The Suitors In The Odyssey
In Book 2 of, The Odyssey, many suitors are vying for Penelope's hand in marriage. They plan to take over the throne and assume the role as king because they believe Odysseus will never return. Telemachus, Odysseus's son calls upon the assembly with the hopes that they can do something about the many suitors in his house. While everyone involved, including the suitors, the assembly, Telemachus, and Penelope share blame for this stalemate, ultimately, the suitors are the most to blame for the fact that they've been consuming Odysseus's wealth for almost four years. One way in which the suitors contribute to the stalemate is the way in which they harass Penelope. The suitors are both challenging and reinforcing the role of Greek women in society …show more content…
Although he is young, Telemachus is technically the "man of the house" and by Greek gender standards has control over his mother. The suitors know this as they suggest that Telemachus is prolonging the situation by not "sending his mother away with orders to marry" (124). Somehow this is a credible argument to the suitors and they vow to "eat you [him] out of the house" (134) essentially squandering all their resources until Penelope decides to marry one of the suitors. Furthermore, they disrespect Telemachus by saying "your inheritance is going down the drain and will never be restored" (223) and "you've got some nerve laying the blame on us when the suitors aren't at fault it's your mother" (93-95). The suitors try to convince Telemachus that he has no right to be angry and that he's in this situation because of his mother. The suitors both disrespect Telemachus and his mother yet encourage him to do what they want at the same …show more content…
However, he is powerless to do anything about it. While he is the son of Odysseus and the would-be heir to the throne, there are limitations to his influence as he is very young and has lacked any father figure presence from birth. In the end, the suitors are the most to blame for the situation that everyone is in. They have exercised xenia far beyond acceptable hospitality agreements. They have overstayed their welcome, disrespected their hosts, and courted Penelope against her will. For these reasons, they are most to blame for this
Assignment On Odysseus In Book One Of The Book 'The Odyssey'
3713 Words | 15 PagesThen when she left she turned into a bird. 3. Why do Telemachos and his mother need Odysseus? Telemachos and his mother, Penelopeia, need Odysseus because there are suitors in his house trying to take Penelopeia 's hand in marriage and the suitors are always eating at Telemachos ' house. 4.
Telemachus And The Suitors In Homer's Odyssey
796 Words | 4 PagesIn The Odyssey by Homer, Homer introduces the epic with a struggle between Odysseus’ son, Telemachus, and the suitors. Suitors plague the household, once inhabited by the missing Odyssey, devour all of its food, and amuse themselves within its vast halls. There, they try to wed Penelope, Odysseus’ wife, yet she refuses to do so. Telemachus and the suitors engage in a grand debate over the suitors’ use of the palace. Telemachus argues for their removal and the suitors argue to stay until Penelope agrees to marry.
Examples Of Greed In The Odyssey
587 Words | 3 PagesThey are driven by their greed for power and status, hoping to marry into the royal family and become rulers themselves. Their actions not only harm Penelope and her son, but they also disrespect the hospitality customs of ancient Greece, which dictate that guests should be treated with kindness and respect. The suitors are a clear example of how greed can lead people to act in a selfish and
Theme Of Feasting In The Odyssey
867 Words | 4 PagesThe true loyalty of the disloyal maids The suitors in the Odyssey had a pretty straightforward mindset that is prevalent for many wealthy and young people even today, which is, whatever they wanted, they got, regardless of the consequences. In the story they wanted to eat like gluttons all day and every day, and so they did. They wanted to drink themselves into buffoonery and so they did. But when it comes to marrying Penelope, something all of them wanted to do, they didn’t, and the thinking that follows is not that they were patiently waiting for Penelope’s decision, Telemochases approval, or Odysseus’ officially known death, but rather they were distracted by the “disloyal” maids who kept them company and / or distracted all that time.
Odysseus And Greed In Homer's The Odyssey
1277 Words | 6 PagesPenelope, his wife, is greatly affected; as many greedy suitors disrespect her and move into their home to try and win her hand in marriage. Throughout ‘The Odyssey’, the greed and folly of men play a huge part in increasing the difficulty and severity of Odysseus’s situations and ultimately change his fate and the directions of his journey. The greed and folly of men are largely represented by Penelope’s suitors. In the very first book of The Odyssey, the disgusting actions of the suitors were introduced to the readers.
