This article examines the intertextual relationship between the character Penelope in Güven Turan's novel Dalyan and Penelopeia in Homer's Odyssey. Both characters are constructed as symbols of waiting; however, as temporal and social contexts shift, the conceptual meaning of this motif undergoes transformation. In Homer’s epic narrative, Penelopeia is portrayed as a figure of hope, loyalty, and resilience who patiently awaits Odysseus’s return. Her waiting is not passive but follows an active trajectory. In Dalyan, Penelope is similarly engaged in waiting, yet she reflects the existential entrapment of the modern individual. According to Julia Kristeva’s theory of intertextuality, texts exist in constant interaction with previous texts, drawing from and transforming them. From this perspective, the character of Penelope engages in a dialogue not only with Homer’s Penelopeia but also with the broader literary and mythological tradition centered around themes of loyalty, waiting, and female representation. In this context, the intertextual link between Güven Turan’s Dalyan and Homer’s Odyssey reveals how the concepts of waiting and loyalty are reconstructed in literature and opens a discussion on the position of the "Penelope" figure in modern literature.

Güven Turan, Penelopeia, Odyssey, intertextuality