"I’m stunned with wonder,
powerless. Cannot speak to him, ask him questions,
look him in the eyes…But if he is truly
Odysseus, home at last, make no mistake:
we two will know each other, even better –
we two have secret signs,
known to us both but hidden from the world."
– Homer
The Odyssey, Book 23, lines 119-125. Penelope is unsure that Odysseus has truly returned. She is reluctant to greet the man who says that he is Odysseus the way her son Telemachus wants her to. She wants to test him first and see if he knows their secret signs. In this Penelope shows herself to be as clever and cunning as her husband.