Plot Summary
Book XVII opens at dawn as Telemachus departs Eumaeus's hut to return to the palace, instructing the swineherd to bring the disguised Ulysses to town later to beg for food. At the palace, Telemachus is joyfully reunited with his mother Penelope and the nurse Euryclea. He recounts his travels to Pylos and Sparta, relaying Menelaus's report that Ulysses was seen alive on Calypso's island. The seer Theoclymenus reinforces this hope by prophesying that Ulysses is already in Ithaca, plotting vengeance against the suitors.
Meanwhile, Ulysses and Eumaeus set out for the palace. On the road they encounter the insolent goatherd Melanthius, who verbally abuses and physically kicks the disguised king. Upon reaching the palace, Ulysses recognizes his old hunting dog Argos, now neglected and lying on a dung heap. Argos wags his tail at his long-lost master but dies immediately after this moment of recognition. Inside the great hall, Ulysses begs from each suitor. Most give him scraps, but Antinous refuses and hurls a footstool at him, striking his shoulder. The other suitors rebuke Antinous, warning that the beggar could be a god in disguise. Penelope, outraged by the assault, summons Eumaeus and asks to speak with the stranger. Ulysses wisely requests that the meeting wait until nightfall, when the suitors will be gone and they can speak privately.
Character Development
Telemachus displays growing maturity and strategic restraint throughout this book. He publicly treats the disguised Ulysses with generosity while silently controlling his rage when Antinous strikes his father. His ability to suppress emotion and bide his time mirrors his father's characteristic cunning. Penelope emerges as perceptive and emotionally complex, torn between desperate hope and habitual grief. Her eagerness to meet the stranger reveals her unquenched longing for news of Ulysses. Antinous is further characterized as the most arrogant and cruel of the suitors, violating the sacred Greek custom of hospitality. Even the other suitors recognize his behavior as excessive and dangerous.
Themes and Motifs
The theme of xenia (guest-friendship) dominates Book XVII. Antinous's violent rejection of a beggar-guest violates one of the most sacred social codes in ancient Greek society, foreshadowing the divine punishment awaiting the suitors. The motif of disguise and recognition intensifies as Ulysses moves through his own household unrecognized by all humans, yet instantly known by his faithful dog. The theme of loyalty versus betrayal is explored through contrasting servants: the devoted Eumaeus against the treacherous Melanthius. Argos's death upon recognizing his master powerfully symbolizes the cost of Ulysses's twenty-year absence and the enduring bond of loyalty.
Literary Devices
Homer employs dramatic irony throughout, as the audience knows Ulysses's true identity while the characters do not. Telemachus's sneeze is treated as an omen, and Penelope interprets it as a sign that the suitors will die — an example of foreshadowing. The encounter with Argos is one of Homer's most celebrated uses of pathos, compressing twenty years of suffering into a single, devastating recognition scene. The epic simile comparing Ulysses's steadfastness after being struck to standing "firm as a rock" underscores his extraordinary self-control. Homer also uses apostrophe when the narrator directly addresses Eumaeus as "you" — a rare and intimate narrative technique that signals the swineherd's special importance in the story.