In the Odyssey, Penelope may seem like a character with abundantly positive traits: a faithful wife, a doting mother, a kind hostess, and a gifted weaver. In fact, many would consider her the absolute role model for women in ancient Greece. While these are true, Penelope's life is missing one important characteristic: power. Through no fault of her own, much of Penelope's fate is out of her hands, a common thing for mortal women in ancient Greece. Be that as it may, Penelope uses Métis to claim some power and become an exception to the common pattern among mortal women in ancient Greece. Métis gives her the tools to impact what is happening and have more say in the decisions that will affect her life. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an original essay Having waited 20 years for the return of her husband, the king of Ithaca, Penelope is admired by some for taking patience and faithfulness to a whole new level. However, some immediately dismiss it as a simple example of marital fidelity and, therefore, weakness. After all, she has spent most of these twenty years surrounded by rivers of her own tears. It's hard to imagine how much else besides weaving (and unweaving) could have occupied her time. It is no secret that mortal women are actually powerless and have limited power in the Odyssey. Penelope is subject to these same circumstances, and one could rightly argue her weakness. In Odysseus' absence, Penelope is courted by 108 suitors. They take refuge in his house and go around playing, being loud and trying to impress Penelope. Bound by the rule of hospitality, known as "Xenia" in Greek, Penelope is rendered unable to do anything by their presence in her home. The suitors are blatantly abusing social tradition, yet Penelope can do nothing to resolve the situation. The role of women in ancient Greece was very different from that of men, and this is a good example of this. The patriarchal structures of ancient Greek society ensured that power was in the hands of men: fathers, brothers, sons, and so on. Men controlled women's lives and were sure that women were aware of their subordinate place in society. When Telemachus calls an assembly, only men are allowed to attend while women stay at home. The dialogue of this meeting is even more indicative of how women had no control over their future or even who they could marry. «Send your mother away with the order to marry / the man who will please her fathers» (Hom. Od. 2,23-24). Marriage is just another opportunity for men to show power over Penelope. The marriage, in this case, resembles a business transaction rather than a romanticized marriage that essentially equates Penelope with a piece of property to be exchanged between men. Penelope's fate seems to be beyond her reach and she is subjected to the poor treatment meted out to her by the men in her life. Also Penelope, a woman of high rank; beauty; and intelligence, is apparently helpless among men. While circumstances are certainly not in Penelope's favor, she uses her Métis to transform her position of helplessness into one of strength. The suitors were adamant about maintaining their stay in Penelope's house and showed no regard for Penelope or her resources that they were using. Penelope devised a plan to keep the suitors at bay until her long-lost husband returned: shameTo waste my spinning - a shroud for the hero Laertes, when death puts himto the ground,” (Hom. Od. 2.105-109). The queen's skillful tactics led the suitors without arousing their suspicions and allowed Penelope to continue without to choose a partner. She told them that she needed to concentrate all her energies weaving a shroud or her father-in-law, Penelope says she will only be able to choose a suitor once the shroud is finished in its entirety overtime during the day, weaving and working at the loom, but at night her plan goes ahead and she undoes all her work from the past day. It works wonders until, finally, one of her servants betrays her and tells the suitors what it is happened in the last three years. Although Penelope has not completely solved the problem, her brilliant plan has managed to keep the suitors at bay for a few years. In a hidden way, Penelope's position of helplessness gives her the ability to silently influence the plot. No one expected to be deceived by Penelope, and they did not look for the ways in which she deceived them. This gives a mortal woman with cunning, like Penelope, a slight advantage in manipulating the world around her. He will never be able to engage in daily political dialogue, but he has the ability to gain some strength with his Métis. Furthermore, Penelope has managed to secure some power by remaining in the roles of her gender sphere. One of the main functions of women in ancient Greek society was to produce textiles, and their lives probably did not consist of much else. Therefore, by making everyone believe that she was weaving, Penelope takes advantage of a way to keep her appearance as normal as possible. A woman's skill at weaving could indicate her value to society, so it is imperative for Penelope not to stray too far from this. Another great example of Penelope showing the ability to transform her position of helplessness into one of strength is the bow competition. and the aces. Penelope retrieves Odysseus' bow from a storeroom deep within the estate and announces to the suitors that she will marry the man who can successfully string it and shoot a single arrow through a line of twelve axes. The suitors are initially threatened, but not for reasons worth their concern. Unbeknownst to them, Penelope has created this archery competition hoping that the only man who can succeed is her long-lost husband. One after another, the suitors try and fail. The suitors cannot even draw a bow, much less shoot an arrow through their axes. Penelope's ploy is working and the game is going as expected. Ulysses, disguised as a beggar, asked to try his hand. The suitors objected but Telemachus insisted on having his chance. To the amazement of the suitors and to Penelope's tacit satisfaction, the beggar shot the arrow through the axes. «And now Ulysses' cunning has been revealed. / He stripped himself of his rags and leaped with his bow / Towards the great threshold" (Hom. Od. 22,1-3). Penelope's Métis brought her one step closer to securing her future with Odysseus. Penelope knew exactly what she was doing when she created the contest, but she also possessed the ability to execute her plan. The suitors were furious when they discovered they had been deceived by the queen for years and demanded an answer. Quick on her feet, Penelope has created a way to ensure her destiny is a desirable one. She was well aware that the only man with a realistic chance of winning the contest was Odysseus, and in this way she could be sure that the beggar was Odysseus in the flesh. Even though Odysseus has revealed himself, Penelope still cannot be certain that this is her husband. that was part of his life twenty long years ago. So, for a performance.