The Odyssey - Book 16 - Father and Son

• Revelation

• Homer has devised such a clever and moving series of incidents that lead up to the revelation of Odysseus's identity.
  • First, the coming of Telemachus is signaled by the dogs—not their barking—but by nuzzling and the sound of footsteps.
  • Then, since Odysseus is in disguise, he does not greet his son, but the emotional meeting is done in proxy by Eumaeus. What a touchingly ironic greeting Homer presents in which Eumaeus greets Telemachus like a father as the true father must look on. (line 20)
  • Then Odysseus, still in disguise, rises to offer his seat to his son who is his superior, and his son, deferential to the beggar's age, allows his father to keep his seat.
  • Examine and comment on the sophisticated and clever story-telling techniques employed by Homer here:
    • the comparisons and contrasts of father Odysseus, disguised father Odysseus, surrogate father Eumaeus, and son Telemachus
    • the similar and different ways Telemachus and Odysseus act and react
    • the oblique ways (rather than straight on direct ways) we get to learn about Odysseus [Discuss Ody Bk16 Q01]

• But we see the contrast of father and son in their attitudes toward the suitors. Telemachus fears to bring the beggar to his house because of the potential reaction of the suitors. Odysseus, of course, is always willing to confront: "I'd rather die, cut down in my own house than have to look on at their outrage day by day." We see that Odysseus has work to do in instructing his son.
• When you do the math, it's 108 to 2. But read over the section from when Odysseus reveals his identity to Telemachus through to 355 and reflect on what the pair of them together are like. Often fathers and sons can't work together. Is that the case here? How equal is their plotting and planning to get the suitors? Do they see each other as an equal? [Discuss Ody Bk16 Q02]

• The Suitors' Plots.

• Their first plan failed. They had thought they could ambush and kill Telemachus on his way back from Pylos, but that didn't work.
• Their plots are out in the open now. Even Queen Penelope has overheard them. Does she realize her leading suitor, Eurymachus, is lying to her when he says: "to me your son is the dearest man alive, and I urge the boy to have no fear of death, not from the suitors at least. What comes from the gods—there's no escaping that." (493-496)