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Penelope was the wife of Odysseus (or Ulysses); he was away from home for many years, fighting in the Trojan War and then getting lost on his way home. She was as good as she was beautiful, and her home was filled with men who wanted to marry her, and tried their best to persuade her that her husband was never coming home. She finally agreed that she would marry one of them, after she'd finished the big piece of needlework (weaving probably) that she was busy with. They agreed, and continued to eat her food, drink her wine and quarrel among themselves. And every day she worked hard at her loom ... but every night she silently unravelled it, so she was never going to finish. Happy Ending! Odysseus did come home, got rid of the suitors, and he and Penelope lived happily ever after. Get your tissues ready: when he left for the war, he didn't take his favourite dog with him. It waited, like Penelope, and slept outside on a rubbish dump. When its master came, the old dog got up and greeted him joyfully and then quietly died of old age and happiness.