Recognition Scenes in the Odyssey While there are many sections in the Odyssey that fall under the category of “moments of recognition,” there seems to be a general structure to each scene. At first Odysseus tests the person’s loyalty by listening to them and determining whether they hold sympathetic views towards the suitors and whether they wanted him to return home. The next phase involves deception in which Odysseus tells a tale to conceal his true identity. This is followed by a scene in which he foreshadows that Odysseus will come back sometime in the future. The final section is the recognition in which Odysseus reveals his true identity to the people he encounters. While there seems to be a general structure, Homer purposely differentiates
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The key players in this scene in this particular moment of recognition appear to be Athena, Telemachus, and Odysseus. Firstly, Athena alters Odysseus’s figure by making him appear stronger and more attractive and cleaned his tunic in front of Telemachus and then exits the scene. Athena therefore removes Odysseus’s disguise as an old man so that Telemachus will notice his father and for pointing out the correct time to reveal his identity to Telemachus. Athena realizes that Odysseus cannot singlehandedly kill the suitors and retake control and thus prompts Odysseus to reveal his identity in order to enlist people to help him defeat the suitors. Moreover, Odysseus plays a crucial role in this recognition scene. When Telemachus says that the suppliant is a God sent to mock him, “resourceful” Odysseus uses his eloquent speech to reassure him that he should not doubt his father. Therefore, Odysseus, with Athena’s guidance, realizes that he must gain Telemachus’s trust and have him help in the father and son effort to exterminate the suitors and regain control of the kingdom. Moreover, an important part of this is that this scene marks the end of Telemachus’ “odyssey” because he finally returns home after leaving his home to reaffirm his own identity and relationship with his father. This recognition scene marks the end of Telemachus’ journey because he finally meets his father and achieves his long desired approval and acceptance from his
The key players in this scene in this particular moment of recognition appear to be Athena, Telemachus, and Odysseus. Firstly, Athena alters Odysseus’s figure by making him appear stronger and more attractive and cleaned his tunic in front of Telemachus and then exits the scene. Athena therefore removes Odysseus’s disguise as an old man so that Telemachus will notice his father and for pointing out the correct time to reveal his identity to Telemachus. Athena realizes that Odysseus cannot singlehandedly kill the suitors and retake control and thus prompts Odysseus to reveal his identity in order to enlist people to help him defeat the suitors. Moreover, Odysseus plays a crucial role in this recognition scene. When Telemachus says that the suppliant is a God sent to mock him, “resourceful” Odysseus uses his eloquent speech to reassure him that he should not doubt his father. Therefore, Odysseus, with Athena’s guidance, realizes that he must gain Telemachus’s trust and have him help in the father and son effort to exterminate the suitors and regain control of the kingdom. Moreover, an important part of this is that this scene marks the end of Telemachus’ “odyssey” because he finally returns home after leaving his home to reaffirm his own identity and relationship with his father. This recognition scene marks the end of Telemachus’ journey because he finally meets his father and achieves his long desired approval and acceptance from his