Odysseus' Revenge Gregory De Cola, Leo Ko, Liam Carey

Necessary Background Odysseus' son (Telemachus) is now a young man. Odysseus, in disguise, passes the test of shooting the bow through twelve axes to marry Penelope. The Gods are now in favor of Odysseus. The suitors have overrun Odysseus' house. The suitors do not know that Odysseus is the man that shot the bow because he's in disguise.

Summary of the section Odysseus shoots Antinous with help from Apollo. After that, with the suitors very mad at him, Odysseus reveals himself. When the suitors realize this, they look for an escape but cannot find one. Eurymachus makes a speech to Odysseus saying how Antinous made them do a lot of these bad things so he should spare their lives. Odysseus responds by basically saying that they have to pay for their actions. When Eurymachus realizes that Odysseus will not let them go, he tries to rally the suitors to kill Odysseus.

Summary of the Section. The suitors charge at Odysseus with full force. Just then Odysseus is aided by Athena, Telemachus, Eumaeus and one other faithful herdsman. As you can guess, Odysseus and his posse defeat all of the Suitors!

Character description Odysseus: Eager to regain his house and get his wife back too. Just killed Antinous so the rest of the suitor's are mad at him. Antinous: Head of the suitors, just killed by Odysseus. Telemachus: Son of Odysseus, aids him in the fight against the suitors. Eurymachus: One of the suitors, tells Odysseus of how Antinous made the suitor's do a lot of the rash actions they were accused of.

Character Description cont. (that means continued) Eumaeus: Odysseus' old friend from before he left who is a swineherder, he also aids Odysseus in his fight against the suitors. Athena: Goddess of war and wisdom, aids Odysseus in the fight against the suitors. Amphinomus: The third suitor that Odysseus shot.

Main Conflicts External: Odysseus vs. the suitors. Odysseus must kill all of the suitors. Internal: Odysseus vs. self. Odysseus must decide whether or not to kill the suitors after their plea.

Odysseus' motivation Odysseus wants to get control of his house back. Odysseus wants to kill the suitors in anger for all the bad things they have done. Odysseus want's to reunite with Telemachus and Penelope.

"Evil deeds will always result in consequences" - As revenge for their intrusion on his home and their wooing of his wife; Odysseus, Telemachus, Eumaeus, and a faithful herdsman are aided by Athena to kill the suitors. Major Theme

The suitors realized they were wrong in their treatment of Odysseus' house and their bidding for his wife after Odysseus reveals himself and kills Antinous. They try to make excuses by blaming Antinous for being the ringleader and placate Odysseus' anger by offering him treasures. The important lesson is knowing that evil deeds don't go unpunished. Lessons Learned

"If I can make this shot. Help me, Apollo." This shows that Odysseus' arrogance is gone because he is asking a god for help. "You yellow dogs, you thought I'd never make it home from the land of Troy. You took my house to plunder,... you dared bid for my wife while I was still alive. Contempt was all you had for the gods who rule wide heaven, contempt for what men say of you hereafter. Your last hour has come. You die in blood."-1439 Odysseus doesn't use emotions or anger to explain his actions, he rationalizes them logic and the laws of justice. Significant Passages

-Was Odysseus' revenge justifiable? Why or why not? -How do the suitors actions change from right after Odysseus kills Antinous to after Odysseus reveals his true identity. -If you were Odysseus how would you have treated the suitors? Would you kill them like Odysseus or forgive them? -How does Telemachus aid his father in the battle against the suitors? Discussion Questions