Odysseus' Homecoming: Disguise and Revelation in The Odyssey

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In book 19 of the epic poem The Odyssey, by Homer, his specific use of language and epic conventions help develop the plot and establish the characters. In the passage, Odysseus has entered his home for the first time since his return when he left almost twenty years ago. Disguised as a beggar, Odysseus tells his own story (slightly changed) to his wife, Penelope, but never reveals his true identity. After Penelope is deeply moved by the knowledge that her husband is still alive, she offers the stranger a place to sleep and new clothing. Odysseus kindly declines and instead requests a bath to soothe himself. Odysseus asks that his old maid, Eurycleia, wash him because all of the other maids are loyal to the suitors so they hate and abuse him.

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