Grief (simile)
One simile in the narration is: "Waiting is the cruellest thing I have ever endured. Like bereavement, but with no certainty." The comparison being made here is between the long wait for Penelope's husband, Odysseus, to return home and the pain of bereavement, or the grief experienced when someone dies. The simile highlights the emotional toll that the wait has had on Penelope, as the pain of waiting is compared to the intense grief experienced when someone passes away. The simile also emphasizes the uncertainty of the situation, as Penelope has no assurance that Odysseus will ever return home.
Loyal Hounds (simile)
One simile used in the narrative is "The lions flicked their tails, as though begging to be scratched, and the wolves nuzzled at the men’s hands, like loyal hounds." This simile is used to compare the actions of the lions and wolves to that of loyal hounds. By comparing the animals to hounds, it suggests that they were behaving in a friendly and trusting manner toward the men, despite being scared of them. The simile also implies that the animals were desperate for help and understanding, and were trying to communicate this with their body language.
Weaving (metaphor)
The metaphor of weaving is used to represent the relationship between the gods. Aphrodite and Ares are "bound" together "tighter to another god's bed" by threads representing the invisible ties between them. Athene is able to "unravel the binding threads", freeing them both, and illustrating her ability to understand the intricate threads of the relationship between the gods. In addition, the metaphor of weaving is used to show the relationship between Eris and the other gods. She is excluded from the group and is made to feel like an outsider when she is present. Eris compares the feeling of exclusion to a "dark feather spiral dolefully from her wing to the ground". The feather is a metaphor for Eris herself, and the downward spiral of it represents her exclusion from the group.
Aphrodite’s Depth (simile)
An example of a simile is "Aphrodite had the depth of a puddle formed in a brief rain shower". This simile is used to emphasize Aphrodite's shallowness and reflects her lack of loyalty and commitment to her husband, Hephaestus. The simile compares Aphrodite's character to a shallow puddle that is formed quickly and then quickly disappears, implying that Aphrodite's love and attention to her husband are fleeting and insubstantial. It also suggests that Aphrodite is unable to offer any meaningful or lasting love, and is instead only interested in physical attraction and pursuing pleasure.
Fire (metaphor)
An example of a metaphor used in the passage is comparing Clytemnestra's watchmen to fire. The watchmen, who had been sent out from the city of Mycenae to look for news of Troy, signaled their return with beacons of fire on the tops of each mountain. This is a metaphor for a beacon of hope, as the watchmen's return signaled the news that Agamemnon was returning home. This metaphor also suggests Clytemnestra's fiery anger, as her watchmen's return signaled her opportunity for revenge. The metaphor of fire also suggests Clytemnestra's intensity and passion, as she is determined to find out the truth and avenge her daughter's death.
