-Book
21
1. Athena made Penelopia think of having an archery contest. Whoever
strung and shot Odysseus’s bow through twelve axeheads was the victor and would
marry Penelopia. None of the suitors can even pull the bow back. One rather
unwilling suitor tries the bow and tells the others it isn’t right to decide
winners this way.
2. Odysseus takes the swineherd and the cowherd outside and asks them if
their master came back would they fight for him. They emphatically say they
would and be happy to do it. Odysseus reveals his true self after making sure
of their loyalty, but swears them to secrecy.
3. None of the suitors can string the bow, so they make excuses about a
feast for Apollo and say they will try again later. They are shamed that none
of them even remotely match Odysseus’s strength. The beggar asks the suitors to
let him try and string the bow, Telemachos (really Penelope) commands them to
let him and tells his mother to go do woman stuff. Odysseus shows them all up
with his bow prowess.
4. While Odysseus is feeling the bow once again, Telemachos goes to
Eurycleia and tells her to keep herself, her mistress, and the maids shut up in
their rooms for safety.
5. Meanwhile Odysseus strings the bow and easily shoots through the axe
heads. Telemachos grabs his weapons and stands next to the beggar and the
beggar magically becomes his handsome Odysseus self again.
-List
of Themes
-Loyalty;
swine & cowherd to Ody
- Important/New
Characters By Familial Relations:
-None
-Book 22
1. Odysseus kills Alcinoos with the first arrow. He announces they are all
going to be dead soon and then the suitors panic when they realize that the
weapons on the walls are gone.
2. Eurymachos begs for his and the fellow suitors’ lives. He then tries to
rally the others, but Odysseus kills him swiftly. Odysseus orders Telemachos to
go retrieve more weapons from the store room. The cowherd sees Telemachos and
follows him. Telemachos comes back with weapons, but Melanthios also arms the
suitors.
3. Odysseus isn’t happy to see that and Telemachos tells him that he left
the door open. They were now outnumbered and out-weaponed. However, Athena as
Mentor comes and hangs around, waiting for the right time.
4. She picks off any suitors who get too close to harming the loyal group.
Finally, Athena shows the suitors a sign that shows a god is on Odysseus’s
side. They are very worried/angry/scared at this revelation.
5. Odysseus proceeds to kill everyone but Phemios and Medon. Then he calls
for Eurycleia to bring all the unfaithful maids down. He makes them clean the
entire hall. Then they hang all of the whorish maids. They all torture and kill
Melanthios, the bad goatherd.
6. Then he purifies the hall to get rid of the remnants of the wicked suitors.
-List of Themes
-Loyalty;
Eury to Ody
-Worship/Power
of Gods;
- Important/New
Characters By Familial Relations:
-None
-Book 23
1. Eurycleia goes to
tell Penelope that her husband is back, but she doesn’t believe her and calls
Eurycleia mean, wretched, a liar, and all that sort of stuff. Eurycleia tells
her the suitors are dead and she believes some other hero came and did it, not
her Odysseus. Eventually, after swearing on her life, Eurycleia convinced Penelope
to come down.
2. Penelope does not
believe it is Odysseus when she sees him because her eyes are playing tricks on
her or some such. She mentions secrets they have. He doesn’t have time to deal
with it because he has to make plans to deal with the suitors family.
3. To pretend the slaughter
noise was a wedding last night, they make the maids and male servants dance and
music is played. The townspeople see and hear the revelry.
4. That night when
Odysseus comes to bed Penelope is still not convinced. He tells her the secret about the olive
tree that is their bed and she is convinced. They love each other and talk
about their trouble at home and Odysseus’s journey. Athena makes the night long
so they can continue talking and catching.
5. In the morning
Odysseus says he will go visit his father. He takes Telemachos and the two
loyal herdsmen with him. Athena shields them and makes them invisible till they
arrive at Laertes farm.
-List of Themes:
-Wit; Pen & Ody, Ody
-Wit; Pen & Ody, Ody
-Loyalty;
Pen to Ody w/ reservations/careful
-Important/New Characters By Familial Relations:
-None
-Book 24
1. Meanwhile Hermes
lead the suitors into the Hades. Agememnon and Achilles talk about their war
stories. They then inquire about the suitors reason for being there. Agememnon
is happy that Odysseus has such a faithful wife. However, he does add a couple
of bad words for women kind in general.
2. Back in the world of
the living, Odysseus sends the others to prepare dinner and goes to see his
father, who is plowing the land like a servant. Odysseus checks to make sure he
is still loyal and then reveals who he is to Laertes.
3. However, Laertes
doesn’t believe him and Odysseus has to convince him by the scars and naming
the fruit trees he was gifted. Laertes is overjoyed to hear Odysseus got rid of
the suitors and is impressed with his grandson’s bravery. He also wishes he
could have joined them in the fight.
4. In town, the people
are angry at Odysseus for killing the suitors, as the wedding ruse didn’t work.
Eupithes, Antinoos’s father, calls for them to kill Odysseus and the household,
which the council approves.
5. In Olympos, Athena
and Zeus agree there should be no more bloodshed. As the people march to
Laertes’s lands, Athena comes down from heaven, Only Eupithes is killed by
Telemachos before Athena announces to everyone that there will be peace between
the two parties.
6. The END.
-Important Themes:
-Gods
power; Athen to Ody/Townies
-Coming
of Age; Tele
-Wit;
Lae about Ody
-Important/New Characters By Familial Relations:
-Eupithes – Antinoos’s
Father
