Odysseus is in disguise as a beggar and only Telemachus and Eurykleia know his true identity. He makes his bed in the entry way and can’t sleep. A group of maidservants pass by to visit the suitors in their beds. Odysseus experiences such anger that he wishes he could kill them all. He contents himself with just imagining horrific images of his revenge. Athena takes the shape of a woman to reprimand Odysseus and reminds him that he’s here with his wife and son and that he should sleep and she’ll make sure everything will turn out alright. With this comforting thought Odysseus falls asleep.
Penelope cries for her lost husband and prays to Artemis to kill her and put her out of her misery. She also dreams that she and Odysseus would meet in the underworld. She finally falls asleep and has a dream of the day when Odysseus first left, and believes that he is really there. Odysseus wakes and prays to Zeus asking for a sign that he is on his side. Zeus answers with a loud bang of thunder that a young maiden saw while grinding flower.
Telemachus wakes and calls for Eurykleia and asks how Odysseus was treated by his mother. The Nurse says yes and Telemachus goes out to face the Akhaians in the square while Eurykleia orders the maids to prepare the house. The Eumaeus comes and asks Odysseus if he's being treated with more respect. Odysseus answers that Telemachus's friends were respectful but he hopes the suitors should be punished by the gods. Melanthios arrives and talks with Odysseus saying that he hopes he won't stay at the hall asking for free meals for much longer because no one likes seeing beggars and he will get hurt by the suitors soon. Philoitios comes and asks who the beggar (Odysseus) is, as he is dressed like a beggar but carries himself like a captain.
The suitors gather to discuss how they would kill Telemachus. They see an eagle with a rockdove in his claws. Amphinomos says that there is no luck in killing Telemachus so they all go into the hall and eat. Odysseus is placed by Telemachus next to the door to sit with Telemachus’ friends and reminded to not start a fight. Even after this the suitors don’t pick a fight and Athena intervenes as she wants the suitors to anger Odysseus.
Ktesippos says that the beggar has had enough hospitality and now he will contribute to the house hold and picks up a cows foot and throws it at Odysseus who moves so he won’t get hit. Telemachus says that he would have killed him if the beggar had been hit. Telemachus also says that he has had enough, he’s no longer a child and won’t have his guests abused. Agelaos says that they should leave the beggar alone, but it’s time he and his mother pick a husband.
Telemachus refuses as he can’t just marry his mother off without her consent. Athena makes the suitors laugh uncontrollably, so hard that they have a hard time breathing, while Theoklymenos sees the suitors and the walls all covered in blood (as a prophecy). Laughing off his warning the suitors send him back home. During this whole conversation Penelope watched and listening to the suitors “whose treachery had filled that house with pain.”
Focusing on the sense of disloyalty in this book of The Odyssey, there is one key point. When the “sluts” go by giggling to sleep with the suitors, Odysseus finally sees how some of the loyalty of serving has failed. This is a recurring problem in society today too. You hear of many cases these days of adultery (cheating) and lying. I mean, come on… Have you been to a high school within this century? In all cultures, all over the world, there are cases of disloyalty. (Here's some links for the sister in Hawaiian mythology, Pele Myth and an article with top betrayals in mythology.) The reason Odysseus was able to restrain himself from killing the maids, was be cause he remembered the grander plan. (Book 22) Odysseus remembered that when disloyalty took place in his house, he needed to cleanse his house of all those bad memories of disseat, betrayal, etc. In most cases of betrayal and disloyalty, something has to be done to make the bad thing right. Men and women who commit crimes go to prison. When people cheat on their spouse or boyfriend/girlfriend, they are usually divorced or broken up with soon afterwards the opposite person finds out (and in that cases, you should probably show yourself to the door). Characters in all kinds of myths are punished by the god(s) for doing something. Or sometimes, they are punished by their peers, and that usually leads to chaos or more trouble.
I know that this is throwing the ball out there, but that’s what I’m aiming for. When you’ve focused a part of the book on disloyalty, you start to think about morals. Now, many people argue that Odysseus’ “travels” have been, shall we say,… Embellished. Now, Odysseus has proven himself a good liar in previous books, spinning tall tales about his beggar character, and so on. But, when he sees disloyalty being done onto himself, he gets a little cranky and kills people… Does this make him hypocritical? You tell me. So, if you’re sitting there reading this because you have to do some project, and this site popped up, ask your self; (However much deceit you believe Odysseus to have done) Has Odysseus broken the Golden Rule? Has he treated others in a way that that he would not like to be treated?