Identity in Homer's Odyssey Literary Analysis Essay

In every work of literature, identity is constantly being represented. To have an identity a person would have a strong sense of where they came from, would stand up for themselves and what they believe in, along with not underestimating or overestimating the power they withhold. In The Odyssey by Homer, translated by Robert Fitzgerald, the characteristic of having an Identity can be seen in how each character presents themselves. Penelope, odysseus’ wife and telemakhos’s mother, has an exceptionally strong sense of identity throughout the entirety of the novel. From the beginning to the end of the novel, Penelope has an exceptionally strong sense of identity , whether that was not choosing a suitor because she knew the only man she belonged to was odysseus or when she was holding back the urge to run to odysseus and was being weary and tested him to make sure it was him; thus she supported the idea that having an identity is knowing what he or she stand for, standing tall for what you believe in and not swaying your opinion for others preferences.

The way The Odyssey portrays Penelope during the first half of the epic, shows the idea that having an identity is knowing what he or she stands for and standing tall for what you believe in and not swaying your opinion for others preferences. When we are first introduced to Penelope she is being bombarded with suitors all wishing for her hand in marriage. Telemakhos gives the reader the initial realization of how strong Penelope’s identity is by saying, “ Yyoung lords as well /  are here  courting my mother…/ sperm them she dare not, though she hates that marriage, / nor can she bring herself to choose among them” (I.293-296). Telmakhos is saying that she will choose no man to marry and she would never dare to marry one of the suitors because she is so loyal to Odysseus. One who has an identity knows who they belong to and will never waver that for another person, or in this case a suitor desperate to be married to her. Another piece of evidence further proving how Penelope embodies Identity is spoken by one of the suitors himself. In this quote he is paraphrasing to Odysseus what Penelope had told them for many months. She would tell them,“ Young men, my suitors, now my lord is dead, / let me finish my weaving before I marry, / or else my thread will have been spun in vain…” (II.104-106). This is then followed up by Antinoos’ words of saying, “So every day she wove on the great loom- / but every night by torchlight she unwove it; / and so for three years she deceived the Akhanians” (II.104- 116). Penelope is shown as being very smart and tactical here. She knows these men will not be willing to leave her alone till she marries one of them, but she also knows that she belongs to Odysseus and no other man will be good enough for her. Penelope shows she has identity because she isn't going to just give in to one of the suitors; , instead she is dedicated to being with Odysseus and will prolong marriage as long as she can, or until Odysseus returns. Penelope shows the idea of having an identity by knowing who she is as a person, standing tall for what she believes, and not wavering for anyone less than Odysseus himself.

The way The Odyssey portrays this Penelope during the second half of the epic shows the idea that having an identity is knowing what he or she stands for, standing tall for what you believe in and not swaying your opinion for others preferences.  Penelope is a very strong woman who has a firm mindset of who she is and what she needs/ wants. In the later chapters of the book Penelope is still seen with the same strong identity she had in the beginning of the epic. One example of how she stayed a static character is when Eurymakhos tries to ask her to join the suitors for a feast the next day, and he tries to deceive her into eating with them. Penelope relies by saying, “Mmy qualities - I know- / my face, my figure, all were lost or blighted /  when the Akhaians crossed the sea to troy, /  Odysseus my lord among the rest / If he returned, if he were to care for me, / i might be happily renowned” (XVIII.315-320). Penelope has a strong understanding of who her lord is and as she said she will not be renowned happily unless odysseus is the one who reownes her. She will not settle for no less than Odysseus. She has the identity to understand her one and only lord is Odysseus and even if there are one hundred suitors outside, none of them will be good enough, and she stands with that. She shows the aspect of identity by not settling for one of the hundred suitors and further proves the point that having an identity is knowing what he or she stands for and not swaying your opinion for others happiness.  Another strong example of a time that Penelope withholds her strong sense of identity is when Odysseus reveals himself to her. Odysseus is taken off of the spell that Athena had put on him and he was not standing right before her as his true form. Yet Penelope does not just run full speed at him hugging and kissing him, instead she is cautious and does not jump to the conclusion that he is truly odysseus. She tests him making sure it was truly him as she would not want to be tricked and have her identity be waved away by a man that is not her lord. One of her tests was the bed Odysseus had made, and after she had truly realized it was him she said, “ But here and now, what sign could be so clear /  as this is our own bed ? / No other man has ever laid eyes on it - only my slave …. / You make my stiff heart know I am yours” (XXIII).  Penelope knows that Odysseus is hers and by saying that him reacting to the bed made her realize that she is truly his makes you know how strong her sense of identity is. She let no other man look at that bed as it belonged to her and Odysseus as a sign of their love of sorts and no other man could ever possess the love she had for him. Identity comes from knowing exactly who you are and who you stand for/ with; Penelope knows she is Odysseus' wife and no other man will ever replace Odysseus, making her be a true representation of what identity really is.

Penelope was a very strong and wise woman throughout the entire book, and she possessed a very strong identity that many characters did not have. Penelope knew who she was and who she stood with and she never let any of the suitors convince her otherwise. Identity is formed from knowing what he or she stands for and standing tall for what you believe in and not swaying your opinion for others preferences. When you have a strong identity you can stand up for yourself and not let your guard down over something that is not wanted. Today in life many people do not have a strong sense of identity due to caring too much about what others think. They sway their initial opinion just because someone else doesn't agree with them. Although in life today people may not have suitors banging the door wanting a hand in marriage, many people do have to stand up for their beliefs and not have them be wavered just because of other people's happiness. Identity is important in today's society because without a strong sense of identity people can find themselves lost in society's expectations and will not be fulfilling life the way they want to.