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Summary: Arnaeus (Irus) tries to force Odysseus out of his house with words. Odysseus retaliates; this makes Irus angrier, and he challenges Odysseus to a fight. Antinous called out to the Suitors to watch, and everyone watches Irus and Odysseus. Antinous suggests that whoever wins will choose a goat's paunche for supper, and he will eat with them forever and no other man will beg again. They all agree that that Antinous has a good plan. Odysseus then suggests that they all swear not to help Irus in the fight against Odysseus. They do so, and Telemachus tells him to not be afraid and that he is the owner of the house, with Antinous and Eurymaches support Telemachus. Odysseus prepares to fight as Athene watches. The Suitors comment that Irus will be defeated when they see Odysseus' arms and legs. Irus becomes troubled by this, and Antinous accuses him of being a coward and threatens to send him to King Echetus the Destroyer, who'll cut off his nose and ears and feed his private parts to his dogs, if he loses to Odysseus; this scares Irus even more. Odysseus defeats Irus as the Suitors laugh. He drags Irus to the courtyard wall and turns him into a scarecrow, telling him to scare away the pigs and dogs. The Suitors congratulate Odysseus, Antinous gives him a large goat's paunch, and Amphinomus takes two loaves of bread and toasts to Odysseus by drinking out of a bowl, wishing for a happy future. Odysseus then says man is the most helpless of all Earthly creatures, and that a man's future and wealth lies in the hands of the gods. He continues by saying that he has committed crimes and has not been in the gods' favor, and so tells them to enjoy the lives they lead.
Summary cont. He also says that he sees nothing but suitors doing almost exactly what he had done-harming a man's property and disrespecting his wife-and warns them that the exact man they are working against is very close, and that if they do not leave before he arrives, blood will be spilled. Amphinomus leaves, fearing for the future. Athene then tells Penelope to go to the Suitors, and she decides so with two of her maids. Athene then makes Penelope fall asleep, and she makes her even more beautiful. Penelope wakes, and goes to see the Suitors. She ignores the Suitors as they lose their wits over her beauty and talks with Telemachus about how he is treating the "guest" and about the Suitors. Penelope doesn't ignore Eurymachus as he fawns over her, saying she gave up on beauty and happiness the day Odysseus left. She reveals he told her to marry someone else when Telemachus had grown up, but she did not want one of the Suitors, making Odysseus a happy man. Antinous retorts that they will not leave until she marries one of them. All the Suitors give Penelope gifts in order to win her favor. The Suitors then party until Dawn. At Dusk, when the maids go to cook dinner, Odysseus tells them to make Penelope happy. But Melantho, the maid who fell for Eurymachus, says that Irus will come back to beat him and that the wine must be influencing him. Odysseus replies that he will have Telemachus kill her, and the women scurry away to do as he says as he cooks the meal. Athene, during this time, wanted Odysseus to feel heartbreak, so she has the Suitors follow their words of hurt towards him.
Summary cont. Eurymachus says to Odysseus that he would like for him to be a farmer for him, but that he cannot because he has done many wrongdoings. Odysseus replies that he would like for them to be equal workers on the farm, because he is a good farmer, or for Eurymachus to see him on the battlefield, because he is a good soldier, but Eurymachus is too big a bully, and he wishes that Odysseus would come back. Eurymachus then becomes angry and throws a stool at Odysseus, but Odysseus was expecting it and ducked so that it hit a jar instead. The Suitors then become angry and wish that he had died before coming to the palace, but Telemachus reprimands them and sends them to bed. Amphinomus agrees, and the Suitors make an offering to the gods before they go to bed.
Locations: Ithaca
Study Guide Questions Why do they call the vagrant Irus? They call him that because he runs errands for whoever asks him to.What do he and Odysseus argue about? They argue about whether Odysseus should leave or not.How does Antinous propose to resolve the fight? Whoever wins the fight gets to choose what goat paunch he wants and he will have dinner with them then they will never turn away another stranger.Who wins the fight? Odysseus.
Study Guide Questions cont. What “advice” does Odysseus offer Amphinomus? Never to live a lawless life. Who does Athene have come to see the suitors? Icarus' daughter Penelope (Odysseus; wife) What does Athene do to Penelope? She casts drowsiness on her and makes her fall asleep. She then gave her immortal beauty. What did Odysseus tell Penelope before he went to war? "Wife, I do not think all the Achean soldiers will return from Troy unhurt. For they say the Trojans are good fighters too, both with javelin and bow, and as charioteers, who can tip the scales in an evenly matched battle more quickly than anything. So I cannot say whether the gods will let me come back or whether I shall fall there on Trojan soil. But I leave everything here in your charge. Look after my father and mother in the house as you so do now, or with even greater care when I am gone. And when you see a beard on your boy's chin, marry whom you want to and leave your home. What do the suitors send their squires to do? They send the squires to fetch gifts for Penelope.
Important Passages • Line 130 -151 • Line 212-243 • Line 285-304 • Line 333 - 345 • Line 366 to end
Themes 239- Homeric Hero when him and Iris argue. 243- Divine Intervention, Athene is trying to get Penelope to talk to the suitors. 244- Growth of Telemachus 245- Foreshadowing 247- Lack of Hospitality from maid
