Odyssey Auxiliary: The Ultimate Guide to Homer's The Odyssey

Summary
Penelope goes to fetch “the double-torsion bow and arrows in a quiver” that were Odysseus’ (Line 12-13) and announces the challenge to the suitors: whoever can string Odysseus’ bow and shoot an arrow through twelve “iron axe-helve sockets” will be able to marry her (Line 80). Eumaios and the cowherd weep as Eumaios carries the bow and axes forward, but Antinoos rudely tells them to stop. Antinoos agrees that the challenge is fair and secretly hopes to win, but he is fated to become the first killed by Odysseus. Telemakhos randomly starts laughing and wants to try stringing the bow. He sets up the axes and tries three times to string the bow. On the fourth try he almost did string it, but “a stiffening in Odysseus made him check” (Line 146). Telemakhos stops, tells the suitors to continue the challenges, and takes his seat. Antinoos decides they will go around the room, left to right, to give each suitor a chance. The first to try is Leodes. He cannot string the bow, and states it “is a bow to break the heart and spirit of many strong men” (Lines 174-175). Antinoos is insulted at this, but tells Melanthios, the goatherd, to build a fire so the suitors can heat and grease the bow before giving it a shot. All the suitors except Antinoos and Eurymakhos try, but each and every one fail. Eumaios and Philoitios, the swineherd and cowherd, go outside and Odysseus follows. Odysseus reveals his true identity and gives them instructions for the battle soon to be commenced. They return to the hall, where Eurymakhos tries and fails to string the bow. Antinoos suggests they postpone the challenge until later, and everyone agrees. After eating, Odysseus asks for a chance at the bow. Antinoos shows he is greatly against this, and the rest of the suitors are afraid Odysseus might actually be able to string the bow. Eventually Telemakhos gains control, and Eumaios hands the bow to Odysseus. Eurykleia is given instructions to bolt the doorway of the maids, and to keep it shut, while Philoitios fastens the outer gate. Meanwhile, Odysseus strings the bow with great ease and the suitors fall silent. Zeus sends a sign: a crack of thunder and a bad omen for the suitors. Odysseus aims and shoots an arrow through all twelve axes. He speaks to Telemakhos, who puts on his sword, takes up his spear, and rises to stand in the front near his father.

Characters & Their Lessons
Character: Penelope
Description: Odysseus’s wife who had about just as hard of a journey as Odysseus. She had to wait twenty years for Odysseus to come home. She had to resist the temptation of the suitors, which showed she was extremely loyal. Penelope was also very clever because she fooled the suitors for three years with her weaving. By day, she would weave a shroud for Laertes, and by night, she would take it apart. She has 112 suitors. She is the suitor’s prize; they can say they are equal with Odysseus once they have his wife.She has given up on Odysseus ever coming home, and is forced to keep her promise of marrying one of the suitors. She creates a contest for the suitors. Ironically, the contest suits Odysseus’ plan of action perfectly. Now we must ask: does Penelope know of Odysseus return, or was this mere luck? It almost seems that Penelope was in on the plan, and her part was to somehow get the bow and arrow to Odysseus. Isn’t it strange that she suggests this contest exactly when Odysseus has returned? For her to be involved would require quite a bit of acting on her part, but she has already proven herself worthy with her weaving deception. Hmmm.... Of course, this could all be a coincidence, but it is definitely something to think about.

Character: Athena
Description: Athena is the goddess of wisdom and strategy, who helps both almost everyone in the story. She gives Telemachus the strength and courage to look for his father. She also disguises herself many times to help Odysseus while he is on his journey. She encourages Penelope to announce the contest. She does not appear otherwise in this book.

Character: Maids
Description: They help Penelope fetch the bow and arrows.

Character: Eumaios
Description: He is the swineherd and one of the only ones still grieving for Odysseus. Odysseus reveals his identity to him later on, and Eumaios promises to help in any way possible. This guy basically devotes his whole life to serving Odysseus, but he is influenced by others such as Antinoos and Telemakhos.

Character: Antinoos
Description: He is the rudest, evil-est, most hated suitor of them all. And he is the leader—he decides if the contest is fair, and how it will work. He hopes to be the one to win the contest, but is fated to be the first killed by Odysseus. He is one of the lead suitors who tried to put off the contest for another day because they were afraid to fail in front of everyone. He is very outspoken, and is not afraid to speak against Odysseus (the beggar) whenever possible.
Lesson: He learns that Odysseus is not so weak and clumsy as it appears when Odysseus strings the bow that none else are able to.

