Essay

Penelope vs. Clytemnestra:

Who Do You Think Was the Best Woman for the Job?

It is often quite difficult upon reading the stories of Clytemnestra and Penelope to decide which one acted in the most proper way. Some people insist that because Penelope remained faithful to Odysseus for 20 years while he was away in the Trojan War, that she was truly the epitome of what a good wife should be. Others suggest that Clytemnestra was justified in killing her husband because he had so mercilessly killed their daughter. There are many facts that the reader should consider before they arrive at a genuine opinion. I have just completed the book, Goddesses, Whores, Wives and Slaves by Sarah Pomeroy. After reading this book, my opinions of the two women mentioned above have completely changed. I had never realized how important it was to look at different factors that led the women to behave the way that they did.

We will first examine the actions of Penelope while Odysseus was away fighting in the Trojan War. Penelope and Odysseus lived in Ithaca where the Patrilineal belief was upheld. In this type of society, it was the male that had the power. It has been said the Penelope’s father and brother’s urged her to marry the suitor who presented the most gifts (Pomeroy 19). In this sense, Penelope married Odysseus and he brought her back to his own country where she would be a queen, but she would never really have any power. This was evident when Odysseus went off to war. Penelope was of course faithful to her husband for the 20 years that he was gone, but her house was plagued with suitors and she was essentially kept a prisoner in her own house. These suitors ransacked Odysseus’ belongings, turned all of his loyal servants against him and disrespected his power in the utmost way. Telemachus was very young when all of this started and was not mature enough to overcome all of the suitors. He didn’t begin to mature until Odysseus came home and by then it was...