In lines 23.183-204 of The Odyssey, Odysseus tries to prove to his wife that he is truly himself and that he is not not the manifestation of a trick played on him by the gods. Penelope tricked Odysseus into betraying himself by telling a servant to move Odysseus' bed out of the room. Odysseus becomes angry at this order because he built the bed himself and knows that the bed cannot be moved easily. Homer then asks Odysseus to give a monologue describing how he built the bed. In these twenty-one lines, Homer uses Odysseus' description of the construction of the bed to parallel the constitution of Odysseus' character and the events of his life. Homer's diction contributes to the allegorical nature of this passage while the tone of the passage paints a portrait of an Odysseus very different from the Odysseus of the preceding chapters. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on “Why Violent Video Games Should Not Be Banned”? Get an original essay Early in the passage, the tone in which Odysseus speaks reveals a more sensitive side of the brave warrior Homer wrote about in the Iliad and most of the Odyssey. When Odysseus says, “What you said, dear lady, has deeply wounded my heart,” this is the first time Odysseus proves that he truly missed his wife and loves her very much. In previous chapters, Odysseus has mentioned that he misses his wife and wants to return home: when he is on the island of Kalypso, he misses his wife so much that he chooses his freedom over immortality. But it is only in this first private conversation between Odysseus and Penelope that Homer reveals the depth of Odysseus's love for his wife. When Odysseus describes how he built the bed, Homer has him speaking in a nervous, pleading tone. He meticulously describes every detail of making the bed, as if Penelope would doubt him if he forgot something. At the end of the passage, Odysseus' tone returns to the affectionate tone he used at the beginning. In the last three lines, the tone of Odysseus's speech reflects the desire he feels for his wife. The monologue ends on a painful note, and the reader is convinced that Odysseus is overwhelmed with emotion, that Odysseus's entire soul revolves around what Penelope will say next. Homer develops the tone throughout the passage by carefully choosing words that give an aura of painful supplication. For example, when Odysseus says “there is no mortal living, no strong man,” his redundancy shows that Odysseus is very distracted by the idea of ​​another man moving his bed; Odysseus almost tries to convince himself that the act would be impossible. Homer has Odysseus speak in this distracted, pleading manner in order to show how important Penelope's loyalty is to Odysseus. As mentioned above, Odysseus' entire monologue parallels the essence of his character as well as the events of his life. Homer's diction helps create this allegorical aspect in the passage. When Odysseus says "it would be difficult...to change position" (l. 184-186), Homer uses the sturdiness and firmness of the bed to represent the strength and righteousness of Odysseus' character. Odysseus suffered many trials and tribulations, but he arrived at his goal with his mind intact and never gave up on the ideas and things that are important to him. Throughout his travels, nothing could divert him or change his position. Next, Odysseus states: “There is a particular characteristic...that made him” (l. 188-189). Here Homer says that, like the bed, Odysseus constructed his character and intelligence by himself, and that no other man had a hand in making him what he is. This trait of Ulysses is very important; since he neverlet no one influence him when he was still building his own character, it is not difficult for him to remain true to himself and his goals. Homer's diction in this sentence is very powerful; he uses the word "peculiar" and the redundant phrase "myself, no other man" to emphasize how Odysseus' construction of his own character made him a particularly intelligent individual. This sentence emphasizes that all of Odysseus' intelligence and morality come from him. Ulysses' description of the construction of the bed itself (l.190-194) is also a parallel with the construction of his character. He begins by describing the “barrel” or trunk of an olive tree. This trunk represents the body of Ulysses. She “was growing strongly” and “she was thick, like a column”. Homer's choice of the word "column" creates the image of a colossal Odysseus, as strong and beautiful as a Greek marble column. When Odysseus says "I have placed my room around this", it draws a parallel with Odysseus placing his character and intellect around his body to guard it. “And I built it until I finished it” means that Odysseus perfected his body and soul until he became a man. The “squeezed stones” represent Odysseus’ mental coherence while the “compacted doors” represent the connection between the way Odysseus thinks and the way he physically exercises his intelligence. An example of how Odysseus opened the "compact doors" between his body and his mind is when he came up with the plan to blind the Cyclops and then had the physical strength to carry out his plan. Odysseus says that after having built his bed (and his character) he began to perfect it (l. 195-201). He “cut off the foliage of the long-leaved olive tree and cut the trunk from the roots”; metaphorically, he began to put the finishing touches on his mind and body. The tool that Homer chooses to include in this passage for the “planing” of the bed, the “brazen adze,” is a symbol of perfection. A brazen adze is an axe-shaped tool, made of brass, mounted on the head at a perfect ninety degree angle. Ulysses uses this tool to “align [the plane of the bed] directly on a chalk line.” Homer's use of the word "true" emphasizes Odysseus's loyalty to himself. Then the construction is summarized by the phrase "I began with this and built my bed until it was finished" which symbolizes how Odysseus started with natural intelligence and built up his mental abilities and physical until they can rival the physical and mental talents of the immortals. The “gold, silver, and ivory” he uses to decorate his bed represent the honor, wealth, and attractiveness he has acquired through such a strong mind and body. At the end of the description, Odysseus states "there is his [the character of the bed... moved it elsewhere" (l. 202-204). This statement calls into question everything Odysseus has previously said on the strength and immutability of the bed Homer shows the reader that, for the first time in Odysseus's life, he doubts himself The phrase "I do not know now" shows that Odysseus is not. not sure his character can withstand his wife's rejection, even though he possesses the greatest mental strength of all mortals Odysseus thinks that if a man had "cut under the stump of the olive tree and moved it [. the bed] elsewhere”, this will be equivalent to someone uprooting all the physical and mental strength from their body and getting rid of it After a very detailed monologue about the greatness of their strength, the recognition of how the love of. his wife makes him weak is a passionately strong conclusion Keep in mind: this is just a sample Get a custom paper from..