Penelope has not seen her husband, Odysseus, since he left for Troy. She is slightly discouraged yet she has some hope left as she waits for the day that he returns. In Book XIX, Odysseus and Penelope have their first meeting after twenty years. However, Odysseus stays disguised as a beggar during the whole book because it is the only way that will allow him to enter his palace and be prepared for the final conflict with the suitors who are trying to marry his wife. We see how some of Penelope's characteristics, which are most dominant in Book XIX, prepare us for the climax of the epic. Penelope shows us that she is clever and tricky, quite inquisitive and a courteous host which all pave the way for events that later lead to the revelation of Odysseus' identity in Book XXIII.
             Penelope is considered a very wise and sly character. One example of this is when she assures the suitors that she will marry one of them as soon as she is finished making the shroud. However, even though she was in fact making the shroud, she had already devised a master plan. This is what she did, "So I would weave that mighty web by day; but then by night, by torchlight, I undid what I had done." (p.384) She was the only one who knew this little secret. This really showed her wise, judicious side because she used this delaying approach to remarrying. The main reason she was delaying her marriage to one of the suitors was because she continued to love Odysseus and remained a loyal wife to him. This worked for three years until "some of my shameless bitches, well aware of all my stratagems, revealed the plot." (p.384) This left Penelope in a difficult situation since she no longer had a choice but to choose one of the suitors. Originally she said, "Now I cannot escape my wedding: I can call upon no other stratagem." (p.384) However, later on in the Book she has a dream that implies the return of Odysseus. ...