Melantho of the Pretty Cheeks is one of the Twelve Maids and a particular favorite of Penelope’s. She often has a speaking role in the Maids’ poems, plays, and songs. When Penelope told the Maids to insult her and her family to gain the Suitors’ trust, Melantho threw herself into the role whole-heartedly.
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Melantho of the Pretty Cheeks Character Timeline in The Penelopiad
The timeline below shows where the character Melantho of the Pretty Cheeks appears in The Penelopiad. The colored dots and icons indicate which themes are associated with that appearance.
Chapter 8: The Chorus Line: If I Was A Princess, A Popular Tune
...danger, and saying hope will keep them afloat. The Maids then curtsy and one maid, Melantho of the Pretty Cheeks , passes her hat around and thanks the audience.
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Chapter 12: Waiting
...from these affairs, Penelope would raise it herself. Among the slave children she raised was Melantho of the Pretty Cheeks .
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Chapter 15: The Shroud
...helped her for three years to undo her weaving at night. One of the maids, Melantho of the Pretty Cheeks , would bring in snacks to eat while they worked, and they would tell stories...
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Chapter 19: Yelp of Joy
...so they continued to unwittingly insult the family to the Suitors in front of him. Melantho of the Pretty Cheeks was especially harsh. Penelope decided to tell Odysseus that the women had been acting at...
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Chapter 21: The Chorus Line: The Perils of Penelope, A Drama
This chapter, from the Maids’ perspective, is formatted as a script for a play. Melantho of the Pretty Cheeks speaks the prologue, opening by saying that there is “another story” in which Penelope was...
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Chapter 23: Odysseus and Telemachus Snuff the Maids
...and Eurycleia told him he killed the twelve Maids who had been especially rude, including Melantho of the Pretty Cheeks . Eurycleia calls them “notorious whores.”
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