Over the years, I have thought a lot about femininity through the eyes of classical heroines like Ophelia, Penelope, and Helen of Troy.
As much as I admire the classical writers, I am disappointed that they often were unable to give their heroines a more satisfactory story. Sometimes I like to write poems from the point of view of women in these stories, giving them a more empowering or noble story line.
That is what I am trying to do in this poem with Penelope, which is based on the story of Penelope in the Odyssey.
“Penelope Peregrina”
In the morning I set sail;
And I know what they will say:
That I’m insane, base and mean—
That I’m unfit to be your queen.
They do not know what it is like
To look at you, Beloved King.
To see you lost in revery,
Gazing out into the sea.
I’ve watched since you
Returned from Troy.
And in my mind I’ve lived our life,
All the years I’ve been your wife.
I saw Odysseus, the young man,
Touching me first under the stars.
Odysseus, husband, father, lord,
Sailing forth to Trojan War.
I wept and kissed your hand that day.
I vowed I’d wait for your return.
I raised your son; I waited, wove,
While suitors clutched my soul, our home. .
And then, at last, you did return.
We laughed again under the stars.
But now you’re gazing at the sea.
How I wish you would take me.
So in the morning I set sail,
Loving you still and all the while.
But I no longer sit and weave;
Now I must seek my destiny.

John William Waterhouse, Penelope and Suitors
If you like this poem, you might like this one, too:
Ophelia Awakes
Published by shellypruittjohnson
My name is Shelly Johnson, and I am a writer and philosopher with a Ph.D. in philosophy. One of my primary personal and philosophical interests is how we can learn to love ourselves and each other better in order to cultivate personal and political resilience. I teach ethics and a variety of other courses at a local college. I am the author of the blog Love is Stronger. I am also the author of three logic and critical thinking books for high school and middle school: _Argument Builder_, _Discovery of Deduction_ (co-author), and _Everyday Debate_, published by Classical Academic Press. You can reach me at shellypruittjohnson@gmail.com.
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Beautiful! What a great way to empower some of those women 🙂
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Thank you, Friend.