Miles Mcdonald and I have created a virtual tour dedicated to giving voice to the cunning women of ancient literature who are frequently overlooked in favor of their male counterparts. We have included a series of fictional interviews where the men of Odyssey, the book of Genesis, Livy, and Sunjata all interview their guileful female counterparts. Also included in the geographic tour are brief descriptions that provide a novel lens for viewing these strategic women.

Below, you can find the free writing for the transcripts of each interview. These interviews follow the form of the spoken conversation and may lie outside of some grammatical rules.

Interview with Penelope:
Odysseus (O): My beautiful wife Penelope, oh how happy I am to be with you again, how are you?
Penelope (P): My darling Odysseus, I waited years and years to be reunited. I am over the moon!
O: I have to ask, what pushed your ingenious plan with Laertes’ shroud?
P: Oh! What pushed me to weave and unweave the shroud? A love connection with you that has pulled at every one of my heart strings for decades. My heart was melting, I missed you so much. In my head, if I left the shroud unfinished, there was still a chance of your eventual homecoming.
O: What drew your inspiration? Was it the thoughts of mere mortals or were you blessed by the gods?
P: While I did not draw inspiration from mortal women, the gods did help me. They recommended the scheme. They told me to set my weaving in the hall, weaving the web during the day and unweaving it under the torchlight at night. I speculate if it was Athena who helped me. She was after all, very integral in ultimately reuniting myself with you.
O: It just so happens your husband was king of Ithaca. Would you have all done all of this had you not been as powerful? 
P: I will not lie to you, I played a submissive role as a woman in Ancient Greece. My words held little weight. The suitors ransacked the mansion and lived in it as though it was their own. I was pushed into action by the word of the gods, I do not know if I had the strength without them. All I had was the weave, it represented the little chance that I would see you again. Emotionally, it was very comforting on those long nights I cried myself to sleep…
O: Do you regret helping me? After all, I was gone for a significant amount of time, did you ever think you were falling out of love?
P: In no way do I regret my actions! My love for you was infinite. I fooled those idiot suitors for three years! Without that weave, they could’ve taken complete control over me and demanded a marriage, just as my parents had wanted.
O: Our massacre at the palace had the potentiality to ruin our relationship with the citizens of Ithaca. Would you have done anything differently?
P: The backlash did not matter. You and Telemachus handily dealt with those suitors with the help of the wise Athena. I cannot believe I slept through the whole battle! While you and Telemachus killed Ithaca's young, there were no consequences. Athena stopped the angry parents in their tracks on route to Laertes’ house. All that is important is peace was restored.
O: It must have been tough trying to defend the mansion against those rapacious suitors, did your gender role in society hamper you?
P: Like I said earlier, women in my time were very submissive. I had to let the suitors run freely in my home. I stayed up in my chambers and cried myself to sleep, as it felt there was little to do besides elongate the timeline for Laertes’ weave and pray for your return.
O: In the end, who were you trying to help? You, me, or our family as a whole?
P: My family as a whole, and it was most definitely the right decision. It bought me three years with those darn suitors. I helped my immediate family, which is everything I could have asked for.
O: The maids in the house, did they help you at all? Were the gods your only protector?
P: I believe that the goddess Athena inspired my little plan, I know there was some divine strategy in play. My maids were completely dishonorable. Some did help me unravel Laertes’ weave. However, others like…Melantho, Oh! Despite all the gifts I gave her, she blindsided me and disregarded our friendship. Those who were loyal were integral in helping me hold off the suitors for three years, and I do not know if I could have lasted without their support.
O: It is so good to talk to you again my Penelope. There shall be no reason for you to sleep alone ever again!
P: That is music to my ears!

