Odyssey+19

Chapter 19 - Eurycleia Recognizes Odysseus Marissa Egloff, Julia Paulk, Annie Cleary

**Summary:**
Telemachus and Odysseus remove the weapons when the suitors go to bed. Athene makes sure the room is lit so they can see. Telemachus tells Eurycleia that they are putting away the weapons so nothing will happen to them. After Telemachus goes to sleep, Odysseus meets up with Penelope who has come home to question her visitor. She knows that he supposedly met Odysseus, so she tests him by asking him to describe her husband. Odysseus describes himself so well that Penelope starts to cry. He tells her how he met Odysseus and how he came to Ithaca. He tells Penelope that Odysseus has had a long journey, but predicts he will be back shortly. Penelope offers him a bed, but he declines and he lets Eurcycleia wash his feet. While washing his feet, Eurycleia recognizes a scar on Odysseus's foot while boar-hunting with his grandfather. Eurcycleia is so excited to see Odysseus but he begs her to be quiet and she promises to keep is secret. Before Penelope goes to sleep, she tells Odysseus a dream she has had. In the dream an eagle swoops down and kills her twenty pet geese and then sits on her roof and in a human voice says he is her husband who has just killed all of her lovers. Odysseus explains her dream to her, but Penelope decides she is going to find a new husband. Penelope is going to marry the first man who can shoot an arrow through the holes of twelve axes in a line.

//(New World Encyclopedia')//

Major Themes:
**Hospitality:** Page 252, Penelope never questioned letting someone into her home, especially if he may have news of Odysseus

Page 255, As the disguised Odysseus tells the story of Odysseus coming into his home, he says that he took the Nobel Odysseus into his palace and made him warningly welcome.

Page 258, Penelope tells the maids to make a bed and blankets with glossy rugs for the disguised Odysseus

**Homeric Hero:** Page 250, The noble Odysseus stayed in the hall plotting for hours the destruction of the suitors. (The plan he ends up coming up with)

Page 252, It is described that Odysseus always gave money to the vagrants

Page 254, Odysseus cunningly comes up with a plan to get Penelope to hear of his ancestry.

Page 264, The disguised Odysseus expresses to Penelope that even if she has an Axe competition, that Odysseus will come back and win before any of them make it.

** Disguise :** Book 19: Odysseus

** Divine Intervention :** Page 250, Athene is helping Odysseus plot the destruction of the suitors

Page 255, Northerly Gale was stirred up by a hostile God

Page, 261, Athene distracted Penelope while Eurycleia bathed Odysseus

**Loyalty:** Page 252,(Penelope to Odysseus) Penelope is welcoming to the disguised Odysseus because she values the news he may have of Odysseus.

Page 257, (Disguised Odysseus to Penelope) The disguised Odysseus swears under oath that Odysseus will be home between the wanning of the old moon and the waxing of the new moon.

Page 261, (Eurycleia to Odysseus) She remember the scar and promised not to tell Penelope.

Locations Traveled or Mentioned:
//(http://renovadacentral.com/)//
 * Ithaca
 * Crete
 * Island of Dulichium
 * Zacynthus
 * Dodona

Study Guide Questions:
==== **How will Telemachus explain the hidden weapons to the suitors? -** Telemachus will tell them stories about smoke damaging the weapons and if the suitors begin to fight they will injure each other. ====

==== **How does Penelope test the beggar to see if he is telling the truth about Odysseus? - ** Penelope asks the beggar what kinds of clothes Odysseus was wearing and what he looked like. Also she asked the beggar to describe what the crew that he was traveling with. ====

==== **How does Eurycleia recognize Odysseus? - ** She recognizes her of Odysseus because of Odysseus looks, voice and his feet. Also she recognizes him because she knows about the scar that he has on his foot. ====