| Summary: | In the Renaissance interpretations of her story in the Odyssey, Penelope is constructed as an exemplar of wifely virtue. Those of her qualities meant to be imitated, such as chastity and loyalty, are also promoted in conduct books aimed at a female readership. Although several English playwrights exploit Penelope’s exemplarity to the full, the study of the English dramatic corpus between 1558 and 1642 shows that the treatment of this character is far from being monolithic, as the exemplar is also used irreverently. Sometimes Penelope loses her status as a “mirror of feminine perfection” as a result of alternative constructions which doubt, or even entirely turn upside down, her reputation as a chaste spouse, while yet other plays elaborate a more subtle, but probably more profound, form of subversion by challenging the validity of the virtuous Penelope as a guide for present action.
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