In Book 21 of The Odyssey, by Homer, Odysseus, who has already revealed himself to some of the people in his kingdom, and especially his home, finds himself facing the contest that Penelope has set up in order to find a suitor to marry. Inspired by the goddess Athena, Penelope decides to use the bow of her late husband, Odysseus, to test the suitors, with Odysseus being also present at the contest. His son goes first and tries the bow but cannot even bend it and then, all other contestants fail as well. The only one who manages to handle the bow and fulfill the requirements of the contest is Odysseus himself. In this excerpt, after Telemachus has tried his hand in the contest, Penelope hands the bow to the shepherd, Eumaeus, to hand over to the contestants. As the bow is seen by Odysseus´ former servants, Eumaeus and especially Philaetius, they cannot avoid the emotions that spring inside them towards their dead king. Later they are called by Odysseus who reveals himself to them right before he kills all the suitors. The theme depicted in this particular excerpt is loyalty, because even though a lot of years have passed, Philaetius, particularly, cannot let go of his love for his king, even if he has gone.
