OK I am getting a wily Penelope - the question someone threw in our pot was, why now the suitors -
Her only value in life is as a pawn - her feelings as I can read the various Marriage rituals and life for Women has as much to do with playing a game that is supporting her virtue and if there are boy children raising them as winners, god like in statue and courage.
The wealth seems to play into the arranged marriages - if Penelope were to go back to her father - even though that option is off the table - if she had her dowry would go with her - she is a favored daughter and would probably do well with the marriage he would arrange - if she were to go back to her father there would be less wealth than the combined wealth accumulated by Odysseus with her dowry. And so a suitor would want the whole pie.
Her value is not only showing evidence she is loyal and virtuous only to Odysseus but is raising his son to be worthy of his father's name and the inheritor of his father's wealth that includes her dowry. She must be aware that an out and out fight with the suitors would show her weakness. Her skill to hold them off is to hold them off till Telemachus is capable of fighting them away.
Any of the suitors wants to control Odysseus wealth and pass it down within his family which means he must have a child with Penelope and probably get rid of Telemachus.
Let's say Penelope was only 14 when she married Odysseus - there are the 3 years they had before the Trojan war and now this is the 16th year since he is gone - and so she is 33 years old - how much longer can she still bare a child? That is what I think the suitors are thinking - because without a child with Penelope they cannot trust that she would support them after marriage. They are assuming that a 'good' mother is loyal to her own child and that is the only way the suitors can assure themselves that Odysseus' wealth will be passed into their family by having a child with Penelope that splits her loyalty from Telemachus to their child.
I also see Penelope has goaded her son Telemachus into manhood - from everything I read she had no business in the men's quarters - here she set up her loom in the hall where the banquets and symposiums are held - and for sure to make a comment on the music which is in the domain of the symposium that includes a naked women playing the double-aulos while they drink lots of wine - She is setting it up to push Telemachus to show who is the man - she 'played' the men as long as she could to give Telemachus time to grow up - to keep him from thinking he is dependent upon her wily games with the suitors she given him the impression she cannot make up her mind. In that way he will be annoyed with her which gives him backbone since for so long he was dependent upon her as all children are for sustenance.
Fagles has her say, "She took to heart the clear good sense in what her son had said." then she "falls weeping while watchful Athena sealed her eyes with welcome sleep - while the suitors broke into uproar through the shadowed halls, all of them lifting prayers to lie beside her, share her bed."
Reading about marriage, the only reason the guys go to bed with a wife is to produce a child - most articles go on to explain the use of Call Girls and the young boys back in their bed chamber - And so, I am thinking that Penelope put on a great act of enlisting their desire for what she represents so that Telemachus could slip in and take command.
Just in time does Athena show up - but then if the gods are really the thoughts and conscience within each of us - or some outside force that is like luck - rather than talking acting gods - or maybe another dimension does exist and they control our luck - whatever it seems to me that Penelope started the ball rolling so that her son would do what must be done and as the old saying;
The moment you definitely commit yourself, then Providence also moves. All sorts of things occur to help that would never otherwise have occurred. A whole stream of events issues from the decision, raising in our favor all manner of unforeseen incidents and meetings and material assistance, which no one could have dreamed would come our way. Our dreams will be fulfilled only through action. Success will happen when we tell ourself there is no limit, that today we will surpass anything we did yesterday.
Well Athena sure was the Providence and Telemachus received all manner of unforeseen incidents, meetings, and material assistance. I would also suggest he received the support of men he had no idea were there waiting to support him as Halitherses read the meaning of the flying eagles.