Odyssey the Suitors Pester Penelope

Odyssey The suitors pester Penelope because Odysseus has been away for so long. They are blinded by their greed: for Penelope's hand but more so for Odysseus' fortunes and land which they would then receive. The suitors are so foolish that some of them, led by Antinous, plan on killing Telemachus to remove Odysseus' sole male heir and the only genuine threat. Their failure foreshadows their eventual demise and hints at their overall stupidity.

Without bothering to consult the gods or to venture to sea for themselves, the suitors are convinced Odysseus is dead. The suitors' symbolic blindness worsens when Odysseus returns to Ithaca in disguise. Eumaeus takes him in, unaware that the beggar is his former employer and later helps Odysseus and Telemachus defeat the silly suitors. Then the suitors fall for Penelope's plan of proving Odysseus' real identity: the archery test.

The suitors' main downfall is their own hubris, the arrogance they have that they have a right to take over Odysseus' wealth and steal his wife against her own will. Their blindness to their misdeeds is met with the wrath of the gods as well as Odysseus' effective brute force. The incident ironically bolsters Telemachus' strength and confidence, serving as a coming-of-age initiation in which he proves his manliness. 2. The sheer stupidity of the suitors is further elucidated in Book 22 when Odysseus kills Antinous.

He deliberately aims for Antinous and yet the suitors think it was an accidental shooting -- even after he completed the difficult task and wins the contest. The explanation for the suitors thinking that Odysseus accidentally shot Antinous is that they are stupid and full of hubris. 3. A sub-plot of Homer's Odyssey is Telemachus' coming of age. Coming of age stories and rituals are usually accompanied by a symbolic or actual journey. Thus, the odyssey is as much Telemachus' tale as it is his father's.

Before Telemachus set out in search of his father he seemed immature, even weak. He needs Athena to smooth out the path before him. She serves the role of fairy godmother in a fairy tale: a wise female helper. Telemachus' journey is a dangerous one but he needs to undergo it to prove his manhood. If Athena is the fairy godmother, Nestor is like Telemachus' godfather. Both Nestor and Athena are "mentors" for the young Telemachus on his real and symbolic journey.

Telemachus seems blessed throughout the Odyssey because of Athena's assistance. She not only helps him embark with a sturdy crew but also she warns him of the impending danger posed by the suitors. Yet in the end Athena allows Telemachus to fight his own battles, building his strength so that he can prove himself a man worthy of following in his father's footsteps. 4. Odysseus tells tall tales throughout Homer's Odyssey, culminating in his using a disguise to cover up his true identity.

In that case, Odysseus' motives are clear: to slip back stealthily into his house and to sabotage the stupid suitors. However, like any sailor Odysseus weaves yarns throughout the epic. Interestingly, Athena probably lies about her identity more so than Odysseus, suggesting that white lies are not necessarily morally wrong if they are done to accomplish a good goal. Therefore, many of the stories Odysseus tells are a means to an end.

Others are ways to impress people: he builds himself up in their eyes so that he seems like a more formidable character. Moreover, Odysseus also likes listening to stories, as he does at Alcinous's palace. 5. Odysseus also makes up clever names as integral parts of his disguises. His propensity points to the hero's astute mind, his cleverness, and his ability to manipulate situations with a touch of humor and mischief too. 6. Odysseus needs to outsmart Polyphemus. Thus, he needs to understand the cyclops' weaknesses and take advantage of them.

Odysseus also knows he needs to harness Polyphemus' own power to execute the escape. Getting the beast drunk was the first step, but Odysseus cleverly planned to gouge out the eye and he and the crew escape unharmed. Revealing the boisterousness and mischievousness in the hero's spirit, he also taunts the cyclops when leaving to rub in the glory of his success. 7. Odysseus' dalliances with Kirke and Kalypso are understandable, given the man was at sea for so long. Yet he does not dally too long with either woman.

His heart is at home, with his faithful wife Penelope. Odysseus' behavior illustrates a nuanced, mature meaning of fidelity. While Odysseus was not sexually chaste during his journeys, his heart remained pure. It is.