PENELOPE - THE IDEAL IMAGE OF THE HOMERIC WOMAN

Penelope, Odysseus' wife, is portrayed in Homer's Odyssey as the ideal woman of the time. She tries to remain faithful to her long-lost husband by all means. Since her beauty and position at the royal court attract many suitors, she has to think of strategies to turn down one proposal after another: She takes on the time-consuming task of weaving the shroud for Laertes, her father-in-law - a highly respected art in the Archaic period that was often equated with the art of warfare for men. To help her stall even more, she unravels the woven every night and starts all over again. In Homer, then, the ideal woman is faithful to her husband and to tradition; she demonstrates prudence, steadfastness and perseverance. The tour will look at these traits in the sculptures of Penelope and other portraits of women from the Homeric period. Can similarities be identified? What are the differences and what might this say about Penelope? What really distinguishes her as an ideal woman?

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