Using context clues, I can infer this is a photo of Penelope, Odysseus, and Telemachus before Odysseus’ long journey. Penelope as a wife is considered loyal, hopeful, and passionate. During Odysseus’ time away, Penelope stayed loyal to her marriage with him while the suitors invaded their kingdom. This is where her leadership came to play. As the singular parent present to Telemachus, Penelope had to step up and be a role model for him. Although this image was way before her time of a leadership role, it still displays how much even Telemachus looked up to her in general just by the way he is viewing her in the image. The radiant and vibrant colors give me reason to believe this was before Odysseus’ travels because this photo compared to others I’ve researched is more bright and colorful other than dark and dull. It also shows a time of elegance and softness, whereas compared to other photos I have seen during Odysseus’ journey, they are more aggressive, loud, busy, and overall more overwhelming. This photo shows a time of peace, calmness, and harmony. 

In Emily WIlson’s interview with The New Yorker, she proclaims that Penelope is canny, strong-willed, and has grit, as well as how she keeps a big and complex household running for two decades. This alone shows how much of a leader Penelope really is. It’s almost assumed that it’s really only Telemachus stepping up after Odysseus’ left, but as a mother, Penelope had to stand up for both herself and for her son too. Her way of being a leader is shown through acts of defense and her willingness to stay strong for Odysseus, whereas for him his leadership impact comes from being brave in battles and wars. As for example, Emily Wilson also speaks on how Odysseus has many more choices and identities throughout his lifetime over Penelope, in which Odysseus being away has opportunities to reinvent himself and to be different around others. Penelope on the other hand, only has one, and that is her marital status to committing to Odysseus while he is away. Wilson continues by saying Penelope can either fold and marry a suitor, or stay strong and faithful to Odysseus for the next twenty years he is away. While Odysseus and Telemachus have more of a physical and assertive definition of their own kind of leadership, Penelope has a leadership trait of her own that is overlooked upon. Nobody really fathoms how difficult of a time it was for a wife to be away from her husband for twenty years, not to mention that she never really knew when he would return home. The suitors taking over put Penelope in a position where her strength to not cave in was tested, in which turning them away is one of many reasons she carries leadership. 

Overall, this image alone shows how riveting their time was before Odysseus’ departure, and how happy and fulfilling it was. The bold and saturated colors speak volumes on how much more restful Odysseus, Penelope, and Telemachus were as a family before