Odyssey part 3
I think he kills the suitors first so they don't try to hurt him when he reconciles with her. It might also bring more obstacles for the both of them because the suitors will become jealous and will try to get Penelope's attention away from him.
Identify why Homer has Odysseus kill the suitors before he reunites with Penelope.
The suitors call Odysseus a "bow lover" and a "dealer in old bows". They also say that "he must have one like it at home". It's an example of dramatic irony because they do not know that he is Odysseus, he is extremely educated on the matter of bows, he is holding his own bow, and he is home. It becomes even more ironic because they do not know that the reason he did all he did with the bow was as part of his plan to transform and kill them.
How do the suitors ridicule the "beggar"? How is this ironic?
Odysseus comes home. When he does, he finds the suitors in his house and they are acting rudely towards Penelope. They are eating her food, drinking her drinks, and using all of Telemachus's inheritance. They are also trying to court his wife. He then attacks and kills the suitors.
How has Teiresias's prophecies come true?
Odysseus is disguised as a beggar when he arrives in Ithaca. He is shriveled and old and is covered in rags.
How is Odysseus disguised when he arrives in Ithaca?
I think Penelope is justified to act the way she did. I think because her husband has been away for twenty years and for those years there were men who were trying to go after her and her riches. She might have become more reserved and probably learned how to keep herself safe during those years. She might have also been afraid that somebody was trying to imitate or be an imposter of Odysseus. She wasn't sure she could trust anyone but herself, and if she did trust this man, she needed to know if it honestly was him.
Is Penelope justified to act the way she did? Explain.
At first, they all begin to scorn at him for killing their leader, Antinous. They also threaten to kill him. Odysseus replies saying that they betrayed and defied him. They rudely took over his house and wife, not caring whether or not he was alive, and because of that, they were going to die. After, Eurymachus begins making excuses. He tells him that Antinous made them do all the things they did. He says that he (Antinous) was the first to do it. He also says that Antinous could care less about marriage; what he really wanted was power. He says that Antinous almost killed Telemachus once, but didn't. He tells him that to let them free and they will pay him back. Odysseus rejects the offer. He also tells him to try leaving if he wants, but nobody will be able to escape.
What do the suitors tell Odysseus after he reveals himself? How does he respond?
Penelope needs to know that he knows their secret. Their secret is the bed Odysseus made. He made the bed out of silvery leaves and branches. He hewed and shaped the stump of silvery leaves and branches from the roots up into a bedpost. He then drilled it and made it a model for the rest of the bed. He decorated it with silver, gold, and ivory. He then put a bed between a web of oxhide thongs which were dyed crimson.
What does it take for Penelope to believe that Odysseus is her husband.
Penelope is compared to the sun warmed earth that is longed for by a swimmer.
What is Penelope being compared to?
The suitors must string Odysseus's hunting now that only he knew how to string. After that, they must shoot an arrow through twelve axe handles. If they accomplished this, they would win her hand in marriage.
What must the suitors do to gain Penelope's hand in marriage?
Athena disguises Odysseus because she knows what will happen if he goes back to his home as himself. He will meet with the suitors. The suitors, probably filled with jealousy and rage, will try to attack him.
Why did Athena choose to disguise Odysseus?