The disguised king
The Phaeacians leave Odysseus asleep on the shore of Ithaca, and Athena disguises him as an old beggar. He goes first to Eumaeus’s hut, then to the palace, where he endures the suitors’ insults and observes the household. The disguise allows him to test loyalty and to plan.
The return is a process of recognition. Eumaeus does not know him, Telemachus learns the truth in Book XVI, Eurycleia recognises the scar in Book XIX, and Penelope tests him in Book XXIII. Each recognition is a stage in the restoration of the household.
The contest and the peace
Penelope sets the contest of the bow, and Odysseus strings it and shoots Antinous. With Telemachus, Eumaeus, and Philoetius, he kills the suitors. Penelope tests him by asking about their marriage bed, and his knowledge of its secret construction proves his identity.
The final book takes Odysseus to Laertes’ orchard and then to a battle with the suitors’ families. Athena stops the fighting and imposes peace. The return is complete, but the poem’s ending is fragile: the violence has been enormous, and the peace depends on a goddess’s command.
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The following entries mention “The Return of Odysseus”.