Before discussing Penelope’s gender representation, performance, and flexibility, gender has to be defined first with biological sex in mind. Sex is a biological truth, whereas gender is the cultural interpretation or signification of …show more content…
Get out of this house. Get out. GET OUT. GET OUT’” (Armitage 221). Here, she yells at all the suitors and demands that they get out. In other words, she is breaking her gender stereotype because the behaviors of the suitors have caused her to perform like a male. And yet, in actuality, the suitors do not listen to her and continue to stay at the palace. Even though Penelope acts male, the dominance her performance exerts is not enough to sway the suitors. It is hard for her to get the suitors to listen to her male performance because she is female. The physical boundaries of her sex is what makes Penelope’s wishes forgotten. This inconsideration towards women because of their sex is what prevents Penelope from becoming a strong female figure in The Odyssey. Women can change their gender all they want, but some people will not look past their physical appearances, as seen in Penelope’s