In chapter 16 of The Odyssey, Telemachus comes home to Ithica after journeying to find word of his father. He stays with Eumaious the shepherd because his mother's house is full of suitors that just tried to murder him. Telemachus finds that Eumaious is talking to a beggar that is staying with him at the moment, and he offers to put the beggar up and give him clothes, though he isn’t able to do it until the suitors can be dealt with.

The situation in the story seems lost. Telemachus is not a warrior, and without Odysseus, he fears that he will not be able to get rid of the suitors before they kill him or wear down his mother. Telemachus is feeling very low when suddenly Odysseus is revealed by the goddess Athena. This is an example of anagnorisis, a sudden reveal of information—in this case, it is extremely fortunate, because it means that Telemachus can overcome the suitors with the help of Odysseus.

Anagnorisis is a type of “dramatic twist,” but in this case, there is no tragedy afterward as might follow in other types of Greek drama. There is also some dramatic irony in play because we, as readers, know that the beggar is Odysseus in disguise. However, the reveal brings about a twist because it means there is now a way for the family to deal with the suitors that will be satisfactory for the reader.