Odysseus Moment Of Recognition Analysis

While there are many sections in the end of 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 and then foreshadows his return in the near future. After he realizes that the person remains loyal to him, he then reveals his true identity. While there seems to be a general structure, Homer purposely differentiates each “recognition” scene for each person for various reasons. The first scene of recognition …show more content…
Prior to beginning his attack on the suitors, Odysseus recruits his swine herder to aid in the plan to retake his kingdom. He first tests his loyalty by posing a hypothetical question and then, after determining that he is trustworthy friend, he shows him his scar to verify his identity. Odysseus is the key player in this moment of recognition because he instigates Eumaios’s recognition in order to get help in defeating the suitors. This scene is therefore crucial in a practical sense because Odysseus needs him to close the doors and tell the women in the house to continue their work when they hear screaming coming from the house. In essence, Odysseus needs as many faithful friends as possible, which is the primary reason for revealing his identity to …show more content…
While Odysseus controls the majority of the recognition scenes in a very predictable manner of testing loyalty, telling a tale of identity, and then revealing his true identity, the scene with Penelope is striking. By giving the power to the female character, Homer was ahead of his time and challenged female roles in the highly patriarchal society of ancient