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