8/10/2019 Genesis II Xu
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- Shuang Xu 1 -
Shuang Xu
UNI: sx2125
Genesis XII-XXXVI: The Patriarchal Cycle
Soe ha!e argue" that# in $oo% XIX# Penelo&e recogni'es
("ysseus) *hat e!i"encesu&&orts this theory+ *hat e!i"ence
contra"icts it+ ,o oul" the ("yssey .e "i//erenti/ it ere
a.solutely clear one ay or the other+ 0,o "oes ,oer use the
a.iguity+)
In line 71 to 88, Odysseus speaks to Melanthos who has verbally
insulted him, stating,So, woman, you should now beware eware o!
your mistress Or Odysseus may "ome ba"k#$here is still time !or
hope there here is $elema"hos, his son and in his pala"e none o!
thewomen will be sin!ul and es"ape% &'omer (8)*# +hen Odysseus
is speaking here, he is disguisedas an old beggar# et, his
statement is not only harsh like that o! a master, but also "lever
-Odysseus.s spee"h in"ludes a triple threat toward Melanthos whi"h
states that her mistress, eldermaster, as well as her young master
will all disapprove her wrongdoing# Odysseus.s spee"h alsohints
Odysseus.s own nostos# I! indeed /enelope re"ogni0es Odysseus, her
reali0ation maybegin here# Immediately a!ter this spee"h,
"ir"umspe"t /enelope heard him#% &'omer (8)*#oti"e that the
epithet !or /enelope is "ir"umspe"t,% whi"h emphasi0es /enelope.s
wit and
insinuates that /enelope may have noti"ed something about beggar
Odysseus.s identity# Indeed,/enelope.s immediate a"tions are to
insult Melantos and "onverse with Odysseus# In her spee"hwith
Odysseus, /enelope seems to intentionally highlight her loyalty,
delineating her weavingstory as well as stating, I pay no attention
to strangers, nor to suppli"ants but always I wasteaway at the
inward heart, waiting !or Odysseus% &'omer (82*# /enelope also
attempts to !ind outthe beggar Odysseus.s identity, both by in3uiry
and via testing# /enelope asks about Odysseus.s"lothing, and when
she "onstantly weeps about Odysseus, she perhaps hopes to see
thebeggar.s rea"tion, hoping to gain in!ormation "on"erning his
identity# 4inally, /enelope addressesthe beggar as a !riend#%
5lthough guests in the house should be treated with respe"t, it is
3uiteunne"essary !or /enelope, who has been "old toward the guest
suitors, to be so e6"essively kindto his one parti"ular beggar#
5ll the eviden"e should display that /enelope re"ogni0es
Odysseus# et ook I alsodemonstrates that the re"ognition is
ambiguous and in"omplete# +hen the beggar Odysseus
in!orms /enelope o! Odysseus.s nostos, /enelope responds, here
is the way I think in mymind, and the way it will happen# Odysseus
will never "ome home again% &'omer (9*# +hywould /enelope state
that Odysseus will not return i! she re"ogni0es the beggar as
Odysseus:'ere, /enelope.s response "ontradi"ts her predi"ted
response i! she indeed re"ogni0es thebeggar as Odysseus
"ompletely#
+hy does 'omer in"lude su"h "ontrasting ideas: /erhaps there is
purpose in theambiguity# I! /enelope does not re"ogni0e anything
spe"ial about the beggar, /enelope may"ome a"ross as imprudent,
whi"h "ontrasts with her "hara"teri0ation as the
"ir"umspe"t%/enelope# 5lso, in the end when Odysseus !inally
reveals himsel!, /enelope may not be able torespond so logi"ally
and "almly &/enelope even tested Odysseus.s loyalty* had she
not preparedhersel! in some way be!orehand#
'owever, i! /enelope !igures out about Odysseus.s identity
"ompletely, the "lima6 o!Odysseus.s home"oming may not be so
emotional and stressed, and it would not make sense !or
/enelope to sit so tran3uilly while Odysseus and $elema"hos are
with the suitors in the !inalooks# In short, the ambiguity serves
to better "on"ur with /enelope.s "hara"ter as well as thestoryline
o! the Odyssey#
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