Penelope wishes for death in Book 18, lines 202-204, of Homer's masterpiece, the Odyssey. Specifically, she laments:
How I wish chaste Artemis would give me a death so soft, and now, so I would not go on in my heart grieving all my life, and longing for love of a husband excellent in every virtue.
The reason Penelope wishes for death is that she misses her husband, Odysseus, and does not want to remarry. Unfortunately,...
Penelope wishes for death in Book 18, lines 202-204, of Homer's masterpiece, the Odyssey. Specifically, she laments:
How I wish chaste Artemis would give me a death so soft, and now, so I would not go on in my heart grieving all my life, and longing for love of a husband excellent in every virtue.
The reason Penelope wishes for death is that she misses her husband, Odysseus, and does not want to remarry. Unfortunately, Odysseus has been gone nearly two decades, and all signs indicate that he is dead. To make matters worse, her family, many suitors, and even Odysseus himself (prior to his departure for Troy) have pressured her to remarry, so she does not feel like she truly has a choice in the matter. All she can do is delay the inevitable.
This hopelessness, which causes her to weep throughout the epic and leads the reader to sympathize with her plight, leads her to wish for death. Thankfully, this wish is not fulfilled, for Odysseus returns home, slays the suitors, and reclaims his rightful place as king of Ithaca.
No comments:
Post a Comment