When Odysseus heard about the impending Trojan War, he did not want to go. According to the Latin author Hyginus, Odysseus actually pretended to be insane so he could stay home. Unfortunately, the ruse did not work, and Odysseus had to leave for Troy, so he bid his wife and newborn son goodbye and boarded his ship.
Before he left, he asked Penelope to make him a promise. If he did not return by the time Telemachus began to grow a beard, Penelope must assume Odysseus was dead and choose a new husband. As she recalls him telling her:
when you see our son growing a beard, then marry whom you will, and leave this your present home.
Penelope had been swarmed with suitors during her husband's absence. She had put off their advances for as long as possible, but they were becoming increasingly aggressive by the time of Odysseus' glorious return to Ithaca. Thankfully, Odysseus returned and purged the house of those vile men.
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