Yes, that man is Odysseus, so who is the woman in red?

If you guessed that it is Penelope, you are correct.​

 

• What do you know about her?

• What is the message of her story? 

• What did she weave on her loom during the day and then unravel at night for three years?​

 

​A shroud for Odysseus.

A shroud is a garment used to dress the dead for the grave. Even after the Trojan War ended, Odysseus did not return home and was considered dead. The Trojan War lasted nine years, and Odysseus spent another ten years returning home from it. Why? You can read about that in the Odyssey itself, which is read by both students and adults at the Great Works Academy.

 

Queen Penelope, his faithful wife, waited for him all those years. Of course, she was pressured by suitors who were interested not only in her beauty but also in the Kingdom of Ithaca, its wealth, and its power. However, she remained faithful to her husband. She asked the suitors for time—until she could weave a shroud by hand for her supposedly dead husband, no one could court her. But she wove the shroud by day and unraveled it by night. Eventually, her impatient suitors discovered this. But just then, Odysseus himself enters the scene in disguise.

 

Penelope's name is therefore associated with loyalty, courage, and the creativity to face the perils of marriage (relationships).

 

Look at the painting one more time. How has your perspective on it changed after discovering its meaning? How do Penelope's story and message speak to you today?​

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The name of the painting is Penelope and the Suitors.

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