Kleos in Homeric Poems - Essay Example

2. Kleos (renown) in the Iliad is the ultimate goal of the (male) warrior. In the Odyssey Penelope is repeatedly said to have kleos. Analyze the Odyssey’s concept of female kleos. What is it and how and why does Penelope attain it?  Homeric poems have a versatile but unique version of heroism; if seen in Iliad, being a hero denotes the readiness to confront death on the battlefield, a notion that modern heroism has descended from. However, in Odyssey, a hero is one who willingly and successfully endures the roughness of life, a traditional Greek stance towards adulation. Both men and women were part of this celebration because the stories revolved around hardships which both the sexes went through. The hero sought to attain the kleos or glory by fulfilling the requirements of being considered honorable in the society. In the Iliad kleos is the ultimate goal of the male warrior. In the Odyssey Penelope is repeatedly said to have kleos. She attains it by remaining steadfast to her husband, patiently waiting for twenty years for his return despite the suitors’ insistence that she get married to one of them. Penelope’s devotion towards her husband, Odysseus is deeply rooted with the olive tree marriage-bed where he promised her he would return and she would remain faithful to him. But he also said that if he fails to return she must promise to get married, a pledge which was too hard for her to make. She nevertheless endures the pain of longing and desire, eventually becoming an epitome of grandeur and brilliance, however growing more volatile and capricious over the period of time. Her attitude with the suitors is seen indecisive because she never out-rightly refuses any of them. This act reveals her artful and furtive nature. She makes promises to choose a husband as soon as she completes a burial shroud but never manages to finish it apparently, because she unweaves it during the night. Her final decision to choose a husband lies in winning the archery contest which she is confident that only her husband could win. In book 21 her husband has returned to the kingdom of Ithaca but he has not revealed his identity to his wife. Penelope, however, has felt a change in the winds. She is filled with hope and renewal of loyalty. Thus she also represents the theme of the melancholy of separation. “She spoke, and still more roused in him the passion for weeping. He wept as he held his lovely wife, whose thoughts were virtuous. And as when the land appears welcome to men who are swimming, after Poseidon has smashed their strong-built ship on the open water, pounding it with the weight of wind and the heavy seas, and only a few escape the gray water landward by swimming, with a thick scurf of salt coated upon them, and gladly they set foot on the shore, escaping the evil; so welcome was her husband to her as she looked upon him, and she could not let him go from the embrace of her white arms.” (Homer 23: 231-240, 1990) The love and compassion of Odysseus and Penelope for each other is like someone drowning towards the earth. Homer reflects this emotion in these lines very appropriately. Since women were not seen as hero in classical epic, Penelope might be considered as the minor hero who matched Odysseus in intelligence and creativity so much so that she is given various titles throughout the epic poem more than Odysseus such as “echephron” a quick thinker and “periphon” of good sense (Homer 1990). She becomes a heroine because of her lucid and virtuous traits. She does not attain kleos by making seductive moves but going against such notions and remaining as honorable and worthy as possible. She continues to maintain a low profile, a peculiarity that assists in her heroism. It is only Penelope in all Homeric epics who is made to undergo such a subtly sublime existence. She stands next to male heroes when it comes to her lion like qualities when she puts off her remarriage to the suitors. Although the epic is not named after her, but her role is equally significant as Odysseus’. “Human beings live for only a short time, and when a man is harsh himself, and his mind knows harsh thoughts, all men pray that sufferings will befall him hereafter while he lives; and when he is dead all men make fun of him. But when a man is blameless himself, and his thoughts are blameless, the friends he has entertained carry his fame widely to all mankind, and many are they who call him excellent.” (Homer 19: 329-334, 1990) Penelope masterfully and aptly distinguishes the worth of reputation and honor of a man as opposed to his disgrace. This is one reason why she wants to remain loyal to her husband till the end. As the time approaches for her to enter the hall to confront the suitors in book 18 she is adamant to accompany her maids because she greatly values her honor and decorum. She cannot imagine surviving without at least trying her best to remain composed and dignified in the eyes of the public and noblemen. “But tell Autonoe and Hippodameia to come, so that they can stand at my side in the great hall. I will not go alone among men. I think that immodest.” (Homer 18: 182-184, 1990) Odysseus’ mother is also a woman of strength and moral fiber. She loses faith, however later in the epic because a woman at her age cannot sustain so much pain of longing for her son. She bids Penelope farewell and drowns herself in the sea. Odysseus mourns at this news when he learns about her from the underworld. As Odysseus returns to Ithaca, and disguises himself as a beggar with the help of Athena, a meeting is arranged between Penelope and the beggar whereby Penelope refuses to be praised for her kleos. He manages to maintain a false story in which he mentions to have met Odysseus on his way to Troy. This makes Penelope