Odyssey Comparison

There are many situations that occur in "The Odyssey," written by Homer, which can be compared and contrasted to real life situations. Penelope's love and strong devotion to her husband for the twenty years he was gone, and thought to be dead, is one of those situations. There are many real life situations that can be compared and contrasted to this situation, one situation could be when a soldier in the armed services takes off to war and does not return for several months to years, or in some cases missing in action.

Penelope's devotion to Odysseus can be compared to the soldiers' wives devotion to him while he is at war. Penelope's devotion is shown through the shroud that she is weaving. She absolutely refuses to pick a new suitor until she is done with the shroud. Every day she would work on the shroud and every night she would undo the work she did, therefore delaying having to pick a new husband. In comparison, when the soldiers are sent off to war the wives of the soldiers are devoted to them by way of mail. On the other hand, the wives of the soldiers are not forced to pick a new suitor as soon as their husbands are sent off to war. Also Penelope is a Queen, therefore making her a prize to all the flocking suitors who want to become King of Ithaca.

Penelope keeps faith in her husband and knows he is still out there trying to find his way back to his home in Ithaca. Similarly, the wives of the soldiers also know that their husbands are fighting their battles to get back to their homes and the battles are not as "mythical." However, the wives of the soldiers can keep faith in their husbands, they are not always sure of their safety and well being. The thought of losing their husband and never seeing him again is heart wrenching; these thoughts cross the minds of the wives as soon as they know their husbands will be leaving. Penelope never had any doubt that Odysseus would not return to her, she knew in her heart that he would eventually come home, therefore wanting to delay the choosing of a new suitor.

The length of time that Penelope had to endure without her husband is incomparable to the amount of time a soldier is gone for war. The wife of the soldier may get her husband back after a few months, where as Penelope had to wait twenty years to see her husband. Both women comparably undergo the same heartbreak and grieving for the loss of their husbands when they are taken away from them though.

In both situations it is obvious that both Penelope and the wives of the soldiers would know their husbands if they were presented to them in a group of men. It is