Odysseus’s recognition comes about because of the events of the plot rather than being forced through admission or token; thus, Aristotle argues that recognition from memory is more effective in producing catharsis. Nothing is known about the
Sons of Phineus or
Odysseus the False Messenger, neither of which appear to have survived antiquity; however, Aristotle’s point is still clear. Recognition from inference is better than recognition from token, but the best recognition arises from events in the plot, as with the messenger in
Oedipus Rex. Iphigeneia’s letter can be considered a token, but Aristotle implies it is probable for one to reveal their identity in a letter, so this recognition isn’t contrived in quite the same way as other tokens, like a scar.