penelope's strong character is revealed by her decisions. While Ulysses is away from home, Penelope finds herself playing the role of dutiful wife combined with the conflicted role of single mother trying to raise a family. As a dutiful wife, Penelope is faithful to Odysseus although she is tormented by suitors who are all eager to marry her. She waits patiently, if sadly, for Odysseus' return, successfully keeping her suitors at bay. There is nothing she would like more than for her husband to return to her safely and so she longs for his return. “Since unforgettable sorrow comes to me, more than others, / such a dear head I desire whenever it comes to mind / of my husband, whose fame extends through Hellas and central Argos (Odyssey 1.342-344 )." Since Telemachus was so young when Odysseus went to war, he is not even sure that Odysseus is his father. It is up to Penelope, in her role as mother, to dispel this doubt from Telemachus' mind. He states, "my mother truly says I am hers. I for my part / know not (Odyssey 1.215-216)." Penelope is in great danger of losing control of the house, a position that...... middle of paper... due to the success of her plan to delay them. Penelope is able to use her wisdom to transform her potentially dangerous situation into one filled with numerous advantages and opportunities for her. Works Cited and Consulted Diana Buitron-Oliver and Beth Cohen, "Female Representations and Interpreting the Odyssey," by Seth Schein, pp. 17-27.Hexter, Ralph. A Guide to the Odyssey: A Commentary on Robert Fitzgerald's English Translation. New York: Random House, 1993. Homer. The Odyssey. Trans. Robert Fitzgerald. New York: Random House, 1990.Lillian Doherty, Siren Songs: Gender, Audiences, and Narrators in the Odyssey (Ann Arbor 1995), esp. chapter 1. Marilyn Arthur Katz, Penelope's Renown: Meaning and Indeterminacy in the Odyssey (Princeton 1991). Nancy Felson-Rubin, About Penelope: From Courtship to Poetics (Princeton 1994).