Although she was labeled a servant, Odysseus" family treated as if she was one of their own as she displayed qualities such as being a loyal, honest, and trustworthy person. An example of her loyalty is simply exhibited by the fact that she not cared for Odysseus as a child, but also his son, Telemachus. Her dedication and care for that family was well-appreciated as Penelope even said, "I have an ancient woman of an understanding heart, that diligently nursed and tended that hapless man my lord, she took him in her arms in the hour when his mother bare him." (Book XIX) It was as if she was Odysseus" and Telemachus" second mother in that she found out about Odysseus secret identity by the scar he had in his leg from when he was a child. Her compassion allowed for others to confide in her being that around the palace she was well-respected by all.
A pivotal character in the Odyssey that plays a significant role, to which one city's fate is in the hands of, is clearly Odysseus" wife, Penelope, a woman that spent a period of twenty years lying in her bed wondering when her husband was going to come back home from battle. In his absence, she is pressured daily by the suitors if the city of Ithaca to remarry so that the city can have a king that is present and there to control the people. True and faithful to her husband, Penelope withstands all the temptations from the suitors believing that one day her husband will return. Although she is emotionally unstable she continues to maintain her responsibilities at the palace. Her son, Telemachus comforts her and aids her from the suitors and the political activities. This is were Homer reinforces the standard functions of women and men. As seen in books I and VI her son often discharges her from political meetings to tend to her household chores, this is a distinction of roles that is often referred to throughout the entire poem.