Interview with Eve:
Adam (A): Hello Eve, how are you?
Eve (E): Hello my love, I am doing quite well, and yourself?
A: I am as well as I can be. To begin, I am so curious as to where you even came up with your crazy idea in the first place? Aside from that evil snake trying to tempt you with his venomous words.
E: Oh Adam, you and I both know there wasn’t anyone else besides the snake. The Lord God never spoke directly to me, and unlike modern women, I didn’t have any inspirational female role models. I was the first woman made from your rib bone after all.
A: Okay, but still why did you do it? Why didn’t you avoid the tree like I told you in the first place? And why did you give me some of the fruit?
E: Well first of all, you told me that if I touched the tree I would die. Obviously, that was a lie, and now I find out that that was just something you made up. The Lord God never told you not to touch the tree, he declared “but of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, for in the day that you eat of it you shall die” (Genesis 2:17). Anyway, the snake told me that I could touch the tree and eat the fruit from it and not die. The snake said that eating the fruit would open my eyes, and I would be like the Lord God, knowing both good and evil. After hearing these two different stories from you and the snake, I decided that I had to find out for myself. So I chose to touch the tree of life, then eat the apple, and give some to you so your eyes would be opened as well.
A: Don’t you regret any of it at all? The Lord God punished us both for your silly and careless actions.
E: I do not regret any of it, I just wish that other people saw it differently. I wasn’t trying to do anything evil, I just knew that someone was deceiving me. So I went on a search for truth and unfortunately, the major backlash is that I am blamed for the original sin and for causing you to sin.
E: And yes, while I do not regret my actions, I do wish the Lord God had not punished women with the toil of endless pregnancies and men with the endless toil of food production. Most of all, I regret that He declared man’s rule over women.
A: Well, at the very least I am glad to hear your side of the story, and I am sorry I deceived you. While I may never truly trust you, I cannot stay angry with you forever. You were made for me after all
E: That is true my love, I am sorry for the harm I caused you. Goodbye Adam.

Interview with Rebekah:
Isaac (I): Hello Rebekah, my wife.
Rebekah (R): Hello Isaac, how are you my love?
I: Why did you do it? Why did you go behind my back and trick me into blessing Jacob?
R: Oh come now Isaac you already know, The Lord came to me, He spoke directly to me declaring that “the elder shall serve the younger,” (Genesis 25:23) instructing me that I must make sure that my younger son comes out on top and receives your blessing.
I: But I provided you all with everything, I was the perfect husband and head of the household. Where did it all go wrong?
R: Well, as you know, you always favored Esau, probably because you thought he was cut from the same stone as yourself; a manly man who liked to hunt. So I became Jacobs' protector. He was an intelligent and quiet kid, always staying in the tents. I could tell he saw a world outside brute strength and hunting
R: But anyway, what really guided my actions was my devotion to the Lord. I knew I had to do as He said, so when I overheard you telling Esau that you would give him your blessing after he went hunting, I told Jacob to get two kids from the flock. I whipped up some savory food, just the way you like, put the skins of the kids on his hands and neck, and gave him some of Esaus’ clothes to wear. I did this because by then, I knew you were completely blind so I had to trick your sense of smell and touch. Then I gave Jacob the food and told him to go get your blessing. And that was it, you were tricked, and you blessed Jacob in front of the Lord. It wasn’t until Esau came back that you found out what we had done, but by then it was too late.
I: Do you have any regrets about deceiving me? I was supposed to be the man, the leader. And you my wife, you were supposed to be my constant supporter. How could you?
R: I know that, but I knew that I had to do it because it was the Lord’s will. But also, it was a little exciting to prove that I was more than just a wife who can cook and clean. I raised the boys, and kept the house and our family going. Just because you didn’t notice everything I did doesn’t mean I’m not capable and smart. In fact, I was strategic enough to come up with a plan that tricked you.
I: Oh, so then this was all about some confused idea so that you could prove yourself to be on my level. Me, the son of Abraham?
R: Oh no, it wasn’t really about you and me, it was all for Jacob. You always overlooked him because he was more gentle than Esau, but he is smart and more deserving of your blessing.
I: Well, I guess that is all the time we have. As much as I am hurt and betrayed by your actions, I will always love you.
R: Goodbye Isaac.

