The comparative study of The Odyssey and Penelope is reinforced by the fact that Atwood's short story is a direct interpretation of Homer's text. The transformation of the character over the course of 2000 years and more is a significant point of friction between the two texts. Lessons 3 and 4 focused on characterizing the major (and some minor) characters in each text. Now is your chance to examine the similarities and differences between the texts. Compose a detailed response to the following question: How does Atwood's The Penelope both strengthen and undermine the characterization of key characters in The Odyssey? IN YOUR ANSWER, EXAMINE AT LEAST TWO CHARACTERS. A composer's key characters often embody the value and perspectives of their own social, cultural, and historical context. The characters constitute the composer's approach to communicating with his audience, allowing us to make comparisons between these very distinct contexts. Through an in-depth study of Atwood's “The Penelope,” the reader gains insight into the comparison of key characters in “The Odyssey,” such as Ulysses and Penelope. Atwood aims to highlight the portrayal of the central characters through her postmodernist appropriation of Homer's classic Greek tale. The protagonist is strongly representative of the context in which a text was composed. “The Penelopia” offers a contrasting perspective of the Odysseus described in Homer’s “The Odyssey.” It is essential to analyze the characterization of the protagonist, as it is the main means used by the composer to convey his messages about the society and culture that existed in their context. In "The Odyssey", Odysseus is praised for his various courageous and noble tasks, such as a...... middle of paper ......seus also helps shape our perspective which, despite his heroic traits such as bravery and decisiveness, he also possesses many questionable qualities. Atwood's appropriation of "The Odyssey" expresses many of the moral ambiguities of Odysseus' actions that are expressed throughout Homer's original text. The characterization of Penelope is also Atwood's "The Penelope", which explores the evolving characterization of key characters such as Penelope and Odysseus through her postmodernist reimagining. from Homer's classic “The Odyssey”. Through character exploration, the reader gains insight into the context of Atwood's writing. His characterization of Penelope and Odysseus is shaped from our understanding of the characters in "The Odyssey" and allows us to draw a comparison between the predominant culture and society of Homer's and Atwood's writing..