What is book 21 about in the Odyssey?

What is book 21 about in the Odyssey?

Summary: Book 21 Penelope gets Odysseus’s bow out of the storeroom and announces that she will marry the suitor who can string it and then shoot an arrow through a line of twelve axes. He feels disgraced that he cannot string it, because he knows that this failure proves his inferiority to Odysseus.

Who did Odysseus reveal himself to in 21?

Odysseus then goes outside and reveals his identity to Eumaeus and Philoetius, who promise him their loyalty. Odysseus tells them their part in his plan to slaughter the suitors and goes back to the contest. He strings the bow and shoots his first arrow through the 12 axes and signals Telemachus to begin the slaughter.

What makes Odysseus a hero in Book 21?

Odysseus’s ability to string the bow and shoot an arrow through the 12 axes speaks to his heroic strength. The scene is also important because, not only does it reveal his real identity to the suitors, but it also shows that he is stronger and more capable than they are.

Why can’t the suitors string the bow can Telemachus string it?

Telemachus tries it first, to set an example, but he can’t even string the bow. The suitor Leodes tries the bow and fails: it is too stiff to bend. Other suitors lack the strength to string it as well.

What is the conflict in Book 21 of the Odyssey?

Conflicts. ~ The suitors are all trying to win over Penelope and her wealth through winning the contest. ~Odysseus wants to be the king again, and bring his palace back to order.

Why does Penelope cry over Odysseus bow?

Odysseus’s two suitors. Why is Penelope crying in lines 1-4? Because she is sad that he isn’t home yet. She proposed that whoever can string Odysseus’s rigid bow and shoot an arrow through a dozen axes.

Who does Odysseus reveal himself to?

Telemachus
91)? This is the moment when Odysseus reveals himself to Telemachus (DISGUISE AND RECOGNITION — here on p. 246).

Who betrayed Odysseus in Book 22?

Telemachus then kills the twelve female servants disloyal to Odysseus. Odysseus finally orders Eurycleia to bring him sulfur and fire so he can fumigate the palace. And that is where Book 22 ends.

What is the main conflict in the Odyssey?

The main conflict in the Odyssey is Odysseus’s ten-year struggle to return home to his wife and son on Ithaca after the conclusion of the Trojan War.

What was the most important conflict in the Odyssey?

Man v god is the most important conflict in the story. Towards the beginning of the story Odysseus goes to war against the Trojans and wins. What he doesn’t know is that the great God Poseidon favored Odysseus and his army and helped them win the Trojan War.