Odyssey Book 19
That evening, when the suitors have retired for the night, Ulysses and Telemachus gather all weapons and hide them so that the suitors will not have access to them later. He leaves only weapons for himself and his father.
Ulysses has an opportunity to speak with Penelope. He is still disguised as a beggar through Athena's magic, so Penelope is not aware of who the beggar is, even though the beggar does claim to know Ulysses. He claims to have known Ulysses many years ago, so Penelope questions him, to find out if this is true. The beggar provides remarkably accurate answers to her questions.
The palace nurse Eurycleia is instructed to bathe the feet of the beggar. As she is doing so, she recognizes a distinctive scar on the man, and realizes that her suspicions are correct: This is Ulysses. Ulysses insists on secrecy, forbidding her to speak of this to anyone.
Before the night is over, Penelope tells Ulysses of an odd dream she'd had, in which an eagle had swooped down and taken all 20 of her geese. The eagle then speaks, saying that he is her husband, and has just killed her lovers. Ulysses offers his interpretation. Penelope then announces her plan to hold a contest in which the victor will be awarded her hand in marriage. The requirement will be to string Ulysses' great bow and shoot an arrow through the lanyard holes of twelve axes set in a row. This is a feat only known to have ever been performed by Ulysses. However, it is unclear whether or not Penelope has recognized the guest/ beggar as Ulysses.
Analysis
Ulysses' identity is the focus of this book (chapter). Many scholars of Homer's work disagree upon how much Penelope already knows, at this point, regarding the identity of the beggar. Some insist that she is nearly certain of his true identity, and is merely "going along" with the plan, while others maintain her ignorance as genuine.
The evidence seems to suggest at least SOME awareness of his identity. She appears to ALMOST say to the palace nurse, "...wash your master's feet…" However, she stops short of uttering the words. Later, Penelope shares with the beggar a rather intimate dream that she has had, something that would typically not be shared with a relative stranger. Finally, Penelope announces her idea for a contest to select her husband. Notably, the criteria she chooses happens to be a feat for which Ulysses is the only known man able to accomplish.
The beggar repeatedly insists that Ulysses will return soon.
