I am almost sure that this was the shortest chapter in the book. In it, Odysseus and Telemachus wrap up the slaughter of the impolite suitors and Odysseus is finally welcomed into his own home. In what one would expect to be a heart warming reunion, Penelope is quite cold to Odysseus, his nurse, Eurycleia, and Telemachus as she believes in her heart that it is still impossible for him to have returned. Penelope appears to be excessively stubborn when it comes to hearing news of her husband. However, things take a turn when Penelope slyly comments on having some one move their wedding bed to a more suitable place, "move the sturdy bedstead out of our bridal chamber-", a test to see if it was the true Odysseus, for only he would know that their bed was the ultimate wood bed, carved out of a tree, and still planted in the ground as they built around it. By trying to pull a fast on the unsuspecting Odysseus, Penelope not only manages to prove she is quick thinker, she angers Odysseus. He views it as a slap to the face of Odysseus implying that he would not know the most private details of their relationship, but if Penelope had thought further she might have realized that it would anger him, proving she is not the wittier one. In order to protect herself and cover up for her mishap, she begs mercy from exclaiming about how she is so happy to see him and how the gods' plans stressed her out. Ultimately, in the end the two become reacquainted in that marriagey way. However, this chapter did bring up the importance of trust and openness in a relationship. If you think about it, any sort of inside joke or connection you have with only a specific group or person strengthens your bond .
Guiding Question: If you were stuck in a situation were you trying to identify a stranger, would you be as cautious and cunning as Penelope? What would you do if the stranger knew your most personal secrets?
Once again in this book Homer refers back to the history of a specific object, in this case, Odysseus's wooden bed. While the history of the bed is intriguing, it isn't used to add some flavor to the situation, like the history of Odysseus's bow a few chapters before. The history of his bed is used in order to show the deep relationship it symbolizes between husband and wife. It adds a sense intimacy with the characters, letting the audience know about how much Penelope mattered to Odysseus.
Along with his use of history, Homer uses irony, but not of the dramatic sort. In order to spice up the story, Penelope uses wit to make sure she protects herself from a rouse. The ironic thing is that she attempts to out wit the most cunning man in Greek mythology.
The translator's notes were incredibly valuable in this section as the non existent entries explained everything. :D
Guiding Question: Throughout the Odyssey, histories have been the main source of description of objects and people. Is that the same in today's society? Is it possible to understand anything past or present with out knowing its history?
This chapter revolved around the reunion of Odysseus and Penelope and the return of the palace to the rightful order of things. As for themes, Penelope's trick reminded me of every movie that involves a sense of identity. There is always that moment when the person is tested to see if though who they really are. First example that came to mind was the opening scene of Inception, where Leonard DiCaprio is being tested about how he knows that the person's dream is under attack, Leonardo answers wrong, and the whole world collapses. While I don't believe that the world would just spontaneously combust in the Odyssey, I do believe that it would not be the story it is if Odysseus failed to convince Penelope that he was her husband.
Similarly, I found me listening to Rimsky-Korsakov's Scheherezade while writing. The symphony is based of the story 1001 Nights, a story were a young girl, Scheherezade, wins the king over by telling him enticing stories, always stopping halfway through to get him absorbed in the story, and craving to hear the end of it. In the end, they fall in love due to the shared nights together. It reminds me of the Odyssey in the fact that Scheherezade won her man over in a cunning fashion. However instead of testing the bond, she created the bond. BUT, in both cases, the couples had a shared history that drew them together and instilled the king with enough trust in Scheherezade to make her queen much like answering the question gave Penelope enough faith in Odysseus to let him reclaim his throne.
Guiding Question: Do you believe the use of Penelope's suspiciousness is a reflection on human behavior? Can you have blind trust in human society, or must you have a background?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ajnnCN_tFp0
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Scheherezade