pathetic and she cries out of fear but inquires more about her husband who is sitting right next to her but would refuse to reveal himself till the end. This section is by far the most complex part of the epic where Penelope is venting her life out on an old man who is in return trying his best to maintain the distance between himself and his wife. His feeling of desperation is natural but he keeps himself as strong as iron throughout their first meeting (Homer 1990). Until now, Penelope is shown by far dominating in her traits and life. She has gone through many hardships waiting for her husband and she can no longer take the agony of waiting for him but somehow she is managing and that is what is gaining her the status of kleos. After the arrival of Odysseus, and their first meeting between Penelope and her husband, there is an awkward sense of denial revolving around Penelope’s mind, that of the news of Odysseus’ return, which until now she was longing. She seems to be ready to face the contest and choose her suitor. She seems to have secretly recognized the beggar as her husband and mutually becomes a part of his plan by arranging a contest which she knows her husband alone can win. This leaves both of them with no choice. While Odysseus remains stubbornly secretive about not revealing his identity, Penelope becomes stronger and more confident about her forthcoming moves. At the time of the contest she hands the bow in Odysseus’ hand ostensibly denying his return. Such is the irony portrayed by Homer that at this point in time he depicts Penelope as a mere helper despite her denial to face the suitors. Another instance that discloses her kleos is her playfulness with the beggar in book 23 which compels him to speak first. He confesses how he built “his” marriage bed and Penelope’s task is to keep it solely for him and no other man (Homer 1990). Towards the end of the epic, Odysseus becomes the dominant character as his homecoming and the destitutions he confronts are more agonizing than Penelope’s who remains the mistress in the house of Odysseus, awaiting his return. While, the kleos of Penelope has more to do with her emotional strength, Odysseus’ has more to do with his physical strength. Both lay equal in terms of their desire for each other, whereas her loyalty does not demand anything like Odysseus’, who had to sleep with goddesses Calypso and Nausicaa before seeking his freedom into the sea arriving at Ithaca (Homer 1990). One might also argue in praise of the intricacy with which Homer lends the culture of his time to his audience, how men had little knowledge of the nature of work women of stature did, such as weaving. It took a slave to inform them of this trick played by her mistress to evade the suitors for the past three years. Her weaving eventually leads to the return of Odysseus both delaying her remarriage and maintaining herself as his wife. In this sense, Homer has set Penelope as an example to be followed. A woman with such stateliness and distinction was hardly to be found in those days. This also reveals a bit more about the needs of the honest men in those times. They sought for purity and resilience as that of Penelope. It is because of Penelope that Odysseus returns to Ithaca. Had it not been for her, he would have chosen to remain with the goddesses forever. It was not expected of Penelope to hold out for as long as she did. This was the ultimate goal of her life ever since she was reawakened by the winds of hope. This classical epic seems to be mainly a stencil of women’s behavior. Returning to Penelope’s kleos and what she did to attain it, one may also want to reflect on the way she chose to raise her son Telemachus with the same spirit as that of his father. With all the suitors at her doorstep, she also manages to keep her son calm. It is Telemachus who fails to attain the same stature as that of his father but he nevertheless attempts to act like him and calls for a failed meeting of the elders to device a solution to get rid of the suitors. He attempts to fight them but Penelope reminds him of his father’s cleverness and intelligence (Homer 1990). Aided by Athena he decides to sail in search for his father leaving Penelope all by herself. Even though she reaches a point of breakdown, she manages to face the situation all by herself. When her slave deceives her by revealing the secret of the burial shroud, she keeps her calm and confronts her suitors with the same tranquility; however unpredictable she may have wanted to be from within. This leaves her with her only weakness of being impulsive which goes in favor of her towards the end when she decides to keep the beggar in her house and commands the suitors to treat him well. One might conclude by honoring her for her glory which she attained through loyalty, faithfulness and respect for her husband. She is rightfully admired for her patience and intelligence. An ideal woman of the epic, Penelope refuses to be gullible and weak. The naivety is only reflected in the slave who slept with the suitor and made the situation even more challenging for her. Homer proclaims that only those women survive as heroes who are capable of struggling with the inner war and venture. The difficulties faced by Odysseus on sea mirror the inner war that Penelope was undergoing in his absence without any help by her side. She welcomes the suitors in her house despite her son’s questioning because she also believes in treating the guests well only because she saw her husband treat people with the same valor and warmth. For Penelope’s kleos the biggest reward lies in the conclusion when both husband and wife reunite. Works Cited Homer; Richmond A. Lattimore. The Iliad: And, the Odyssey of Homer. Chicago: Encyclopedia Britannica, Inc, 1990. Print. Read More