Book Thirteen
Interesting that he sleeps all the way home, as if, with his mind finally at rest, it is his first real, sound sleep in years (and a good preparation for the trials ahead). Almost like a magic-induced sleep. The Phaiakians pay most dearly for their hospitality. (Note that Zeus has final say.)
Odysseus doesn't trust anyone but himself. Watch Athena and Odysseus, those two wily ones, swap tall tales, lying through their teeth. What a pair! What important counsel does she give him? Notice, Odysseus says he has not seen Athena from the time he sacked Troy until--she guided him to Alkinoos's palace (how did he recognize her?? he sure didn't let on!). Does that tell you something? Now they put their heads together like two old comrades in arms--god and man.
How long have the suitors been after Penelope? Note that Telemakhos is still away in Sparta when Odysseus arrives home. We have to backtrack in time a bit. What reason does Athena give Odysseus for sending Telemakhos on his journey?
Book Fourteen
Note how well-ordered the swineherd's "estate" is. Note the swineherd's hospitality. Eumaios is repeatedly caressed by Homer's words (O my swineherd!) as if he were somehow very special. Why, do you think? What does he pinpoint as the "crime" of the suitors? What does he say about Odysseus's wealth? Once again we must face the sense of bitter loss felt by all those who knew Odysseus, now lost, the father of his people. How much does the swineherd love his master?
Notice that Odysseus doesn't have one false identity that he keeps peddling; each time it's a new story. A fertile imagination. Notice the brutality in this portrait--and its length. The swineherd's house mirrors that of greater houses nearly perfectly; it differs greatly from other "homes in the woods" (Kirke's, Kalypso's) or the Kyklopes' cave. Why?
Book Fifteen
Where do the suitors plan to ambush Telemakhos (find it on the map)? "Reading the signs" is a special gift of some, but almost anyone may be inspired to read, say, bird flight on a particular occasion. Here it is Helen.
Why does Odysseus ask questions he already knows the answers to (like the fate of his mother or the origins of the swineherd)? What do you learn about the household of Odysseus? Why does Homer want you to know these things?
Notice the juxtaposition of Telemakhos's adventure and Odysseus's ease. Eurymakhos is the only one of the suitors who is shown to be better than a thug. Watch his fate--or rather the fate he makes for himself.
Book Sixteen
You might see these four books as bending the trajectories of Odysseus and his son until they meet here in Book 16. Why does Homer give us a good look at the relationship between the swineherd and Telemakhos? Eumaios says to Telemakhos of Odysseus, "the Powers wove his life." Are you seeing other ways in which weaving is becoming an important metaphor in the epic?
When Athena appears to Odysseus, Telemakhos does not see her; he has never seen her, that he knew of. Why does Telemakhos doubt the identity of his father at first? How many suitors are there? Now, what is Telemakhos's response to Odysseus's faith in Athena's favor? It is one of those fine moments in the poem; read it carefully. You might say, at this point, that Odysseus is to Telemakhos as Athena is to Odysseus.