In book 6, in the evening, Nausicaa, the princess of the Phaeacians, receives a visit from Athena in a dream and forces her to clean her dress. Once Nausiacaa wakes up, she takes her handmaids and a push cart, and the handmaids clean her clothes in the ponds near the river. Then they clean themselves up and perform a game while naked. Ulysses, himself stripped, wakes up after listening to them. Odysseus walks towards them, however, his muddy, wild gaze scares them away from Nausicaa. He asks her if she is a goddess or a mortal and compliments her exceptional attractiveness. Ulysses requests his help by offering him a dress and guiding him towards the city. Nausicaa happily agrees. Ulysses washes himself and is given food and drink. To avoid gossip from the people, Nausicaa asks him to hide while they enter the city, and then asks for directions to Alcinous' palace, where he will meet his mother, to whom he will have to ask for help; if she loves him, she will soon have him at home. Odysseus proves himself to be a wise decision maker and judge of character. When he scares Nausicaa's servants with his frightening naked gaze, he must decide whether to embrace Nausicaa's knees in supplication, a customary gesture to charm her. As he regularly does, Odysseus uses words, nearly forty lines' worth, to praise his attractiveness and wonder whether he is a deity and, most significantly: "I am so amazed / I cannot bring you to your knees" (book 6 180-181) . Of course, the real reason he doesn't, at first, is because in his current condition "he might irritate the girl, touching her knees" (book 6 159). Here the expressions are not simply an alternative to the fact, but are a mere substitute for it. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an original essay In book 7, when Odysseus waits for Nausicaa to visit her father's palace, he makes his way alone and meets Athena in the form of a little girl and asks her the way to the palace. Athena leads Odysseus to the palace by covering him in fog so that no one can see him. Ulysses enters the luxurious and sumptuous palace and meets the queen and the king. He hugs Arete's knees and asks her to come into his house. Alcinous takes him to the dining room, in which Ulysses is fed. Alcinous wonders if Ulysses is a deity; she reassures him that it isn't. Arete distinguishes Ulysses' clothing as his personal creation and asks him who provided him with his clothes and who he is. He tells his story from Calypso's island to Nausicaa's help that day. Alcinous states that Nausicaa should have accompanied him home directly, however Odysseus states that it was his opinion to follow her personally. Alcinous promises to help him return home. Here, once again, Odysseus applies his intelligence by taking responsibility for Nausicaa's plan to go to the palace individually. He so skillfully and modestly avoids the implication behind their unconnected paths—that Nausicaa, to some extent optimistically, perhaps, believed the audience might contemplate them being engaged—that Alcinous even gives him Nausicaa as his companion to visit. Furthermore, Ulysses cleverly chooses this period to embrace Arete's knees; before with Nausicaa, he hadn't done it so as not to scare her. He recognizes the right dignity and, as usual, combines his activities with touching and principled words. Please note: this is just an example. Get a custom paper from our expert writers now. Get a Custom Essay In book 8, the numerous songs- within the poem clarifies the themes and identity of the Odyssey. The deliberate exposure of Odysseus's identity appears in the opening and closing cantos since.