How do the prescribed books of the homecoming explore recognition, loyalty and revenge?
The homecoming in Books 19, 21 and 22: the disguised Odysseus and Penelope, the recognition by the scar (Eurycleia), Penelope's loyalty and cleverness, the contest of the bow, and the killing of the suitors and the theme of justice and revenge.
An OCR GCSE Classical Civilisation (J199) study of the homecoming in The Odyssey (Books 19, 21 and 22). Covers the disguised Odysseus and Penelope, the recognition by the scar, Penelope's loyalty and cleverness, the contest of the bow, and the killing of the suitors and the theme of justice and revenge, with the source and essay skills the J199/21 paper rewards.
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What this dot point is asking
The later prescribed books (19, 21 and 22) bring Odysseus home and resolve the poem. You need to know the disguised Odysseus and his meeting with Penelope, the recognition by the scar (Eurycleia, Book 19), Penelope's loyalty and cleverness, the contest of the bow (Book 21), and the killing of the suitors (Book 22) with its theme of justice and revenge. The paper tests precise knowledge of the prescribed books (AO1) and analysis plus your own argument (AO2).
The answer
The disguised return and the recognition by the scar (Book 19)
Penelope's loyalty and cleverness
The contest of the bow (Book 21) and the killing of the suitors (Book 22)
The themes drawn together
The homecoming ties together the poem's great themes:
- Disguise and recognition - the beggar disguise, the scar, the gradual revelation.
- Loyalty - Penelope, Eurycleia and Telemachus, against the disloyal suitors and servants.
- Cunning - Odysseus's patient testing and planned revenge.
- Justice and the restoration of the king - the rightful master reclaims his household.
So Books 19, 21 and 22 bring the poem's values to a climax.
Examples in context
A strong essay would argue the poem presents the slaughter as just punishment for breaking xenia and the rules of the household, with divine backing, while not hiding its brutality.
Try this
Q1. What was the contest Penelope set the suitors? [Knowledge recall]
- Cue. To string Odysseus's great bow and shoot an arrow through twelve axe-heads; she promised to marry whichever suitor could do it, but only the disguised Odysseus could.
Q2. Explain how Penelope shows both loyalty and cleverness. [Short explanation]
- Cue. She stays faithful to Odysseus through years of pressure (loyalty), and she outwits the suitors by weaving a shroud by day and secretly unravelling it by night to delay choosing a husband (cleverness), making her a fitting match for the cunning Odysseus.
Exam-style practice questions
Practice questions written in the style of OCR exam questions on this dot point, with worked answer explainers. The year tag is the paper they imitate, not the source.
OCR J199/21 2018 (style)4 marksDescribe how Eurycleia recognises Odysseus in Book 19. [4]Show worked answer →
A short literature question (4 marks, AO1). Reward an accurate account of the recognition scene.
Reward points. The old nurse Eurycleia is washing the feet of the disguised "beggar"; she feels a scar on his leg, an old wound from a boar hunt in his youth; she recognises it as Odysseus's and is overcome, nearly crying out and dropping his foot; but Odysseus seizes her and swears her to silence so his return stays secret.
Top marks. The foot-washing, the scar from the boar hunt, the recognition, and Odysseus silencing her to keep his secret.
OCR J199/21 2022 (essay, true tariff 15)15 marks'The killing of the suitors is presented as justice, not mere revenge.' How far do you agree? Justify your response with reference to the prescribed books. [marked here out of 15; this is the true J199/21 tariff]Show worked answer →
The 15-mark extended response (AO1 and AO2). The marker rewards a clear argument supported by close reference to the text.
For (justice). The suitors have abused xenia, devoured Odysseus's household, courted his wife and plotted against his son, so their deaths can be read as deserved punishment, supported by Athene and presented as the restoration of right order to the oikos.
Against (revenge or excess). The killing is bloody and total (the suitors and the disloyal servants are all destroyed), driven by personal anger, and provokes a feud with the suitors' families that Athene has to stop, so it can look like savage revenge.
Judgement. The top band argues a clear line, for example that the poem frames the slaughter as just punishment for breaking the sacred rules of the household and hospitality, with divine backing, while not hiding its brutality. Support with the prescribed books.
Related dot points
- The world of the Odyssey: the structure of Homeric society (kings, nobles, ordinary people and enslaved people), the heroic values of kleos (glory), time (honour) and arete (excellence), the importance of the household (oikos) and gift-exchange, and how this world relates to the Mycenaean evidence.
An OCR GCSE Classical Civilisation (J199) study of Homeric society in The Odyssey. Covers the structure of Homeric society, the heroic values of kleos, time and arete, the importance of the household (oikos) and gift-exchange, and how this world relates to the Mycenaean evidence, with the source and essay skills the J199/21 paper rewards.
- Xenia (guest-friendship) in the Odyssey: the rules and importance of hospitality, the gods as its protectors (Zeus Xenios), good hosts and guests, and the great violations of xenia by the Cyclops Polyphemus (Book 9) and by the suitors.
An OCR GCSE Classical Civilisation (J199) study of xenia in The Odyssey. Covers the rules and importance of guest-friendship, the gods as its protectors (Zeus Xenios), good and bad hosts, and the great violations of xenia by the Cyclops Polyphemus in Book 9 and by the suitors, with the source and essay skills the J199/21 paper rewards.
- The characterisation of Odysseus as a hero: his cunning and cleverness (metis), shown in the blinding of the Cyclops and the 'Nobody' trick (Book 9), his endurance and leadership, his flaws (curiosity and boastfulness), and how he differs from a hero of pure strength.
An OCR GCSE Classical Civilisation (J199) study of Odysseus as a hero in The Odyssey. Covers his cunning (metis), shown in the blinding of the Cyclops and the 'Nobody' trick in Book 9, his endurance and leadership, his flaws of curiosity and boastfulness, and how he differs from a hero of pure strength, with the source and essay skills the J199/21 paper rewards.
- The role of the gods and fate in the Odyssey: Athene as Odysseus's divine helper and patron, Poseidon as his divine enemy, the way gods intervene in disguise and through omens, and the relationship between divine will, fate and human choice.
An OCR GCSE Classical Civilisation (J199) study of the gods in The Odyssey. Covers Athene as Odysseus's divine helper and patron, Poseidon as his enemy, how the gods intervene in disguise and through omens, and the relationship between divine will, fate and human choice, with the source and essay skills the J199/21 paper rewards.
- Mycenaean society and the palace: the role of the king (wanax) and the social hierarchy, the megaron at the heart of the palace, and the evidence of the Linear B tablets for administration, economy, religion and trade.
An OCR GCSE Classical Civilisation (J199) study of Mycenaean society in The Homeric World. Covers the role of the king (wanax) and the social hierarchy, the megaron at the heart of the palace, and the evidence of the Linear B tablets for administration, economy, religion and trade, with the source and essay skills the J199/21 paper rewards.