The Return

Penelope weaves a burial shroud for her dying father-in-law while telling the suitors she will not choose a new husband until it is finished. However, each night she secretly unravels what she has woven. This is a clever delaying tactic to resist the suitors' pressure without openly defiance, buying her time while waiting for Odysseus to return.

The shroud trick foreshadows Penelope's cleverness in later setting the impossible bow contest.

When Eurycleia, Odysseus' former nursemaid, bathes him, she notices a distinctive scar on his leg from an earlier hunting accident. This scar is a unique identifying mark that confirms his identity to her, though Odysseus urges her to keep his return secret.

This recognition scene mirrors the classic moment from Homer's epic where the scar reveals Odysseus' true identity.

Penelope announces that whichever suitor can string Odysseus' legendary bow and shoot an arrow through twelve axe heads will win her hand. This impossible challenge is designed to buy more time, as she knows none of the suitors possess Odysseus' strength and skill. Only Odysseus himself can complete this feat.

The test echoes Odysseus' earlier demonstration of prowess when he defeated a giant among the suitors.

After twenty years, Odysseus is physically and mentally transformed, scarred by war, aged, and disguised as a beggar. His own wife passes him by without recognition during their encounter. It is only later, when he reveals himself through action rather than words, that she begins to believe the truth.

The dog's recognition of Odysseus earlier hints that true loyalty transcends physical appearance.

Telemachus chooses to embark on his own voyage, seeking to understand his father's legacy and define his own identity apart from the turmoil of Ithaca. After witnessing the violent confrontation with the suitors and experiencing the complex reunion of his parents, he feels the need to forge his own path.

This mirrors Odysseus' own journey, suggesting the cycle of wandering and self-discovery continues.

Odysseus discovers that Penelope has been sleeping in a bed he crafted long ago, a bed he believed was hidden in a secret sanctuary. This bed, carved from the living olive tree, symbolizes their enduring bond and proves that Penelope has remained faithful, as only she would know its true location.

The bed represents the foundation of their marriage that has survived twenty years of separation.

The suitors have occupied his palace for years, consumed his wealth, threatened his son, and attempted to force his wife into marriage. They have also committed other atrocities including murder and assault. Odysseus reclaims his home through violent confrontation, supported by Telemachus, as this is the only way to restore order and protect his family.

The suitors' cruelty throughout the film, including their treatment of Telemachus and casting a stranded man back to sea, justifies their fate.

Twenty years of warfare and hardships have physically and psychologically scarred Odysseus. He returns as a shadow of his former self, weary, aged, and traumatized by the horrors he witnessed. His once-formidable presence is replaced by a broken man who must gradually reclaim his identity as a warrior and king.

His initial defeat of a giant among the suitors demonstrates that his warrior spirit remains despite his transformation.

When Eumaeus leads Odysseus into the palace, his old dog Argos is the first to recognize him after twenty years. This emotional moment demonstrates the loyalty and perceptiveness of animals, in contrast to the humans who fail to see through his disguise.

The dog's recognition contrasts sharply with Penelope's initial failure to identify her husband.

Throughout the film, Antinous has tormented Telemachus daily, treating him with contempt and threatening his position as heir to the throne. When the final battle with the suitors erupts, Telemachus chooses to kill Antinous despite his mother's pleas for mercy, acting on years of accumulated resentment and the need to secure his family's future.

Telemachus' resentment toward the suitors has been building since they first devalued and endangered him.