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[206] εἵνεκα τῆς ἀρετῆς. Cp. Schol. H. M. Q. R. “ Ἀρίσταρχος λείπειν φησὶ τὸ ἄρθρον, ἵν᾽ 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. 133τῆς εὐνῆς” (sc. “Βρισηίδος”), ibid. 275; Il.19. 176; others take it to mean ‘this,’ i. e. ‘such’ excellence; cp. Il.11. 762Ἀχιλλεὺς

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 τοι ἐμὴν ἀρετὴν εἶδός τε δέμας τε
ὤλεσαν ἀθάνατοι”. Here “ἐριδαίνομεν” takes almost a future sense, as Od.24. 475 φύλοπιν αἰνὴν
τεύξείς, φιλότητα μετ᾽ ἀμφοτέροισι τίθησθα”; The general sense is, ‘we will vie with each other—the prize, her pre-eminent excellence.’

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