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An Epic Simile “My good woman,” Odysseus, the master of craft, replied, “no man on the face of the earth could find fault with you. Your fame, believe me, has reached the vaulting skies. Fame like a king’s who dreads the gods, and who governs a kingdom vast, proud and strong, who upholds justice....thanks to his decent, upright rule, and under his sovereign sway - the people flourish.” This quote is from when Odysseus, disguised as a beggar, begins to speak to Penelope. The epic simile reflects how much admiration Odysseus has for his wife, comparing her to a famous and powerful king.
Odysseus as an Epic Hero Odysseus fits the definiton of an epic hero because he embodies the values of bravery and intelligence. He does not act irrationally but contemplates his actions and the effects that they will have. This is especially shown in this quote from the "Penelope" chapter: "Many a plausible tale did Odysseus further tell her, and Penelope wept as she listened, for her heart was melted...her cheeks overflow with tears for the husband who was all the time sitting by her side. Odysseus felt for her and was for her, but he kept his eyes as hard as iron without letting them so much as quiver, so cunningly did he restrain his tears." Odysseus, not having seen his wife for twenty years, surely wants to embrace Penelope and tell her that it is really him more than anything, but he restrains himself. This shows how intelligent he was in thinking before he acts. He understands that it is necessary to keep his identity a secret from Penelope - in order to truely manipulate Ithaca's people into thinking he is a beggar, and to find out what Penelope really thinks of the suitors and of himself.
An Epithet “My good woman,” Odysseus, the master of craft, replied, “no man on the face of the earth could find fault with you." The epithet "master of craft" implies how skilled Odysseus is.
Theme "'Nevertheless I will confirm my words with an oath...Odysseus will return in this self same year; with the end of this moon and the beginning of the next he will be here." This passage gives off a strong theme of hope, that even when you're at you're lowest and want to give in, never give up hope because you don't know what will happen next. Just when Penelope is about to give up hope of Odysseus ever returning to Ithaca, the beggar (Odysseus in disguise) tells her that Odysseus will return. If Penelope would of given up hope any sooner, then the kingdom might of fallen to ruins in someone else's hands - before Odysseus even made it home.
Characterization "As soon as Odysseus had sat down Penelope began by saying, "Stranger, I shall first ask you who and whence are you? Tell me of your town and parents."' At this instance, Homer uses indirect characterization through Odysseus' actions to portray how quick on his feet Odysseus is. Odysseus is forced to make up a story of his history quickly, but stays calm. This shows how collected and level headed he is.
Symbolism "I said to them...wait till I have finished making a pall for the hero Laertes, to be ready against the time when death shall take him...; whereon I used to keep working at my great web all day long, but at night I would unpick the stitches again by torch light." It is my belief that this the shroud and the weaving and unraveling of it symbolizes two things. Firstly, the actual shroud reflects the conditions of Ithaca as well as Penelope herself - how it holds together, and yet is falling apart. Also, the action of weaving and unweaving of it symbolizes penelope's defiance of the people who are pressuring her to marry a suitor.
Conflict. "'They want me to marry again at once, and I have to invent stratagems in order to deceive them...My parents are putting great pressure upon me, and my son chafes at the ravages the suitors are making upon his estate" Internal conflict is clearly shown with Penelope, as people put pressure on her marry one of the suitors. She has a decision to make - listen to her heart and wait for Odyssues to return or give into what everyone else wants and remarry.
Penelope
