Question

Penelope explains to the beggar how she has been able to keep the suitors at bay for three years by tricking them. What does she do to avoid choosing a new husband, and what does this tell us about her character?

Answer 1

She sews a tapestry but undoes it every night.

Answer 2

Answer:

Penelope tells the suitors she will marry one of them when she finishes a burial shroud.

She is wise and faithful.

Explanation:

In the book "The Odyssey", Penelope is Odysseus' wife. Even though her husband has been long absent, she does not wish to marry any of her many suitors. In order to keep them at bay, she tells them she will choose a husband when she finishes a burial shroud for Laertes, Odysseus' father. However, Penelope undoes the work every night, never completing it, never remarrying.

From this action we may conclude she is not only a very cunning woman, but also a loyal one. She does not wish to be unfaithful to her husband. But, being smart enough to know it is not a good idea to upset the suitors - since anything seemed to be reason enough to start a war -, she deceives them for as long as she can.