Chapter The Odyssey and Narrative Technique of The Odyssey - Study Guide by Homer

tales in their various ways - none of them are superfluous, as the analysts might claim. Furthermore, the motif of the numerous recognitions of Odysseus by various characters is matched by his wife being in the dark about his identity until the last possible moment, allowing the audience to savour the 'romantic' denouement all the more through the dramatic irony of these scenes. The pace of this half is much slower than the first twelve books, partly to develop the characters of the three leading figures, Odysseus, Penelope and Telemachus, and even of the suitors, and partly to create this feeling of suspense.