Penelope (as a sitcom) She winks at her son, tells her suitors she’s out of supplies for Laertes’ shroud and hitches a ride to Yarn Barn. She buys enough thread to weave shrouds for a family of four, claims she’ll choose a groom when she’s finished her obligation to her father in law. The trickery unravels in front of the hand maidens that night, suitors stamp out their cigarettes by the picket fence and demand her final answer. Just before commercial, she draws water from the well, recognizes an old king inside the shape of a beggar and throws the contest. The audience’s lust is as thick as blood, satisfied when the grooms and servant girls are all hanged.
many thanks to the BWW's Lea K. for reminding me about Penelope. Always loved this story.....
I love this story, too. Louise Gluck’s Meadowlands is one of my favorite collections…
“Yarn barn” made me laugh; the last line got me in an entirely different way. I love the line, “recognizes an old king inside the shape of a beggar.”