After finishing The Odyssey I can officially say that Odysseus and Penelope are probably one of my favorite couples in literature. They have such a bond that only they can comprehend, which Penelope points out in Book twenty-three.
"...But if he truly is Odysseus, and he has come home, then we shall find other ways, and better, to recognize each other, for we have signs that we know of between the two of us only, but they are secret from others."
When Telemachos and Eurklyeia scold Penelope for not believing that it is actually Odysseus right on the spot, all Odysseus does is smile because he knows his wife. An example of this is when Penelope reveals in thought that it is hard for her to figure out if it is Odysseus because of the foul clothes that he wears. Shortly after Odysseus is telling Telemachos to let his mother examine him because it is hard for her to picture him as her husband with him being in dirty foul clothing. It just blows my mind how strong of a bond they still have and it's been twenty years since they last saw or spoke to each other.
What better way is there to figure out if it is crafty Odysseus than by tricking him into revealing himself, which only Penelope is able to accomplish? This just declares that Penelope and Odysseus were made for each other! Shortly after, the long awaited embrace occurs and Homer brilliantly compares it to a man "escaping evil" by finally meeting shore after being beaten by the waves of Poseidon. Homers pure poetry in this comparison of their embrace simply made my heart melt. It was also an embrace that lasted so long that even Athena delayed dawn for them! This is a couple that even the gods love, a couple that I love, and a couple that truly stood the test of time!
p.s. commented on Lauren Tidwell's The Doubting Achaians
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