The first two books of the Odyssey are concerned with the lives of Penelope and Telemachus almost twenty years after Odysseus leaves home. By the laws of their culture, when a man dies his wife must choose a new husband from any suitors that court her. Penelope, a beautiful and intelligent woman, has many suitors who have now invaded she and her son's home even though there is no proof that Odysseus is dead. Although she does not refuse them outright, Penelope remains a faithful and good wife to Odysseus by tricking the suitors and delaying marriage whilst she waits for his return or proof that he is dead.
Throughout these first two books Odysseus is revered as being the perfect man by many of the villagers and his son. They constantly refer to him as reverent, an amazing warrior and even a good father. For instance, Mentor, whom Odysseus entrusted his household to when he went off to war in Troy, declares "Think: not one of the people whom he ruled / remembers Odysseus now, that godlike man, / and kindly as a father to his children!" In the same way, I believe the author is trying to portray Penelope as being what he sees as the perfect woman: loyal to her husband and beautiful, yet cunning and independent when the time comes. One of the suitors even compares her to the mythological queens of old, claiming that "Not one could equal Penelope for intrigue-.
Despite Penelope's complete devotion to her husband and constant portents of their demise, the suitors continue to plague the house of Odysseus, gorging on his food and depleting his stores. When Telemachus confronts them about it, one of them says " we will devour your worldly goods and wealth / as long as she holds out, holds to that course / the gods have charted deep inside her heart," after claiming that it is her fault for not choosing a suitor already. The complication here is that Penelope, who is most likely as good a citizen as she is a wife, would probably indulge the law if she had proof that her husband was dead, or if he had died in Ithaca at a different time.