"Strange man,"
wary Penelope said. "I’m not so proud, so scornful,
nor am I overwhelmed by your quick change…
You look – how well I know – the way he looked,
setting sail from Ithaca years ago
aboard the long-oared ship.
"Come, Eurycleia,
move the sturdy bedstead out of our bridal chamber –
that room the master built with his own hands.
Take it out now, study bed that it is,
and spread it deep with fleece,
blankets and lustrous throws to keep him warm."
– Homer
The Odyssey, Book 23, lines 192-202. When Penelope issues her marriage bed test for the man who says he is Odysseus, she shows herself to be as cunning as her husband. Within earshot of the man, she asks Eurycleia to move the bed, knowing that the real Odysseus will be aware the bed is immovable. This passage is an example of situational irony: Penelope doubts Odysseus’ identity but readers would have expected her to be happy to see her husband who has been missing for so long.