Odysseus' Revenge
Gregory De Cola, Leo Ko, Liam Carey
Necessary Background
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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
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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
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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.
Major Theme
"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.
Lessons Learned
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.
Significant Passages
"If I can make this shot. Help me, Apollo."- 1412
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.
Discussion Questions
-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?