A Trunk of Surprises

In book 23 of the Odyssey, Penelope needs proof that it is her husband who has returned to her. I'm not sure why she feels the need to test him. A woman who loves her husband as much as she claims she does should only need her heart to convince her; nevertheless, Homer develops a way for Penelope to determine who the man is in front of her. Twenty years have passed. Maybe her eyes and her ears are bad.

 

The reunion between wife and husband is put off until the man of the house can prove his identity. Penelope sets up Odysseus' reprieve when she instructs servants to move the marriage bed. Knowing it cannot be moved, Odysseus responds with fury, "Not a man on earth, not even at peak strength, would find it easy to prise it up and shift it, no, a great sign, a hallmark lies in its construction" (210-2).

The bed, anchored to the floor, permanently bonds itself to the house, and those who sleep in it are permanently fettered together. Odysseus fashioned the bed from a live olive tree. In Greek myth, the tree is depicted as a plant of peace and a gift of the gods. Athena, goddess of wisdom and peace, stabs her spear into dirt and an olive tree springs forth. This godly significance informs us that the marriage bed of Odysseus and Penelope is free from strife. 

Odysseus describes how much time he put into building the bed, which explains his love for Penelope. The sweat he shed and the work he accomplished should be enough to prove his love to her.