Arete is the queen of the Phaeacians and the wife of Alcinous. She rules the island kingdom of Scheria alongside her husband and is presented in the Odyssey as an exceptionally respected and intelligent queen.
When the shipwrecked Odysseus reaches Scheria, the goddess Athena instructs him to appeal directly to Arete for protection. He follows that advice, and Arete helps ensure that he receives hospitality from the Phaeacians. Her influence is so great that the people honor her almost like a goddess.
Arete is also the mother of Nausicaa, the princess who discovers Odysseus on the shore, and of Laodamas. Readers sometimes confuse her with Penelope because both women are important queens in Odysseus's story, but Penelope is Odysseus's wife in Ithaca. Arete belongs to the Phaeacian royal family and helps bring Odysseus's long journey home to its final stage.