Penelope and Odysseus

Marriages consists of two lovers who never forget each other no matter how long it's been and no matter how much they’ve changed. They know things about each other that no one else does, sometimes they even have secret signs that only the other will recognize. This is the same case for Penelope and Odysseus in Homer’s The Odyssey; even though they have been apart for almost 20 years, and Odysseus is in disguise, Penelope still recognizes him. In their conversation, Odysseus drops clues that only Penelope would recognize and says things to make her suspicious causing her to realize that Odysseus finally came back.

If you saw someone 20 years ago, how good would you remember them? what they were wearing? how good they looked? Probably not so well. If someone actually manages to do so, that can raise some eyebrows. No one man gives that much attention to what another man was wearing to remember detail for detail after 20 years. During the conversation between Odysseus and Penelope, Penelope tests him by asking about what Odysseus wore. Then the beggar Odysseus replies with exactly what Odysseus wore. “he was wearing a heavy woolen cape, sea-purple, in double folds, with a golden brooch to clasp it, twin sheaths for the pins, on the face a work of art: a hound clenching a dappled fawn in its front paws, slashing it as it writhed. All marveled to see it, solid gold as it was, the hound slashing, throttling the fawn in its death-throes, hoofs flailing to break free.” (19.260-265). Odysseus is trying to send a message to Penelope, trying to tell her that its Odysseus. He does this by giving too much detail about what Odysseus wore trying to make penelope suspicious, trying to make her realize that no one but Odysseus himself would reme...

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...d if she would touch my feet.”(19.392-397). Their argument is invalid because she knows it's him but wants to make sure its him which is her reason for saying that. This shows that she does recognize odysseus but she says that because she just want to be sure that its him.

Odysseus does not want to suffer the same fate as agamemnon, so he dresses up as a beggar when he returns to Ithaca. Only a few people recognize him and one of them is his wife Penelope. During their conversation besides the fireplace, Odysseus tries to signal to Penelope that its him by making her suspecious with the things he says. The wise Penelope picks up these signals recognizing that the beggar is odysseus. She then keeps her mouth shut so that the suitors don’t find out that Odysseus returned. Their marriage bond kept them together and made them recognize each other even after 20 years.