Re: The Disguised Returning Master

[Raian Huq]

The Disguised Returning Master

Raian Huq

“…‘Take our unfortunate visitor to the city and let him beg there for
his meals. Anyone who wants to will give him a crust and a cup of
water. I myself cannot possibly look after all and sundry: I have too
many troubles on my mind. And if he is annoyed by this, so much the
worse for him. I believe in plain speaking.’
‘Friend,’ the quick-witted Odysseus here put in, ‘I myself have no
wish to be left behind. A town is a better place than the country for
a man to beg for food; people who want to will give to me. I am
unsuited by my age to live on a farm at a master’s beck and call. So
go on you way; and presently this man will bring me along as you have
told him to, when I have warmed myself at the fire and the sun gets
hot. For these clothes of mine are terribly thin and I am afraid the
morning frost might be too much for me.”
(Book XVII, Lines 10-24)

Here it evidently seems that Telemachus can not recognize his own
father. Telemachus quickly dismisses the begging Odysseus, and orders
his swineherd to show him the way to the town, where he can beg for
his living. Telemachus then even states that if this beggar is annoyed
by what he offers, than so be it, because Telemachus believes in
fairness, and anything more for this beggar would be unfair to the
beggars in society. These terms are already quite harsh for an old
beggar who comes from a far land, and is more severe for Odysseus, who
was once the king of the land he presently lays foot on. This is the
return of the disguised master. The phrase “the return of the
disguised master” is quite ironic because usually the return of a
master of any sort should have nothing to do with concealment. The
return of any master should be well greeted and celebrated, but this
case proves the opposite. This is mainly due to the lengthy time that
the master Odysseus has been absent. Time tends to degrade memories of
lost things, and this is the case for the people of Ithaca. Odysseus
is lost in the minds of most people, and if he were to come back and
claim his land directly and openly like most heroes would prefer to
do, the suitors who are leeching out his property would simply kill
him. Therefore, concealment being the only option for our protagonist,
Athena disguises Odysseus to make sure no one would even hint that
this man was the long lost hero. Even if this beggar were to claim
himself Odysseus, no one, not even his own wife would believe him and
this is because it is a mystic disguise of a goddess. It is not only
Athena’s disguise that covers him. Within the twenty years, Odysseus
had physically changed a great deal, and that is what causes him to be
declared as a disguised returning master. Odysseus’ himself accepts
what he is, and this is proven by the next few phrases in the quote,
where Odysseus agrees to follow Telemachus’ swineherd into town, where
he will beg for survival. It is not Odysseus’ intention to return as a
disguised master. He wants to step foot on his land and raise his hand
and hear the cheery cries of his people, however it is what nature
forces him to do, and he accepts it. Although in this quote it may
seem that Telemachus does not recognize his father, he actually knows
that this beggar is Odysseus, however he nor anyone else can celebrate
the master’s return because of the suitors who have the intent of
killing Odysseus.