Given all that we have discussed over the course of the semester in regards to the role of women and patriarchy in the myths of Ancient Greece, it seems logical that we should end the semester in discussing the feminine as it empowers the male hero. In Homer’s Odyssey, we witness both the initial adventure of the hero as leaving the feminine in search of the masculine in Telemachus as well as the hero’s return to the feminine in Odysseus; further Penelope must also be a heroine in regards to rejection of the suitors due to her faith to Odysseus.
Discuss in detail the character of Penelope in terms of what she may represent given the patriarchal structure of Ancient Greefktce as epitomized by Athene.