Penelope as Double Agent: "Odyssey" 21.1-60 Author(s): Thomas Van Nortwick Source: The Classical World, Vol.

77, No. 1 (Sep. - Oct., 1983), pp. 24-25 Published by: The Johns Hopkins University Press on behalf of the Classical Association of the
Atlantic States

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24

CLASSICAL WORLD

changing formulas-as though Cardinal Richelieu were reading overourshoulder. We willnever knowof many of theplaysmentioned, commended, or condemned byAristotle orthehundreds notevennamed. Butwecanstudy more of what wedo haveandacknowledge therange andvariety ofthat early drama. We inthecontext andthecondition can putthePoetics ofAristotle's other thought inwhich tous. themanuscript comes OhioUniversity, Athens CW77.1 (1983) JAMESH. CONOVER

PENELOPE AS DOUBLE AGENT: ODYSSEY 21.1-60 As Odyssey21 opens, Athena "puts it into Penelope's mind" to set the bow and axes beforethesuitors,to convenethecontestwhichwillbe the "beginning by the goddess at this point appears of slaughter" (Od. 21.1-4). Intervention a plan for has conceivedindependently sincePenelopeherself redundant, slightly (Od. 19.570-581).Butthe evening and has evenseta date theprevious thecontest point here,as it underof Penelope's actions has particular overdetermination and Athena'splan: Penelope )-or consciousintentions scoresthedualitybetween in Ithaca, whileAthena decides to hold a contestEo end Odysseus' sovereignty to of his return to have herput intoherhusband'shandstheinstrument arranges decidesto buryOdysseusand herold lifewithhim power; Penelope reluctantly of theirmaritalhappiness.' whileAthena plots the resumption by remarrying, of thesetwolevbythecoexistence in books 18-23is generated Much of theirony double agent. In the as Penelope becomes a kind of unwitting els of intention, Penelope's tripto the storeroom whichfollowsAthena's intervention, vignette to fetch the bow and axes (Od. 21.5-60), the poet of theOdysseyexploitsthese scene. use of a typical ironiesbytheinnovative Penelope, accompanied by her maids, goes to the thalamos. The poet's dewhichtellsthe storyof by a digression of her progressis interrupted scription how Odysseuscame to have thebow. Sentas a boy to theMesseniansto retrieve he meta certainIphitos,also on a missionof recovstolensheepand shepherds, Odysseus receiveda bow and arrows, ery,and exchangedgiftsof friendship. witha friendship neversealed their Iphitosa swordand spear. The twotravellers killedby Herakles.Odysseusleft since Iphitoswas subsequently meal, however, whenhe went behindin thestoreroom of guest-friendship, thebow, a reminder to Troy(13-41). thedangersof diningat another in Herakles' treachery, The storyillustrates, At thesame time, to Odysseus'revenge. man's table,and perhapslooks forward withOdysseus' past, to the timebeforeTroy, a the bow is linkedspecifically of thewar. Inleftbehindto be exemptedfromthe horrors tokenpurposefully
I Harsh's claimthatPenelope recognizes to Odysseusbybook 19 and setsup thecontest and robstheend of thepoemof all theironicplayof coincidence aid himagainstthesuitors as Homertellsit. Amoryand Austinbothofstory theentire whichcharacterizes intention in some way betweenPenelope's conwhichdistinguish to thishypothesis ferrefinements intuiand hersub-rational of Odysseusreturning, scious mind,whichrejectsthepossibility incompatible are not wholly These latter interpretations tionthatthe beggarmaybe right. at leaston Penelope's pessimism here,insofaras theypreserve offered withthearguments xix," AJP 71 (1950) theconsciouslevel.See P. Harsh, "Penelope and Odysseusin Odyssey ed. 1-21;A. Amory,"The Reunionof Odysseusand Penelope," inEssays on theOdyssey, at the Dark of the C. Taylor, Jr. (Bloomington1963) 100-21; and N. Austin,Archery 1975)228-29. Moon (Berkeley

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SCHOLIA

25

inPenelope, whoweeps relic emotions deed,handling this conjures up powerful inthestoreroom her knees Thesituation as a loudly as itliesacross (55-57). here, token in one wholoveshimand longsfor from Odysseus' pastcausesweeping while shedespairs ofit,is reminiscent hisreturn at thesametime oftheprevious which between Theretheclothes night's exchange Penelopeand thebeggar. out forTroyand thescarwhich he received woreuponsetting while Odysseus insearch hisgrandfather ofgifts tears toPenelope and going (19.413)from bring toEurykleia (19.104-476). Bernard and Reinhardt, building uponthework of Hoelscher has reFenik, cently shown howthehomilia in Book 19is therichest ofwhat realization is in fact a recurrent of motifs centered complex on theelements ofsecrecy, misleadand disguised ingappearance, truth. Central is a display to thetableau of pessimism and despair bysomeone longing forthereturn at thevery of Odysseus, is being inthepresence when return andoften moment that ofanother hastened, in thatreturn.2 (sometimes who is instrumental Odysseus himself) As Fenik notes, theexchanges between Telemachus and Athena in book 1, Telemachus and Menelaus in book4, Eumaios andOdysseus inbook 14,and Philoitios and Odysseus inbook20 arealso variations on this typical situation. Penelope's visit is yet to thestoreroom another a significant butwith example, twist. Although similar to theearlier in itsemotional scenes dynamics and dramatic effect, this passagefeatures no other person with Penelope whois hastening thereturn of Odysseus at themoment of hersad despair. One instrument of thereturn is of course inthebow.Butthefull present subtlety ofthepoet'stechnique is only apwhen we realize parent that there is after all an agent ofOdysseus' return inthe storeroom: Penelope herself. She weepsfortheloss of Odysseus while at the sametime, however sheworks for unwittingly, hisreturn. Oberlin College CW77.1 (1983)
2

THOMAS VAN NORTWICK

B. Fenik,Studiesin theOdyssey (Wiesbaden 1972)22-53.

ANDREW W. MELLON FACULTY FELLOWSHIPS IN THE HUMANITIES AT HARVARD UNIVERSITY

For non-tenured, experienced junior scholarswho have completed,at the timeof appointment, at least two years' post-doctoralteachingas college or university in the humanities-usuallyas assistantprofessors.Ph.D. requiredand refaculty ceivedpriorto June30, 1982. One-yearappointment, July1984-June 1985, withlimitedteachingduties,departmental affiliation,opportunityto develop scholarly research. Annual salary $20,000. Applications due November1, 1983. AwardsannouncedJanuary 27, 1984. For particulars and applicationprocedures, write: Dr. RichardM. Hunt,ProgramDirector HarvardUniversity Mellon FacultyFellowships LamontLibrary 202 Massachusetts Cambridge, 02138

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