In the Odyssey by Homer the goal in all of the patterns of falsification, investigation and recognition were to reveal the true nature of Odysseus to himself and to those around him, test the loyalty of the people around him, mature his son into manhood, test the love of his wife and to further the notion that all men must succumb to their fate predetermined by the Gods. Each man in the Odyssey from Odysseus to Penelope have their most heroic quality superimposed like Odysseus being a great tactician, but showing just enough fallibility to illustrate the difference between Gods and men. An important concept throughout the story was this notion of the audience like the Gods are in this privileged position of being all knowing. This position lends itself to have the characters be overanalyzed at each point in the story. …
