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Though she has not seen Odysseus in twenty years, and despite pressure the suitors place on her to remarry, Penelope never loses faith in her husband. Her cares make her somewhat flighty and excitable, however. For this reason, Odysseus, Telemachus, and Athena often prefer to leave her in the dark about matters rather than upset her. Athena must distract her, for instance, so that she does not discover Odysseus’s identity when Eurycleia is washing him. Athena often comes to her in dreams to reassure or comfort her, for Penelope would otherwise spend her nights weeping in her bed.
Though her love for Odysseus is unyielding, she responds
to the suitors with some indecision. She never refuses to remarry
outright. Instead, she puts off her decision and leads them on with
promises that she will choose a new husband as soon as certain things
happen. Her astute delaying tactics reveal her sly and artful side.
The notion of not remarrying until she completes a burial shroud
that she will never complete cleverly buys her time. Similarly,
some commentators claim that her decision to marry whomever wins
the archery contest of Book
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