Book Nineteen opens with Telemachus and Odysseus preparing for the confrontation by storing the weapons that were laid around the great room. Penelope then goes to the dining room and watches over the servants who were picking up the mess the suitors left. Melantho degrades Odysseus once again and is rewarded with words from not only Odysseus but Penelope as well. Still not knowing the true identity of the beggar, Penelope has asks Odysseus about how he came to be on the land of Ithaca. He tries to dissuade her advances and gets her on the topic of the suitors. She goes into detail about her weaving. The suitors believed when she finished that she would marry one of them. She was able to hold them off for three years by weaving during the day and unraveling during the night. She eventually was exposed by her maids and the suitors forced her to finish the weave. She now "...cannot escape a marriage" (176). Penelope presses
Odysseus for information about her lost husband. He obliges and tells of his encounters with the King of Ithaca. Even though his statements are false Penelope is moved by his words. To appease her grieving heart Penelope makes the beggar describe Odysseus. His description is so accurate that Penelope is drawn back to tears. Odysseus assures the queen that her husband is near and will be home soon. Penelope takes these words to heart and stops taking pity on the beggar and views him as a precious friend. She calls her maids to bathe the beggar and make a bed for him. Odysseus refuses to let anyone touch his feet unless they have
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suffered as much as him. Penelope allows this and lets Eurycleia, Odysseus' nurse, wash his feet. While the old nurse washes Odysseus' feet she recognizes a scar he received as a child and calls for Penelope. Athena is able to distract the queen while the king tells the nurse to hold the secret a little while longer. After Odysseus has his feet washed and oiled Penelope speaks to him again. She tells of a vision that incorporates a hawk and geese. This vision is closely related to prior sights of Telemachus and Odysseus. All of these occurrences pave the path for the ultimate destruction of the suitors. Penelope then discusses her contest that will be used to decide who she will marry. This test encompasses using twelve axes that will be placed in an unbroken row. The man who can string a bow and shoot an arrow through the axes will win the queen's hand. Odysseus encourages Penelope to continue with the contest. The book closes with Penelope ascending the stairs to her bedchamber and falling asleep.
Book Twenty is leading up to the contest. Odysseus pretends to sleep by the fire but instead listens for the maids that leave and bed with the suitors. His blood starts to boil and he becomes outraged at their actions. it is only after Athena calms him that he lets sleep take over his body. Penelope then awakens and grieves about her life. She pray to different gods to take her life. The morning finally arrives and Odysseus asks Zeus for a sign to reassure the king that he will be able to take revenge. Zeus obliges and sends a bolt of lightning down. Eurycleia busies the maids to get the house looking its best because the feast of the day is public. Eumaeus brings swine to the palace that are to be slaughtered and converses with Odysseus. Melanthius flings insults at the beggar, once again and makes the master think of bloody work. The next
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character to be introduced is Philoetius, the cowherd. He speaks with Odysseus about his woes and how he wishes the master was back. Odysseus sees the loyalty of Philoetius and assures him the master is close. The suitors began speaking again of their plots to kill the prince. At that moment an eagle clutching a dove flies by giving a deathly omen to the suitors. Amphinomus, the man Odysseus tried to warn of his fate, tries to convince the mob of suitors not to discuss this plot. The men enter the palace and begin feasting on the prepared meal. Telemachus places the beggar at the table and warns the suitors about insulting the man. They begrudgingly listen to the young prince. Athena, trying to make the anguish of Odysseus cut deeper prodded the suitors to speak openly. Ctesippus wants to give the beggar a "gift" and throws a oxhoof at the beggar. Odysseus is able to move out of its path but Telemachus shows no mercy and pointedly scorns the suitor. The suitors probe Telemachus to coax his mother into a marriage. Telemachus refuses to push his mother upon another man. The suitors, with the help of Athena, find this display humorous. Theoclymenus is appalled by their reaction and prophecies their doom. Eurymachus tells the prophet they can help him out of the house if he does not like the scene. Theoclymenus retreats to the home of Piraeus. After the exit of the prophet the suitors become prideful and heckle Telemachus for his choice of visitors. The closing paragraph shows Queen Penelope overhearing the whole encounter.
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Book Twenty-One opens with Penelope gathering the materials needed for the contest. As she goes towards Odysseus' bow the epic alludes to the story behind the magnificent piece of weaponry. Odysseus' was given the bow from a Iphitus a friend that had been murdered by Hercules. After crying over the sight of the weapon Penelope climbs down the stairs and delivers her ultimatum.
"Listen to me, my overbearing friends!
You who plague this palace night and day,
...with the lord and master absent, gone so long --
the only excuse that you can offer is your zest
to win me as your bride. So, to arms, my gallants!
Here is the prize at issue, right before you, look --
I set before you the great bow of King Odysseus now!
The hand that can string this bow with greatest ease,
that shoots an arrow clean through all twelve axes --
he is the man I follow, yes, forsaking this house..."
This lengthy passage gives the reader a better understanding of Penelope's feelings. She is finally able to tell the suitors what she really thinks and how they can win her hand. After some of the servants being to cry, after seeing their master's prized weapon, Antinous degrades their emotions and tells them to leave the palace if they wish to continue. Telemachus steps in and pushes the suitors to begin the games. The prince starts the contest by trying to string the bow three times. On the forth he almost strings it but Odysseus shakes his head and stops him short. Telemachus plays this off that he is too weak and boosts the suitor's egos. Each suitor takes his turn at stringing the bow but they all each have their own excuse as to why it can not be done. As the swine and cow herders leave the palace Odysseus takes the opportunity to catch the men and see where their allegiance truly lies. After being convinced of their loyalty to their king, Odysseus shows the two men his scar and they weep because of his return. The King then gives the two men instructions for when the battle begins. The three men return to the contest but all at different time so as not to alarm the suitors of their eminent doom. Having no luck at bending the bow, the suitors resolve to try again in the morning. The beggar asks the suitors if he could examine the bow because they were done with it for the night. The suitors are appalled at this idea because they are scared he will actually be able to string the weapon. With insulting words they try to talk Odysseus out of handling the weapon, but Penelope is outraged by their actions and insists they let the beggar hold the weapon. She is astonished that they are worried about being embarrassed because the beggar could string the bow considering how they treated her
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palace. Telemachus, knowing what is to come, commands that he is in charge of the weapon and that his mother should go to her room. Once in her room Penelope falls asleep with the help of Athena. Back in the great room Eumaeus takes the weapon to Odysseus who examines the bow while the suitors taunt his every move. During this commotion the swineherd makes sure that the maids are instructed to stay in their own rooms not matter what noises they hear. The cowherd goes and locks the gates. These two events sealed the fate of the suitors. The book ends with Odysseus not only stringing the bow but shooting an arrow straight through the axes. It closes with Telemachus and his father readying themselves for the slaughter to come.
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