The suitors shoot arrows at odysseus, but athena makes sure the arrows miss their mark again and again. Learn exactly what happened in this chapter, scene, or section of the odyssey and what it means. Odysseus is one of the most influential greek champions during the trojan war. In short, the slaughter of the suitors is controversial, as the poem signals early on. Penelope gets odysseus s bow out of the storeroom and announces that she will marry the suitor who can string it and then shoot an arrow through a line of twelve axes. We will begin this lesson with a brief recap of book 21 of the odyssey. Odysseus leaps out of his rags and begins to shoot arrows at the suitors. The odyssey books 2124 summary and analysis gradesaver. The suitorsin homers odyssey, it has been sixteen years since odysseus left his home in ithaca for war. Odysseus easily strings his bow and wins the contest. Patroclus death in book 16 of the iliad 117 georg danek, achilles hybristes.
Everybody knows that heroes usually do not kill and odysseus is not a exception. Suitors arrive at odysseus s palace, hoping to marry penelope. As amphinomos rushes odysseus, telemachos stops him with a spear to the heart. Odysseus easily strings bow and sends the first arrow he grabs whistling through all twelve axes xxii. Feb 25, 2009 i think for the time in which the odyssey is placed that it was acceptable, given that things like sacrifice and killing others were actions not frowned upon.
In homers epic poem the odyssey, the king of ithica, odysseus, is trying to get home to his family after a ten year war conquering the city of troy. Aided by his son telemachus and a few trusty servants, odysseus slaughters the suitors. Before suitors know what happened, odysseus shoots antinous in throat ii. Odysseus stands in the doorway and shoots arrows at the suitors. The suitors are confused and believe this shooting to be an accident. Then with an angry glance from beneath his brows odysseus of many wiles. Odysseus kills the enemys most aggressive leader, antinous, before any of the suitors realize that the king has returned or that they are in danger. You could also think about all the great fights that happen throughout the whole book especially the ending where odysseus slaughters all the suitors that have been staying at his house and devouring all of his livestock and spending all of his wealth while he was away at war, or all stories that odysseus comes up with and places where the main. On page 960 the blue text reads odysseus and his men are compared to falcons who show no mercy to the flocks of birds they pursue and capture. In book 22 of the odyssey, odysseus reveals his true identity to everyone and begins slaughtering the suitors. Odysseus wants to trick all the ithakans into thinking all the noise of the slaughter was the racket from a wedding celebration. In book 21 of the odyssey, penelope brings out odysseus bow and tells the suitors she will marry the first one who can string it and shoot an arrow through twelve axes. Its a love story, a grand adventure and sometimes a laugh riot that puts me in mind of the early david mitchell, before he decided to become so tediously historically. In book 22 odysseus slaughters bunches of men because they pursued his wife penelope.
Slaughter begins, odysseus reveals himself to suitors, says will kill all i. But athena sends their spears awry, and odysseus team slaughters a number of the suitors while suffering only minor damage. Telemachus sets up the axes and then tries his own hand at the bow, but fails in his attempt to string it. So, eurymachos tries to rally the suitors to fight odysseus, who responds by promptly killing eurymachos with an arrow to the heart. He always champions the achaean cause, especially when others question agamemnons command, as in one instance when thersites speaks against him. Volleys of spears are exchanged, and odysseus and his men kill several suitors while receiving only superficial wounds themselves. How ironic, considering that was the very thing they wanted to avoid earlier. Odysseus tells him to go to the palace and mingle with the crowd of suitors. Athena appears disguised as mentor and encourages odysseus but doesnt participate immediately, preferring instead to test odysseus s strength.
Penelope the faithful wife of odysseus who has been keeping the. In book 22 odysseus with the aid of his son and loyal servants slaughters all the suitors despite the pleas of mercy from some of them, all the maids, and even the priest leodes. Asked in the odyssey, the iliad how did odysseus get rid of the suitors when. The odyssey at a glance cliffsnotes study guides book. Results page 3 about is odysseus a good leader free essays. Odysseus tells the serving women who slept with the suitors to. While odysseus battles mystical creatures and faces the wrath of the gods, his wife penelope and his son telemachus stave off suitors vying for penelopes hand and ithacas throne long enough for odysseus to return. Meanwhile, odysseus wife, penelope, is besieged by suitors at his home in ithaca.
What does telemachus tell penelopes suitors in book 1 of the. During odysseus long absence, unmarried young men start to suspect that odysseus died in troy or on the journey home. Many men from other lands thinking odysseus is dead, intrude his kingdom and try to take power. The odyssey ends as odysseus wins a contest to prove his identity, slaughters the suitors, and retakes the throne of ithaca. The suitors takes off from the bloody and seldommentioned ending of the odyssey when odysseus comes home and slaughters all of penelopes suitors and serving maids. Eurymachus tries to placate and bargain with odysseus, to no avail. Telemachus doubts that only two men can defeat such a large group of suitors over a hundred in total but odysseus reminds him that athena and zeus will stand by them as well. Dec 16, 2015 but athena sends their spears awry, and odysseus team slaughters a number of the suitors while suffering only minor damage. Needless to say, odysseus easily strings it and sends the first arrow he grabs whistling through all twelve axes. Media in category slaughter of the suitors the following 20 files are in this category, out of 20 total. Need it nowww 100 points the return of odysseus by. Odysseus in disguise strings the bow, shoots the arrow, reveals himself, and slaughters the suitors. Slaughter of the suitors by odysseus and telemachus, campanian redfigure bellkrater, c.
