Homer's Odyssey:
Penelope was Odysseus's wife, who waited for 20 years for his return, who kept at bay the suitors who had taken residence in her palace forcing her to choose one of them as her husband by telling them to wait till she had finished weaving a shroud for Laertes, her father-in-law (Book II), who for three years wove the shroud during the day and undid it during night only to have her strategy betrayed by one of her maids in the fourth year, remembering whom Odysseus declined the offer of the lovely goddess Calypso to stay with her and become immortal (Book I), who acknowledged Odysseus on his return only after testing him about their marriage bed (Book XIII).
James Joyce's Ulysses:
Joyce used the name Penelope to refer to the final episode/chapter of his Ulysses. There is no real equivalent of this episode in Homer's Odyssey. Jumping abruptly from thought to thought is the norm of this episode that is scores of pages long and is composed of mere 8 sentences. Penelope is the most often publicly read, rather performed, episode of Ulysses. It is the purest form of interior monologue. While Bloom sleeps, Molly is awake, thinks about him, about herself, about various other people and topics. Words such as "yes", "still", "because" signal a change in the direction of her thoughts. But her "because" often explains nothing, her "yes" does not seem to refer to or answer much. Her monologue opens and ends with the word, "yes".
Selected Highlights of Episode 18 in Ulysses for the Uninitiated:
1. Sayings from Ulysses explored/explained:
- . . . she was pious because no man would look at her twice . . . (18.11)
- . . . with all the talk of the world about it people make is only the first time after that its just ordinary do it and think no more about it . . . (18.100)
- . . . he says your soul you have no soul inside only grey matter because he doesnt know what it is to have one . . . (18.141)
- . . . nice invention they made for women for him to get all the pleasure but if someone gave them a touch of it themselves theyd know . . . (18.157)
- . . . drawers drawers the whole blessed time . . . (18.305)
- . . . better for him put it into me from behind . . . (18.417)
- . . . a weddingcake standing up miles off her head . . . (18.522)
- . . . curious the way its made 2 the same in case of twins theyre supposed to represent beauty . . . (18.539)
- . . . I knew more about men and life when I was 15 than theyll all know at 50 . . . (18.886)
- . . . your blouse is open too low . . . (18.1033)
- . . . usual monthly auction . . . (18.1109)
- . . . I could look at him all day long curly head . . . I often felt I wanted to kiss him all over also his lovely young cock . . . I wouldnt mind taking him in my mouth . . . (18.1349)
- . . . a woman wants to be embraced 20 times a day almost to make her look young no matter by who . . . (18.1407)
- . . . I saw he understood or felt what a woman is and I knew I could always get round him . . . (18.1578)
- . . . yes I said yes I will Yes. (18.1608)
(Episode.Line numbers in brackets above are according to the Critical Edition of Ulysses by H. W. Gabler, 1986)
2. Illustrations:
- Watercolours by Catherine Meyer
- Reproduction of the sketch of Bloom by James Joyce
3. Links to
- The video clip of Molly Bloom's soliloquy from Joseph Strick's 1967 movie, Ulysses
- The video clip of John Gielgud as the preacher in Joseph Strick's 1979 movie, A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man
- The video of John McDermott singing Thomas Moore's song, The Young May Moon
- The video of Maria Callas singing Ave Maria by Charles Gounod
- The video of Ella Fitzgerald singing H. Cannon's ragtime song, Bill Bailey, won't you please come home
- The novels that Mrs Stanhope gave Molly to read
- The 'dirty letters' that Joyce wrote to Nora
And much more!
Penelope was Odysseus's wife, who waited for 20 years for his return, who kept at bay the suitors who had taken residence in her palace forcing her to choose one of them as her husband by telling them to wait till she had finished weaving a shroud for Laertes, her father-in-law (Book II), who for three years wove the shroud during the day and undid it during night only to have her strategy betrayed by one of her maids in the fourth year, remembering whom Odysseus declined the offer of the lovely goddess Calypso to stay with her and become immortal (Book I), who acknowledged Odysseus on his return only after testing him about their marriage bed (Book XIII).
James Joyce's Ulysses:
Joyce used the name Penelope to refer to the final episode/chapter of his Ulysses. There is no real equivalent of this episode in Homer's Odyssey. Jumping abruptly from thought to thought is the norm of this episode that is scores of pages long and is composed of mere 8 sentences. Penelope is the most often publicly read, rather performed, episode of Ulysses. It is the purest form of interior monologue. While Bloom sleeps, Molly is awake, thinks about him, about herself, about various other people and topics. Words such as "yes", "still", "because" signal a change in the direction of her thoughts. But her "because" often explains nothing, her "yes" does not seem to refer to or answer much. Her monologue opens and ends with the word, "yes".
Selected Highlights of Episode 18 in Ulysses for the Uninitiated:
1. Sayings from Ulysses explored/explained:
- . . . she was pious because no man would look at her twice . . . (18.11)
- . . . with all the talk of the world about it people make is only the first time after that its just ordinary do it and think no more about it . . . (18.100)
- . . . he says your soul you have no soul inside only grey matter because he doesnt know what it is to have one . . . (18.141)
- . . . nice invention they made for women for him to get all the pleasure but if someone gave them a touch of it themselves theyd know . . . (18.157)
- . . . drawers drawers the whole blessed time . . . (18.305)
- . . . better for him put it into me from behind . . . (18.417)
- . . . a weddingcake standing up miles off her head . . . (18.522)
- . . . curious the way its made 2 the same in case of twins theyre supposed to represent beauty . . . (18.539)
- . . . I knew more about men and life when I was 15 than theyll all know at 50 . . . (18.886)
- . . . your blouse is open too low . . . (18.1033)
- . . . usual monthly auction . . . (18.1109)
- . . . I could look at him all day long curly head . . . I often felt I wanted to kiss him all over also his lovely young cock . . . I wouldnt mind taking him in my mouth . . . (18.1349)
- . . . a woman wants to be embraced 20 times a day almost to make her look young no matter by who . . . (18.1407)
- . . . I saw he understood or felt what a woman is and I knew I could always get round him . . . (18.1578)
- . . . yes I said yes I will Yes. (18.1608)
(Episode.Line numbers in brackets above are according to the Critical Edition of Ulysses by H. W. Gabler, 1986)
2. Illustrations:
- Watercolours by Catherine Meyer
- Reproduction of the sketch of Bloom by James Joyce
- The video clip of Molly Bloom's soliloquy from Joseph Strick's 1967 movie, Ulysses
- The video clip of John Gielgud as the preacher in Joseph Strick's 1979 movie, A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man
- The video of John McDermott singing Thomas Moore's song, The Young May Moon
- The video of Maria Callas singing Ave Maria by Charles Gounod
- The video of Ella Fitzgerald singing H. Cannon's ragtime song, Bill Bailey, won't you please come home
- The novels that Mrs Stanhope gave Molly to read
- The 'dirty letters' that Joyce wrote to Nora
And much more!
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