Penelope is known today probably most for her loyalty as depicted in 's . She was the daughter of and Polycaste.

According to one story, Icarius promised his beautiful daughter to the man who could beat him in a footrace. Odysseus defeated Icarius and took Penelope as his bride.

Icarius wanted the young couple to stay by him, but Odysseus insisted on leaving. Icarius asked Penelope what she wanted, and, Robert Bell states, "she did not answer but merely dropped her veil over her face; this signified that she would follow her husband" (Bell, 348). Icarius was then inspired to build a statue of Modesty.

Penelope and Odysseus journeyed to Ithaca and Penelope bore Odysseus a son, .

Odysseus was happily married and when Greeks came to enlist his support in the Trojan War, he at first feigned madness. Palamedes, however, tricked Odysseus into betraying his deceit (some accounts say he placed young Telemachus in front of a plow) and Odysseus was forced to enter the war.

When the war was over and there was no sign of Odysseus, many suitors came to seek Penelope's hand in marriage. Homer reports 108 suitors, while Apollodorus reports 136 (Bell, 349).

As time went on and the chance that Odysseus would return became smaller, the suitors got more and more badly behaved and began to take over control of the palace.

In Heroides I, Ovid writes a letter from Penelope to Odysseus. In the letter, Penelope tells Odysseus (though she does not know where he is, or if he is still alive) of the suitors and the pressure she is under. At the same time, Penelope states that she will remain faithful although Odysseus is "disgracefully" absent. (81) Me pater Icarius viduo discedere lecto My father Icarius compels me to cogit et immensas increpat usque moras. leave my widowed couch and he Increpet usque licet - tua sum, tua dicar continuously protests my unending oportet; delay. It is permitted that he scold Penelope coniunx semper Ulixis ero. [me] - I am yours, it is proper that I Ille tamen pietate mea precibusque pudicis be said yours; Penelope, wife of frangitur et vires temperat ipse suas. Odysseus, I will always be. Dulichii Samiique et quos tulit alta Zacynthos Nevertheless that one [Icarius] is turba ruunt in me luxuriosa proci, disheartened by my piety and my inque tua regnant nullis prohibentibus aula; chaste prayers and he himself viscera nostra, tuae dilacerantur opes. tempers his own demands. Quid tibi Pisandrum Polybumque Those of Dulichium and Samos and Medontaque dirum those whom lofty Zacynthus bore, Eurymachique avidas Antinoique manus an extravagant mob of nobles atque alios referam, quos omnis turpitor presses on me, and in your own absens palace they play the part of king with ipse tuo partis sanguine rebus alis? none prohibiting; our body and your Irus egens pecorisque Melanthius actor wealth are being torn [from you]. edendi Why report to you of Pisander, and ultimus accedunt in tua damna pudor. of Polybus, and of dreadful Medon, and the greedy hands of Eurymachus and Antinous, and of others, you yourself being disgracefully absent are sharing other things with all of them by means of your own blood? Needy Irus and Melanthius, driver of the eating of the flock, are the ultimate disgrace against your ruination. In order to avoid choosing a husband, Penelope came up with a plan. She announced that she was weaving a shroud for Laertes, her father-in-law. She said that, once she had finished, she would choose from among the many suitors. Penelope wove during the day, and unloosened the weaving at night, therefore buying time. Propertius, in Book II.9A, poem IXA, of the Elegies, commends this "nocturnal trick" as a sign of loyalty which should be emulated. (1) Iste quod est, ego saepe fui: sed fors What that one is, I often have been: but et in hora perhaps in time after, this one will have hoc ipso eiecto carior alter erit. been removed and another will be more Penelope poterat bis denos salva per dear. annos Penelope was able to live pure through vivere, tam multis femina digna procis; twice ten years, such a woman worthy coniugium falsa poterat differre Minerva, of many suitors; the false weaving was nocturno solvens texta diurno dolo; able to postpone a marriage, loosening visuram et quamvis numquam speraret the woven cloth of the day in nocturnal Ulixem, trick; and although she never hoped that illum exspectando facta remansit anus. she would see Odysseus, she remained, having become an old woman by waiting. Odysseus returned after a long journey and killed all of the suitors. Penelope and Odysseus lived out a happy life... WHAT HAPPENED NEXT???

Penelope and Odysseus lived out a happy life UNTIL… Odysseus was killed by Telegonus, his son by Circe. Telegonus had not meant to kill Odysseus, and he took Penelope and Telemachus to Circe's home where they buried Odysseus.

Penelope then married Telegonus, and Telemachus married Circe. Circe made both Penelope and Telemachus immortal (Tripp, 460).

Penelope represented the idealistic wife: she remained faithful to her husband, and remained civil to the unwanted suitors. Even today she is often thought of as a symbol of virtue. http://www.stanford.edu/~plomio/penelope.html