Read, reblog, and resonate!
(Angst under the cut)
So I was rewatching some clips from Bridgerton (specifically Queen Charlotte) and it made me think about Odysseus and Penelope Growing old. Odysseus’ mind escaping him in his old age. At first it’s just a few moments Penelope notices he’s not entirely there, but as he grows closer to the end, his moments of lucidity are few and far between. He has confabulations of his past, of men in his palace when there are none. Penelope and Telemachus try their best to help him, but rumors quickly spread of the mad king.
One particular instance that seals this suspicion is when Ody mistakes Telemachus for one of Penelope’s old suitors and absolutely flys off the handles. Luckily Telemachus is a strong enough man he can hold his own against his aging father, but it shakes him up. It’s the first time his own father didn’t recognize him.
Though, as his condition progresses, his wife and son learn better how to adjust. For example Pen will sometimes hand Odysseus a baby doll (a trick used on irl dementia patients btw) and tell him to take care of Telemachus for a while, this helps calm the man down temporarily.