Queen of Ithaca is a reimagining of The Odyssey from Penelope’s point of view, set in Ancient Greece, but told in modern English. It fills in gaps of the original epic by imagining Penelope as a woman with agency. The play takes place over the course of a single night, from Odysseus’ return home to his departure again the following morning.

After twenty years apart, Penelope doesn’t recognize Odysseus. Or does she? But she grants him an audience because after all he slew the suitors who were plotting to murder her son, Telemachus. When finally he reveals a secret about their bed that only Odysseus could know, their reunion is joyful and passionate. But the initial joy is brief as she insists that he account for his whereabout during his long absence. Eventually he tells her everything, from his misadventures with giants, to his affairs with goddesses, to the unfounded fear that kept him away: that she may have taken a lover. Yet none of his foibles dampen the longing she has carried for him, or her their love, and with everything on the table, she takes him to bed.
In the morning they luxuriate in each other, talk about their son, and imagine their family life together. Penelope reveals that the suitors had planned to kill Telemachus, and so they celebrate their demise. But as the sun rises, Penelope tells Odysseus he must leave again to escape the families of the suitors who will surely kill him once they discover the corpses of their loves ones. He tries to imagine another option until Penelope admits that the timing of his return just when she needed him was designed and carried out by her through a series of manipulations. Except she hoped he would find a peaceful way to send the suitors away. She’s nevertheless devastated when he leaves, but at least she will see her son live to take the crown, which was her priority all along.

Queen of Ithaca is the story of love and desire, cunning and power, and of a mother who will protect her son at any cost. The full-length, two-act play for two actors (1 female; 1 male) has no special costuming or technical requirements.