In book 22 of the odyssey, who is saved from death. We will then go on to a summary of book 22, where odysseus and telemachus slaughter the suitors. Odysseus spares only the bard and the herald medon. Odysseus now goes among the suitors, wins the bow contest, and slaughters the suitors. Was odysseuss revenge on the suitors justified or not. Tearing off his beggar rags, odysseus boldly catapults himself onto the halls threshold, utters a brief prayer to apollo, and fires an arrow straight through a new target. Along with nestor and idomeneus he is one of the most trusted counsellors and advisors. Telemachus goes to get more weapons and leaves the storeroom unlocked by mistake. When the suitors saw the man fall, there was uproar throughout the hall, and they leapt from their seats in fear, running to. The penelopeodysseus reunion returns to center stage at the beginning of book 23, when eurycleia rushes up to her mistress quarters to tell her that the suitors are dead and the anonymous beggar who killed them is odysseus. Kill and odysseus slaughters bunches essay 552 words. But go forth from the halls and sit down outside in the court away from the slaughter. After successfully shooting an arrow through the holes of the twelve axes, odysseus shoots antinous in.
On page 960 the blue textual content reads odysseus and his males are in comparison to falcons who also show zero mercy towards the flocks of birds they will pursue and capture. But after you have killed these suitors in your palace, either by treachery, or openly with the sharp bronze, then you must take up your wellshaped oar and go on a journey until you come where there are men living who know nothing of the sea, and who eat food that is not mixed with salt, who never have. Odysseus kills agelaus and telemachus hits another. Odysseus asks telemachus to describe the suitors so that they can plan an attack. Aug 10, 2010 telemachus was the son of odysseus and penelope, who was much favoured by the goddess athene. Odysseus encounters numerous perils during his journey home. May 01, 2014 in book 22 odysseus with the aid of his son and loyal servants slaughters all the suitors despite the pleas of mercy from some of them, all the maids, and even the priest leodes.
Learn vocabulary, terms, and more with flashcards, games, and other study tools. Some of his impediments included calypso, a god, polyphemus, a giant cyclopes, and the suitors. Homer, odyssey book 22 theoi classical texts library. Perfect for acing essays, tests, and quizzes, as well as for writing lesson plans. The suitors warm and grease the bow to make it supple. The odyssey by homer, the penelopiad by margaret atwood, the iliad by homer, circe by madeline miller, and the crying of lot 4. Summary and analysis book 22 slaughter in the hall. One suitor, leodes, supplicates himself at odysseus knees, excusing himself from the others actions. Under the pretense of courting penelope, these youths, called the suitors, take up residence in odysseus home and vie for her hand in marriage. Telemachus kills amphinomus and then runs to get weapons for himself. Athenas shield appears in the hall, inspiring further dread in the suitors. Eurymachus calls the suitors to battle, but odysseus quickly kills him. Before the suitors realize what is happening, odysseus shoots a second arrow through the throat of antinous.
Odysseus has incurred the wrath of poseidon, god of the sea, by blinding his son polyphemus the cyclops. Jun 12, 2010 odysseus had asked his son to lock the armory so that the suitors cannot defend themselves. Having done so, he proceeds to slaughter the suitors beginning with antinous whom he finds drinking from odysseus cup with help from telemachus and two of odysseus servants, eumaeus the swineherd and philoetius the cowherd. May 19, 2011 in book 22 odysseus with the aid of his son and loyal servants slaughters all the suitors despite the pleas of mercy from some of them, all the maids, and even the priest leodes. The odyssey study guide books 1724 freebooksummary. In the twentysecond book of homers odyssey, odysseus begins his battle with the suitors. In the book the odyssey how did odysseus kill the suitors. Summary of homers the odyssey including the cyclops, sirens.
Athena helps to assure odysseuss victory, but her intervention is, again, very indirect. Need it nowww 100 points the return of odysseus by george bilgere when odysseus finally does get home he is understandably upset about the suitors, who have been mooching off his wife for twenty years, drinking his wine, eating his mutton, etc. At a divine council on mount olympus, athena pleads with her father, zeus, to take pity on odysseus and allow him to return home. Penelope gets odysseuss bow out of the storeroom and announces that she will marry the suitor who can string it and then shoot an arrow. The suitors, still not realizing that this is odysseus, threaten to kill odysseus, thinking the murder was a mistake. Odysseus and telemachus slaughter the suitors like eagles attacking little birds. Telemachus takes control and orders eurymachus to give odysseus bow vi. Finally, athena joins the battle, which then ends swiftly. Odysseus, backed by telemachus, eumaeus, and philoetius, slaughters the suitors, with some help from athena. She prompted him to stand up to penelopes unruly suitors who had infested their home during odysseus. Book 22 begins when odysseus kills antinous as antinous carouses with the other suitors. When she refuses them, they lay siege, installing themselves in the palace, consuming. Everybody knows that heroes do not kill and odysseus is no exception. Before she retires, penelope describes to odysseus a dream that she has had in which an eagle swoops down upon her twenty pet geese and kills them all.
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