Interview with Tullia:
Arrun Tarquinius (A): Hello Tullia.
Tullia (T): Ughh, hello Arrun.
A: Let us try to set aside any awkwardness and get to it. Why did you do it? Was it something I did or were you always this cruel and ambitious. Was I too blinded by love to see it?
T: Early on I realized that if I ever wanted to do anything in life, I would always have to remain in the shadow of my husband. So anyway, I was always ambitious and when I married you, no offense, I quickly realized you were never going anywhere in life, even though you were gifted by being born a man. So I did what I had to do. I convinced your brother, Tarquinius, to kill his wife, my sister, and then I got you killed. That left Tarquinius and I free to get married. Now I had thought Tarqiunius was more on my level, you know, more willing to do what had to be done for power, but I soon learned that he too would need some prodding.
T: All you men don’t understand the power you hold in our society, if I could have ruled Rome by myself I would. But alas, I had to settle for pushing Tarquinius to attack my father’s claim to the throne. I was the one who convinced him to use his money to gain support from the younger citizens and the junior members of the senate. And then, as you know, there things escalated from there. Tarquinius marched into the forum, sat on the king’s throne, Servius was killed, and yes...I drove over his dead body on the Street of Sin.
A: Do you regret any of it? Any of it at all?
T: I guess I regret some of the violence, but I also knew that to be an ambitious woman of my time, you had to be a little ruthless.
A: But please, tell me, how did you decide to do what you did? Did you have any outside influence guiding your actions?
T: In terms of guidance, I would have to say I learned the usefulness of violence from looking at our history; Rome’s history drips with blood. But, in terms of female role models, I guess I would have to say Queen Tanaquil. She was always a little crafty, not nearly on my level, but after her husband died she did keep it a secret and helped Servius take power. 
A: All right, final question. Would you do anything differently? Looking back, do you see any path to avoid all of the violence?
T: I don’t think that I would do much of anything differently, except I would skip you and go straight to marrying Tarquinius. I will concede that having the carriage drive over my father was a little gross and extreme, but my powerless position drove me to rage. I didn’t have any real political power compared to the men in my life -- even men like you.
A: Well, I’m sorry that you felt this way and I am sorry that we never truly saw eye to eye. But, thank you for your time Tullia.
T: No. Thank you, because now my story will be shared. Sure, I can admit that I can go a little off the rails sometimes, but it was my situation and the male dominated society that pushed me into doing those wicked acts.

Interview with Nene Faamaga
Sunjata (S): My dearest sister Nene, how are you?
Nene (N): I am doing spectacular! My brother is the king of the Mali Empire, what more can I ask for?
S: Why did you help me? Did destiny and fate play a role?
N: I had a desire for you to rule Manding. With the absence of our mother, father, and any sort of family, I felt it was my duty as your sister to do everything within my power to help you reign. And my brother, the destiny was clear. Your fate was the throne. Nobody was getting in the way of that, I made sure of it.
S: Did any women of the past inspire your cunning actions? Did our devout understanding of the Quran benefit you?
N: Yes, as a Muslim women, I am devout in my readings and understanding of the Quran. I was inspired by Zulaykha, who used guile and wit in an attempt to seduce Joseph. Ultimately, Zulaykha’s efforts failed, landing Joseph in jail. However, her efforts showed that women have a cunning ability to use their sexuality to obtain what they are coveting. I thought I could learn from her mistakes, and try myself (Sura 12).
S: Why me? Why try so greatly for a child struck with such physical abnormalities?
N: You had a tumultuous childhood, I know that. You were called “deformed and shapeless” by our own mother. She also felt some abuse, often heckled when pregnant, even asked if her deformed stomach was due to “illness or poison?” It was so offensive. Even though you could not walk until twelve, I felt it was my duty as an older sibling to protect you and guide you towards your destiny.
S: Do you regret helping me? 
P: In no ways do I regret the action of killing Susu Sumanguru, my duplicitous actions confirmed my brother’s spot as the most powerful man in Africa.
N: Was there any backlash? Would you have done anything differently?
P: There was no backlash, as you fulfilled your destiny as King of Manding. No groups contested the decision. I would not have done anything differently.
S: How did women’s role in society prevent or push you into such an action?
N: Women have a proud role in Islamic society. I was universally respected by all the citizens of Manding, no men made any sort of comment that I was “out of place” or “out of line” simply because of my gender. However, my role as a desirable woman in society did push me into ultimately helping you. I knew my cunning nature and desirable sexuality would blind the brazen Susu Sumanguru. It was almost too easy to find out his deepest secrets.
N: My mother’s dedication in raising you inspired me to take over her role as a caretaker when she went absent. The social abuse she took while pregnant, with some claiming her abdomen was swollen, or that her stomach was filled with worms, set a fire underneath me to prove them wrong. Watching how Susu Sumanguru and other men in power constantly dismiss her inspired me even more.
S: It was nice talking to you Nene, I look forward to dinner at the palace tonight!
N: You as well, bye! 

Willow Goff (Co-author): Hello, I am a sophomore at Colgate University with an intended major of Molecular Biology and minor in Chemistry. Outside of the sciences, I also enjoy the arts and enjoy community service. I hope to blend my interests to promote self-growth throughout my liberal arts education.

Miles Mcdonald (Co-author):  Hello! I am a current sophomore at Colgate University in Hamilton, NY. My intended major is Political science. I am originally from Westport, CT.