Penelope

Holland argues that Homer leaves open the possibility that Penelope recognized the disguised Odysseus before the contest.

“I think there is an ambiguity in Homer. There is the possibility that maybe Penelope has recognised him”

The Rest Is History: 688. The Odyssey: Return of the King (Part 2) (Jul 15, 2026) · Listen from 44:52

Holland describes Odysseus's refusal of Calypso's immortality as one of ancient literature's rare great tributes to marital love.

“And it's one of the great eulogies in ancient literature to the joys and the comforts of marital love”

The Rest Is History: 688. The Odyssey: Return of the King (Part 2) (Jul 15, 2026) · Listen from 17:50

Miller argues the text clearly presents Penelope as Odysseus's equal, citing her final test of the immovable bed.

“So I think it's in the text that she is absolutely meant to be brilliant. But like him, I think she's a complicated figure”

The Daily: What’s Epic About the ‘Odyssey’? Everything. (Jul 12, 2026) · Listen from 32:57

Miller says Penelope's shroud trick reveals both her cleverness and the gender roles of the period, since the suitors have no idea how long weaving takes.

“she knows that they have no idea how long it takes to weave a shroud. And so it's like a great trick that like really reveals sort of the gender roles of the time as well”

The Daily: What’s Epic About the ‘Odyssey’? Everything. (Jul 12, 2026) · Listen from 6:21

Wilson reads Penelope's dream of the geese as expressing ambivalence and her lack of control over her fate.

“her attitude is defined by this sense of she's stuck between two different narratives. She doesn't know what's going to happen”

The Daily: What’s Epic About the ‘Odyssey’? Everything. (Jul 12, 2026) · Listen from 35:41