Penelope promised to decide which one of the suitors to marry when she finished her death shroud for Laertes. But, she secretly unraveled the parts she weaved every night. This continued until one of her maids, who fell in love with one of the suitors, betrayed Penelope.
distraught
because she tells the suitors that when she finishes she'll pick a husband but at night she un-weaves it to give, really Odysseus more time to get back. Until an un-loyal slave tells the suitors of her doings, and they force her to finish it.
Penelope kept the suitors at bay for about four years. During this time, she cleverly delayed making a decision by weaving and then unraveling a shroud, claiming she would choose a husband when it was finished. This ruse allowed her to maintain hope for Odysseus's return while managing to keep the suitors at a distance. Ultimately, her cunning and loyalty helped her resist their advances until Odysseus returned.
Penelope tells the beggar (Odysseus in disguise) that at night she unravels a burial shroud she is making intended for Laertes every night in order to keep the would-be suitors at bay until her husband returns .
Odysseus asks the swineherd and cowherd to keep his identity a secret and help him plot against the suitors who are courting his wife Penelope.
Odysseus told Penelope to take the women and go to the upper chamber and do not talk to any man.
She told the suitors that when she was finished weaving a particular tapestry, she would marry one of them. She wove the tapesty by day and unravelled it by night, so that it was never completed.
In "The Odyssey," Penelope is pressured to remarry by the suitors who have taken over her home, believing Odysseus to be dead. They assert their claim to her hand due to his long absence and the uncertainty of his fate. Additionally, Telemachus, her son, faces societal expectations to ensure his family's legacy and may feel compelled to encourage her to remarry for practical reasons. Ultimately, Penelope's strong will and loyalty to Odysseus keep her from yielding to these pressures.
Penelope was a hero for many reasons: 1) She stayed loyal to her husband. 2) She managed to trick the suitors. 3) She questioned Odysseus till the end. She was cautious and proceeded carefully. 4) She managed to raise her son alone and keep her estate.
Penelope pretends to be weaving a burial cloak for Odysseus's father, Laertes. And she tells the men when she is done she will pick her new husband. But every night she would unravel part of it. She kept this up until one of the maids, who fell in love with a suitor, betrayed her.
She was waiting for Odysseus to come home because she knew he was alive and would soon come home to defend her honor. So she prolonged it. Sources: Homer's The Odyssey
Penelope's ostensible offer of marriage and her solicitation of gifts constitute a dolos with a double aim: to keep the suitors off guard and to reassure Odysseus of her loyalty, in the well-founded belief that he has today returned in the guise of the stranger.