Homer depicts a woman who is very hopeful but careful. It is in Penelope's character to test the man one more time to be certain. No outsider would be likely to know the history of the couple's wedding bed, and that final piece of evidence convinces Penelope and liberates her at last. Odysseus demonstrates the wisdom of an understanding father as well as caution in his treatment of Telemachus. Rather than scolding the son for chiding his mother, Odysseus assures him that the parents will work things out.
Still a military strategist, Odysseus knows that the intruders belong to some of the most influential families in the area who will be bent on revenge. He, therefore, asks his son to create the illusion of a wedding feast in the great hall so that anyone passing by will think that one of the suitors has succeeded and not suspect that they have been slaughtered.
Giving Telemachus this assignment not only gives Odysseus time alone with Penelope, but it also demonstrates his faith in the maturing prince. A few responsibilities remain. Odysseus must visit his father, Laertes, who has suffered emotionally from his son's long absence; the families of the suitors will have to be dealt with to avoid civil war; and, sometime, Odysseus must fulfill the prophecy of Tiresias, spoken at the Land of the Dead: The king must walk inland, from a foreign shore, carrying a well-planed oar until he finds people who know nothing of the sea.
When someone mistakes the oar for a fan that winnows grain, Odysseus is to plant the oar and sacrifice a ram, a bull, and a wild boar to Poseidon. He can then return home, make offerings to the gods, and live out a peaceful life.
Athena helps Odysseus for several reasons. Lastly and perhaps most importantly, Athena has genuine respect and affection for Odysseus. By inviting Telemachus to the feast without knowing who he is, Nestor demonstrates the ancient Greek custom of hospitality known as xenia. Calypso allows Odysseus to leave her island because she understands that, despite Odysseus sleeping with her, his heart longs for his wife and home.
Odysseus refuses unless she meets his conditions: Circe must turn his men whom she earlier transformed into pigs back into humans, and she must promise never to use her magic to harm him. Once they strike a bargain, Odysseus sleeps with Circe. Odysseus and his men stay on her island for a year, and Odysseus only asks to leave when his men demand it. When Odysseus approaches Circe to ask for help returning home, she tells him that he must first travel to Hades to speak with the ghost of the blind prophet Tiresias.
Suitors fill his palace, and though Penelope seems to care only for her husband, Odysseus has experienced enough treachery along his journey to know that she could be covering up deceit. In Book 19, Penelope declares her intention to remarry.
This fact hints that Penelope, despite her words, may know that shooting the bow cleanly is a near impossible task, a detail that would allow her to avoid choosing a new husband after all. While Odysseus and Telemachus only have Eumaeus and a servant on their side, they also have a hidden weapon in Athena, disguised as Mentor, who joins them after the fight breaks out. How can you. Athena only physically engages in the battle once Odysseus and Telemachus have proven their worthiness by fighting with determination.
Ace your assignments with our guide to The Odyssey! SparkTeach Teacher's Handbook. Why does Telemachus go to Pylos and Sparta?
How does Odysseus escape Polyphemus? Why does Odysseus kill the suitors? Why do the suitors look down on Odysseus? How will Penelope decided who she will marry? By testing each man to see if they could string a bow and shoot an arrow through 12 axe handles.
Antinous is the first of the suitors to be killed. Drinking in the Great Hall, he is slain by an arrow to the throat shot by Odysseus.
Penelope has not seen her husband for many years. She tests Odysseus by ordering her servant Eurycleia to move their marriage bed. A swallow. What finally convinces Penelope that Odysseus is her husband?
He is able to describe in detail how he made the bed. What is the symbolic meaning of the connection between the olive tree and the marriage bed? The bridal bed of Penelope and Odysseus was a secret known only to them and one maid and it cannot be moved. Odysseus tells how he built their entire house around a great olive tree, the trunk of which formed the head of their bed. Now Penelope knows that this is truly her husband returned. The bed is a permanent piece of furniture, representing the stability of the marriage between Odysseus and Penelope.
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