[206] εἵνεκα τῆς ἀρετῆς. Cp. Schol. H. M. Q. R. “ὁ Ἀρίσταρχος λείπειν φησὶ τὸ ἄρθρον, ἵν᾽ ᾖ εἵνεκα τῆς ταύτης ἀρετῆς: Ἰακὸν δὲ τὸ ἔθος εἶναι. Ἀριστοφάνης δὲ ὑπώπτευε τὸν στίχον, νεωτερικὸν λέγων ὄνομα τὸ τῆς ἀρετῆς. πιθανὸν δὲ συναθετεῖν αὐτῷ καὶ τὸν πρὸ αὐτοῦ καὶ τὸν μετ᾽ αὐτόν”. Accordingly commentators are divided; some explain “τῆς” as=“Πηνελοπείης”, comparing Il.9. 133“τῆς εὐνῆς” (sc. “Βρισηίδος”), ibid. 275; Il.19. 176; others take it to mean ‘this,’ i. e. ‘such’ excellence; cp. Il.11. 762“Ἀχιλλεὺς”
“οἶος τῆς” (al. “ἧς”) “ἀρετῆς ἀπονήσεται”. See Monro, H. G. § 261. Penelope describes or alludes to her “ἀρετή” (which is not used here with a moral significance) in Od.18. 251“ἦ τοι ἐμὴν ἀρετὴν εἶδός τε δέμας τε”“ὤλεσαν ἀθάνατοι”. Here “ἐριδαίνομεν” takes almost a future sense, as Od.24. 475“ἢ φύλοπιν αἰνὴν”
“τεύξείς, ἦ φιλότητα μετ᾽ ἀμφοτέροισι τίθησθα”; The general sense is, ‘we will vie with each other—the prize, her pre-eminent excellence.’