In the book, “The Penelopiad” by Margaret Atwood the twelve maids should have been spared. The reasons for this statement are that Penelope should have told Odysseus that she told them to do whatever the Suitors wanted to gain information for her, Penelope told the twelve maids that Odysseus would be happy with them when he returned, and most importantly they also had no choice to be “loyal” to the king. The first reason I think the twelve maids should have been spared is that Penelope should have told Odysseus that she told the twelve maids to sleep and say awful things about her, Odysseus, and Telemachus, to gain information about their intentions. On pages 89 -90 of Margaret Atwood’s book says, “I told my twelve young maids-the loveliest, the beguiling-to hang around the Suitors and spy on them, using whatever enticing arts they could invent... Several of the girls were unfortunately raped, others were seduced, or were hard pressed and decided that it was better to give in than resist.” This quote illustrates that she told them to do what they were killed for. The second reason the maids should have been spared is that Penelope told them that Odysseus would be happy with them for what was being done to them. On page 91, Penelope says to the maids, “‘You must pretend to be in love with these men. If they think you have taken their side, they’ll confide in you and we’ll know their plans. It’s one way of serving your master, and he’ll be very pleased with you when he comes home’” (Atwood). This quote tells us that that the maids believed Penelope would tell Odysseus what they have done. The final and most important reason I will talk about is that the maids had no choice. According to the article, “Women in Ancient Greece,” by Mark Cartwright, “Women in the ancient Greek world had few rights in comparison to male citizens. Unable to vote, own land, or inherit, a woman's place was in the home and her purpose in life was the rearing of children.” Also on page 155, “we had no voice, we had no name, we had no choice…" (Atwood). These quotes mean that the women of this time had no rights including the right to say “no.” The only right they had was to bear children. In conclusion, the maids should have been spared because of the following reasons. The first reason was that Penelope told them to do what they were killed for, and she should have told Odysseus that she told them to do it. The second reason is that Penelope told them that Odysseus would be happy with them and what they had done for her. The last reason is that they had no choice and they killed them anyway. Any questions, comments, or concerns write a comment.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |