ntage of her husband’s land and riches, eating his prize livestock, and drinking his finest wine. Penelope is however in control, carefully plotting against her rude guests. It has been said that one must keep their friends close and their enemies closer. She does just that, by keeping the suitors in her home for three years in order to later seek vengeance: Here is an instance of her trickery: she had a great loom standing in the hall and the fine warp of some vast fabric on it; we were attending her, and she said to us: “Young men, my suitors, now my lord is dead, let me finish my weaving before I marry, Tessier 3 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . So every day she wove on the great loom- But every night by torchlight she unwove it; (98-103, 110-111, 2.3)By sneaking to the loom at night to unweave her threads she is able to stall her decisions. She further buys time by stating that she needs time to pick a husband, giving the impression that she is indeed considering remarriage. Penelope’s devotion in never swayed by the suitor’s begging, presents, or their threats. It is her trickery that is her strength, in which capacity she will have victory. The manipulation of men is also a source of power for Helen, wife of Menelaos. Helan has left her husband to be with Paris, upon his death she lives with Deiphobos for the remainder of the Trojan War, eventually returning to her husband. Although it is easy to make character judgments on her, even perhaps blaming her for initial cause of the war, the focus must remain on her personal strength in achieving her goals. It is amazing the way that the text depicts her ability to take charge over her husband, even after all she has done to him. This is shown in book IV when Odysse...
