Penelope As A Single Mother In Homer's Odyssey

Imagine being a single mother with the pressure of raising a child alone. In Homer’s poem The Odyssey we get a glimpse of just that. Queen Penelope had to not only single-handedly raise Telemachus, but also a kingdom. Penelope is a great mother because she has kept her son, Telemachus, alive and well for over 18 years. As expected, Penelope faced many challenges as a single mother, including raising a child and kingdom alone, not having the skills to teach telemachus, and being alone. Penelope had raised Telemachus by herself the moment Odysseus left Ithaca. A queen is powerful, but a king is essential. Queen Penelope is arguably one of the best mothers during ancient Greece.