Character: Philoitios
Description: He is the cowherd, and he is also told Odysseus’ true identity. His part in the plan is to lock the outer gate so nobody can escape.

Character: Telemakhos
Description: At first he acts like a young boy and does not think. He wants to string the bw and does not realize this is a terrible idea until Odysseus signals to him to stop. As the story progresses, however, he begins to realize the proper way of conducting himself. He shows complete authority in lines 388-397 when he speaks to his mother. This new Telemakhos is not a child anymore, and his transformation is complete in lines 495-496 when he is called “prince/Telemakhos, true son of Odysseus. Telemachus becomes just as able to make good decisions as Odysseus is. Telemachus is extremely loyal to Odysseus because he basically helps Penelope hold the fort until Odysseus returned. Telemachus also showed leadership when he set out to look for his father.

Character: Odysseus
Description: The epic hero, his fault is his hubris. He uses leadership and courage to attempt to lead his crew home. He also counts on the loyalty of his family and friends to help him kill the suitors when he comes home. He is one of the most important characters in this section. At first he plays the part of the beggar, and none of the suitors know who he really is. He is starting to carry out his master plan of finishing off the suitors. He makes sure everything is in order, from locking the doors to gathering weapons to giving orders to the maids. When Odysseus is ready, he decides to obtain the bow and arrow. Once he accomplishes this, he inspects the bow, which signifies his complete caution in all areas of his plan. When he achieves success in the contest, he proves to the suitors that there is something very wrong with the picture…
Lesson: He learns to be careful whom he tells his name to when he meets the Cyclops.

Character: Leodes
Description: He is the first one to try stringing the bow, and the first one to fail. He is not one of the rude suitors, and insults them by declaring the contest impossible to win.

Character: Melanthios
Description: He is the goatherd and the one who makes the fire to heat the bow.

Character: Eurymakhos
Description: He is also a very bad-mannered suitor, and he is like a sidekick to Antinoos. He holds off until the end of the contest, but he does fail at stringing the bow. He argues against Odysseus getting to try the contest, but is overruled by Telemakhos.

Character: Eurykleia
Description: She is the nurse and the one in charge of the maids. She makes sure none of them interfere.

Literary Devices
Epithet--Line 460
“The man skilled in all ways of contending”--This descibes Odysseus.

Personification--Line 476
When the arrows are described as “waiting still in the quiver for the young men’s turn to come”.

Simile--Line 51
The sound of a door opening is described “like a bull’s vaunt in a meadow”.

Protagonist
Odysseus; he is also the epic hero.

Antagonist(s)
The suitors; they are the only thing keeping Odysseus from returning to his throne.

Falling Action
Book XXI is part of the falling action of the Odyssey.

Conflict--Man vs. Society
In Book XXI, there is a man vs. society conflict (Odysseus vs. the suitors).

Main Characters
Odysseus, Penelope, Telemachus, Athena

Minor Characters
Eumaios, the suitors

Setting
The setting of Book XXI is Odysseus’s house.

Foreshadowing--Line 5
“To usher bloody slaughter in” is a foreshadowing of the battle to come, although in context it is only an expression used in Penelope’s thoughts.

Foreshadowing--Lines 108-110
This is a foreshadowing of the battle: Antinoos will be the first to die.

Simile--Lines 462-466
This is a simile describing how easily Odysseus strings the bow:
“like a musician, like a harper, when with quiet hand upon his instrument he draws between his thumb and forefinger a sweet new string upon a peg: so effortlessly Odysseus in one motion strung the bow.”

Motif
Disguises are a motif that comes up many times in the Odyssey, especially in Book XXI. Athena disguises herself along Odysseus’s journey, and disguises herself as Mentor while Odysseus fights the suitors. For the time while Odysseus was planning what he would do to the suitors, Odysseus was disguised as a beggar. He did this so that no one could ruin his surprise attack on the suitors. Disguises are a crucial part of the Odyssey.

Theme
One theme of this book could be greed. The suitors all try to take the bow because they want the power of being king and having Penelope by their side. Odysseus wants his old life back. The suitors want more, while Odysseus wants what he already had.

Theme
Another theme is having wits versus having physical strength. Odysseus uses his wits to trap the suitors in the hall to kill them. The suitors used brute force to try and string the bow, while Odysseus used.