Pride And Recklessness In Homer's The Odyssey
1107 Words | 5 PagesTheir jealousy got in the way of what was truly right. When finally landing in Ithaca, he learns that loyalty is something that shouldn't be broken, especially when some of the suitors are from Ithaca, Odysseus' own homeland. This means that the suitors are disloyal to their King because they are courting his wife, stealing all his food, and slaughtering his animals for their feasts. Most importantly, they are plotting to kill Telemachus and Odysseus if he is ever to return to the island. He learns that the only way he can show that he is a firm leader is to reveal to all of Ithaca who he truly is.
Telemachus Coming Of Age Analysis
712 Words | 3 PagesThey are rude and act as if the house of odysseus belonged to them, eating food, drinking and making a mess. Telemachus calls an assembly to address the problem with the suitors “How arrogant
Athena Disguise In The Odyssey
677 Words | 3 PagesAs a result, Telemachus embarks on the search for his father and brings him home, ultimately preventing his mother from marrying one of her
Temptation In The Odyssey
381 Words | 2 PagesA major plot storyline, and one of the most explored temptations in The Odyssey, is Penelope and the suitors. There is temptation on both sides; Penelope certainly has waited a long time for Odysseus, and has to combat affairs with the suitors, and the suitors are lusting after Penelope. If permitted, they would have succumbed to the urge to wed her. Telemachus and Pallas
The Important Role Of Hospitality In Homer's Odyssey
583 Words | 3 PagesHomer opens with Penelope, Odysseus wife and their son, Telemachus showing hospitality to Penelope’s suitors. Despite this kindness, the suitors began overrunning their home, eating all their food, and drinking everything as if it was their own. This type of hospitality was expected, however. No one was turned away and beggars were considered to be from Zeus, sent to test the host. Telemachus finally admits his irritation with the suitors’ misuse of the hosts’ hospitality “But if you decide it is more profitable and better/ to go on, eating up one man’s livelihood, without payment,/ then spoil my house” (I. 376-382).
Penelope In The Odyssey Analysis
1041 Words | 5 PagesIn an epic poem, The Odyssey, by Homer, Odysseus struggles to come back home while his wife, Penelope, faces barbarous suitors who plague her house to court her for the marriage in order to claim the kingship of Ithaca. With an absence of the man of the household and a son who is not old enough to rule over the country and handle the domestic complications, Penelope endeavors to keep the household orderly and civilized. In order to prevent further chaos in the household, Penelope maintains her role as the Queen of Ithaca and Odysseus’s wife through her loyalty and cunning. For a woman who does not know when her man will return home, Penelope is extremely strong to keep hope and wait for her husband; thus, her unwavering loyalty to her husband
Penelope Struggles In The Odyssey
1601 Words | 7 PagesYes, Penelope struggles greatly with a very important decision throughout the course of the story. In the background of the main plot, Penelope struggles with a very important decision throughout the time Odysseus remains lost at sea. After many years without Odysseus’ return, the prospect of a new marriage inclines itself onto Penelope. The sons of the noblest families come to live with Penelope in order to court her for marriage.
Relationship Between Penelope And Telemachus In Homer's Odyssey
514 Words | 3 PagesHe ignores them at the dinner table and just eats, but Penelope chooses to have her food taken up to her room to not be bothered by the annoying suitors. These suitors are killing and eating all of the cattle, making messes, partying, and being very rude. In the beginning of the Odyssey, Penelope herself is not really focused on like Odysseus
Morality In The Odyssey
1314 Words | 6 PagesAnother situation where the moral was shown in the story is the difference between Odysseus and Telemachus’s view towards the suitors. Although they both knew that the suitors had to leave, they had different methods of doing so. “‘And you, if you have any shame in your own hearts,/ you must leave my palace!’”, Telemachus said to the suitors in attempt to remove them from the palace (2.155-56). Telemachus complained about the suitors and threatened them, while Odysseus took another route of action. Odysseus and Telemachus created a complex plan in order to kill each individual suitor who attempted to wed Penelope, Odysseus’s wife (16.298-330).
Heroism In The Odyssey
1332 Words | 6 PagesHeroism, tends to be difficult to define and remarkably ambiguous in literary works. In the Odyssey, however, Homer clearly defines a hero as a humble, determined, and loyal individual; thus, according to Homer, it is not enough to claim to be a hero, but it is also important to exhibit those qualities that Homer values as heroism. Odysseus, despite claiming heroism, upholds these traits inconsistently, as seen in his taunting of Polyphemus. In contrast, Telemachus, Odysseus’ overlooked son, dramatically grows up over the course of the epic and ultimately reveals his truly heroic qualities by the end of the poem. Thus, because Odysseus claims to be a hero, but fails to remain humble, determined, and loyal throughout the epic, he is not a hero.
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