In the Odyssey, Penelope can appear as a character with abundantly positive traits: a faithful wife, an endearing mother, a gracious hostess and a gifted weaver. In fact, many would consider her the absolute role model for ancient Greek women. Even though these many statements are true, Penelope's life lacks one major characteristic: power. Through no fault of her own, much of Penelope's destiny is beyond her control, which is common for mortal women in ancient Greece. Regardless, Penelope uses the Metis to regain some power and become an exception to the pattern common to mortal women in ancient Greece. Métis gives him the tools to have an impact on what happens and have more of a say in the decisions that will affect his life. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on “Why Violent Video Games Should Not Be Banned”?Get the original essayHaving waited 20 years for the return of her husband, the King of Ithaca, Penelope is admired by some for showing patience and loyalty in an entirely new level world. However, some immediately dismiss it as a simple example of marital fidelity and therefore weakness. After all, she spent most of those 20 years surrounded by rivers of her own tears. It's hard to imagine how anything other than weaving (and unweaving) could have occupied his time. It's no secret that mortal women are effectively powerless and have limited agency in The Odyssey. Penelope is subject to the same circumstances, and one could rightly argue about her weakness. In the absence of Odysseus, Penelope is courted by 108 suitors. They take refuge in her own house and cavort around playing games, being loud and trying to impress Penelope. Bound by the rule of hospitality, known as "Xenia" in Greek, Penelope is rendered incapable of doing anything regarding their presence in her home. The suitors openly abuse social tradition, but Penelope can do nothing to fix the situation. The role of women in ancient Greece was very different from that of men, and this is a good example. The patriarchal structures of ancient Greek society ensured that power was in the hands of men – fathers, brothers, sons, etc. Men controlled women's lives and ensured that women were aware of their subordinate place in society. When Telemachus calls an assembly, only men can participate while the women stay at home. The dialogue from this meeting is even more an indication that women had no control over their futures or even who they could marry. “Send away your mother with orders to marry / Whoever her fathers prefer” (Hom. Od. 2.23-24). Marriage is just another opportunity for men to display their power over Penelope. Marriage, in this case, resembles a commercial transaction rather than a romanticized marriage that essentially equates Penelope with a commodity to be exchanged between men. Penelope's fate seems beyond her reach and she is subjected to mistreatment by the men in her life. Even Penelope, a woman of high status; beauty; and intelligence seems powerless among men. Although circumstances are certainly not in Penelope's favor, she uses her Metis to transform her position of helplessness into one of strength. The suitors were adamant about continuing their stay in Penelope's house and showed no respect for Penelope or the resources they used. Penelope came up with a planto hold off suitors until her long-lost husband returns: “Young men – my suitors, since Odysseus is dead – desiring to marry me, you must wait until I have finished this dress – this would be a shame to waste my spinning - a shroud for the hero Laertes, when the fate of death brings him down” (Hom. Od. 2.105-109). The queen's clever tactics led the suitors away without arousing their suspicions and allowed Penelope to continue without having to choose a partner. She told them she had to focus all her energy on weaving a burial shroud or her father-in-law, Laertes. Penelope says that she will only be able to choose a suitor once the shroud is completed in its entirety. Penelope seems to do nothing out of the ordinary during the day, weaving and working on the loom, but at night her plan takes course and she undoes all her work from the past day. This works wonderfully until one of her servants betrays her and tells the suitors what has been happening over the past three years. Even though Penelope didn't completely solve the problem, her brilliant plan managed to keep the suitors at bay for a few years. . In a hidden way, Penelope's powerless position gives her the ability to quietly influence the plot. No one expected to be fooled by Penelope, and they didn't look into how she was fooling them. This gives a cunning mortal woman, like Penelope, a slight advantage in manipulating the world around her. She will never be able to engage in daily political dialogue, but she has the capacity to acquire a certain strength from her Métis. Additionally, Penelope was able to secure some power for herself by remaining within the roles of her gender sphere. One of the main functions of women in ancient Greek society was to produce cloth, and their lives probably didn't consist of much else. So, by making everyone believe that she was weaving, Penelope takes advantage of a way to keep her appearance as normal as possible. A woman's ability to weave could indicate her value to society, so it is imperative for Penelope not to stray too far from it. Another great example of Penelope demonstrating her ability to transform her position of helplessness into one of strength is the bow competition. and axes. Penelope retrieves Odysseus' bow from a storeroom at the back of the estate and announces to the suitors that she will marry the man who succeeds in tying it and shooting a single arrow through a line of twelve axes. The suitors are threatened at first, but not for reasons that merit their concern. Unbeknownst to them, Penelope created this archery competition hoping that the only man who can succeed is her long-lost husband. One by one, the suitors try and fail. The suitors are not even capable of drawing the bow, much less shooting an arrow through the axes. Penelope's ruse works and the game goes as planned. Odysseus, disguised as a beggar, asked to try his hand. The suitors opposed it but Telemachus insisted that he try his luck. To the great astonishment of the suitors and the tacit satisfaction of Penelope, the beggar shot the arrow through the axes. “And now Odysseus's ruse was revealed. / He took off his rags and jumped with his bow / To the great threshold” (Hom. Od. 22.1-3). Penelope's Metis brought her closer to her future with Ulysses. Penelope knew exactly what she was doing when she created the competition, but she also possessed the ability to execute her plan. The suitors were furious to discover that they had been deceived by the queen for years and demanded an answer. Quickly, Penelope found a way to ensure her destiny was desirable. She knew well that the only man with a.