![]() Here he faces a challenging task – sending Penelope’s annoying suitors off the house. Unwilling to reveal his personality, Odysseus comes home disguised as a beggar. It is a central element of Book 21 where the King of Ithaca returns home. The symbol that reflects all these character traits is his bow. Sprung from the heavens, roiled heaving breakers up-Īnd Odysseus’ knees quaked, his spirit too.”Ī cunning, smart, and incredibly strong warrior – that is how Homer describes Odysseus. The earth and sea at once-and night swept down from the sky-Įast and South Winds clashed and the raging West and North, “With that he rammed the clouds together-both handsĬlutching his trident-churned the waves into chaos, whippingĪll the gales from every quarter, shrouding over in thunderheads He causes massive storms, damages Odysseus’s ship, and prevents the King from reaching Ithaca. As a result, the god of the sea creates many dangerous obstacles for the protagonist. The situation with the cyclops Polyphemus, Poseidon’s son whom Odysseus blinded, sparked the god’s grudge. Poseidon wasn’t happy about that because, according to The Iliad, he favored the Trojans. The main character became the real hero and turned the tide in that war in favor of Greece. Perhaps it started from the times of the Trojan War. The readers don’t know the roost of Poseidon’s anger at Odysseus. However, the most potent and furious enemy is the Greek god of the sea – Poseidon. Then, there are the cyclops, the symbol of danger to Odysseus and his crew. For example, there are Circe and Calypso, who delay the King’s return to Ithaca. In The Odyssey, many antagonists create obstacles on Odysseus’s way home. In contrast, the readers can grasp the second meaning only after reading the entire poem.įirst, let’s discuss the sea as a symbol of danger and humans’ vulnerability against gods. The first meaning is reflected throughout the whole story. Their family gets reunited after long years of separation. The Queen might have chosen another man and built a happy life with him. Waiting for Odysseus for 20 years, she remains faithful to him. So, Penelope proves she’s her spouse’s perfect partner.Īlso, Laertes’ shroud reflects Penelope’s loyalty to the marriage. Odysseus would not choose a simple-minded woman to become her wife. However, during the night, when nobody sees, she unravels everything she has done.Ī shroud for Laertes symbolizes Penelope’s intelligence and cunning she shares with her husband. During the day, she works on the large weaving loom in spacious royal halls full of tapestries and other luxuries. Moreover, the Queen weaves demonstratively. Shroud weaving was a prevalent task for women of ancient Greece. She claims that she will choose her new husband after she finishes her work. ![]() Penelope decides that shroud weaving for her father-in-law Laertes can delay the suitors. She uses her savvy and cleverness to prove her loyalty to her beloved husband. ![]() Lacking physical strength to deal with the annoying admirers, Penelope finds another way to resist them. This small detail plays a crucial role in understanding the central idea of The Odyssey. The readers meet Penelope weaving the shroud. It represents the cunning which the Queen of Ithaca employs to oppose the suitors. One of the central symbols in the epic is Penelope’s shroud. ![]()
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