Penelope knows that only Odysseus knows that their bed is unmovable because one of the posts is a living tree. She was testing if it was the real Odysseus and not a fake
Penelope asks the servant to move the bed as a test, to see if the stranger is truly Odysseus. She knows the bed cannot be moved because it was built around an olive tree that is still standing. Only Odysseus would know this secret detail.
Penelope asks the servant to move the bed as a test to verify who is truly speaking to her, as only Odysseus would know that the bed cannot be moved. She uses this task to confirm Odysseus's identity without revealing herself too soon to anyone else.
Penelope tells Anticlea to move her and Odysseus' bed to a guest room, knowing full well that the bed cannot be moved without damaging it severely.
The bed was built around an olive tree, using the tree as the center post. Moving the bed would require uprooting the tree, or cutting it down.
Penelope's final test for Odysseus is to ask him to move their bed, which Odysseus built himself and knows cannot be moved because it is constructed from an olive tree trunk that is part of the structure of their home. Odysseus passes the test by revealing this secret detail, allowing Penelope to finally recognize him as her husband.
The "marriage" bed or more formally known as the "bridal" bed, was the bed that Odysseus made with his bare hands, and he carved it into a tree that was growing through his house. Odysseus had taken years to build the bed, and it was a gift to Penelope, as a symbol of his love for her. When Penelope tells him the bed had been moved, he gets upset (which only Odysseus would do, because only he and Penelope even knew about the bed.) and this proves to Penelope that he really is Odysseus. The marriage bed/bridal bed was very sacred to Odysseus and Penelope, and only the two of them knew about it. There was a tree that was growing through a small room in their house, so Odysseus built a beautiful bed (bridal bed) he carved into it flowers, and ivory, and built it all by his self and with his bare hands. Odysseus initially built his entire house around this tree, and when Penelope states that she moved the bed, meaning she cut it out of the tree, it infuriates Odysseus (which Penelope knew it would) and then she knows that it really is him. But the basic point of the bed is that only he and Penelope knew about it, so it was used as a test.
Odysseus passes Penelope's tests by:Stringing his bow, and shooting an arrow through a dozen axe handles.Killing all the suitorsOdysseus gets angry when Penelope suggests moving the bed, as that would destroy it. He tells Penelope how their bed was made; only they would know.
1. (XXI.85-) When Penelope sets out the axes and challenges the suitors to archery, knowing only Odysseus will be able to shoot it. 2. (XXIII.197-202) Penelope commands Eurycleia to move the unmovable bed (that Odysseus himself built) so that Odysseus (before Penelope believes it to be him) will have sleeping accomodations. Odysseus then opposes that idea, claiming that the bed cannot be moved, convincing Penelope that it truly is Odysseus. Only Odysseus, Penelope, and Eurycleia know about the bed being unmovable.
Odysseus convinces Penelope that he is her husband by revealing the secret detail of their bed, that he alone knows. This detail is that their bed was constructed by Odysseus himself and cannot be moved as one of its legs is made from a living olive tree. This intimate knowledge proves to Penelope that it is indeed her husband Odysseus returned to her.
Penelope tells her to move it as another test to see if Odysseus is indeed who he says he is. If he is the her husband, he will know that the bed cannot actually be moved because it is built from the trunk of the Olive tree around which the house has been constructed. Odysseus calls her bluff by noting her orders of Eurycleia to be impossible, which finally convinces Penelope that her husband is home at last.
she offered to move her bed out to the porch so he could use it. since nobody has ever seen her bed, he said, my dear, I built that bed around a giant fig tree, you know it can't be moved! She knew then, it was him
Because she wanted to test Odysseus to see if it was really him so she gave him little tests. By suggesting to move the bed, Penelope knows that only her and Odysseus kno that the bed is immovable sice he built it around a tree trunk in their bedroom (I think). She gave him is test to c If it really was odysseus since he is the only one that' know tht the bed cannot b moved