Symbolism
The Bow
In book XXI of the Odyssey, a major symbol is the bow. The bow symbolizes strength, because to string it you have to be strong, both mentally and physically. None of the suitors are able to string the bow, although Odysseus can. This shows that none of the suitors amount to as much as Odysseus. They are not worthy of Penelope because they are not equal to Odysseus. The bow also represents a hunter. If Odysseus had been in Ithaca, he would have used his bow for hunting. His suitors did not hunt for their food, instead eating someone else’s. Because they were lazy and did not hunt, they could not string the bow. The bow also resembles power because whoever strung the bow would marry Penelope and become king of Ithaca. The bow is also a symbol of the Egyptian goddess Neith, who is the goddess of war. The bow also can represent love with Cupid’s bow arrow of love. br>
Wine
The wine is another symbol in book XXI of the Odyssey. It symbolizes the suitor’s greed for what Odysseus has, and their weakness, which contrasts the symbol of the bow. The wine made the suitors act foolish. They greedily drank Odysseus’ wine as if they deserved it. They even told Odysseus that wine could “do evil to those who swig it down”, not realizing that getting drunk from someone else’s wine would be their own undoing. This further symbolizes the fact that the strong will succeed, and prevail over the weak.

Twelve--Line 80
There are twelve axes. Twelve often signifies completeness, and this shows a person must be completely worthy in order to win the contest (the suitors are definitely NOT).

Red--Lines 132
Telemakhos has a crimson cloak…he is following his impulses. See red.

Thunder--Lines 471-472
Zeus sends a crack of thunder as an omen directly after Odysseus strings the bow. This is a bad sign indeed for the suitors.

Dead Meat--Lines 492-493
Odysseus says to Telemakhos, “The hour has come to cook their lordships’ mutton¬– supper by daylight.” This seems to be a perfectly innocent statement, but there is a hidden meaning behind the words. Odysseus is ready to commence the battle, and he needs to alert Telemakhos. In words only Telemakhos will understand, Odysseus says, "The suitors are dead meat (‘their lordships’ mutton’) – it’s time for the battle."

Sword/Spear--Line 497
Telemakhos has a sword and a spear, which both have symbolic meanings.

Connections
Rites of Passage
This book of the Odyssey connects to today, when people have rites of passage. The suitors have to string the bow to prove that they are worthy of marrying Penelope. Today, people have to pass the SAT to prove how much they know and that they are smart enough to get into college. Only the people with the right mindset can do well. This is like the suitors. They could not string the bow because they were too greedy, only wanting to do it because they could marry Penelope, the Queen of Ithaca, and everything she had would be theirs. Odysseus could string his bow because he wanted to kill the suitors, and to make them pay for their wrongs.

Revenge
Another connection to today is Odysseus’ revenge. The suitors upset Odysseus, and he plans to make them pay. Today, when people feel like they have suffered an injustice, they get revenge by suing. This is not as drastic as what Odysseus does, but it is still revenge.

The Sword in the Stone
That old classic story that we all know and love is similar to this book in the Odyssey. In both stories, people attempt at a difficult task to be the king. In The Sword in the Stone, they had to of course, pull a sword from a stone. In the Odyssey, they had to string Odysseus’s bow. Also, the one who becomes king is the one that is least expected to complete the task. These two myths are indeed very similar.

Track & Field
This book of the Odyssey can be related to track and field. In track, people compete against everyone, even people from their own team. When the suitors had to string the bow, it was every man for themselves.

The Alamo
In the battle of the Alamo, the Alamo and its defendants were put under siege. They could get no help or supplies, and there was no means of escape. In the end, almost everyone in the Alamo was killed. Book 21 of the Odyssey is right before the beginning of the battle. Odysseus secures the hall so none can escape or get help--- exactly like a siege. In later books, the occupants of the hall (the suitors) are annihilated, just like the occupants of the Alamo.

Celtic Mythology: the Hero Bran
This myth does not relate directly to book XXI of the Odyssey, but it is extremely similar to the Odyssey as a whole. All of Odysseus’ travels are very similar to Bran’s.

Japanese Leaders Visiting
Japanese leaders went to see a war shrine, and this could be an indication that they are planning an attack/war against North Korea. (N. Korea recently tested nuclear weapons, and Japan could be trying to challenge or defend against this.) In book XXI of the Odyssey, Odysseus has success at the contest when none of the suitors are able. This could be an indication of battle to come, just like Japan’s visit.

George Bush/Odysseus
Click here for an essay comparing Odysseus and George Bush.

Links & References
Study Questions

This Section By: Amy S., Meghan G., Tamara L.