What happens in chapter 21 of 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. Telemachus sets up the axes and then tries his own hand at the bow, but fails in his attempt to string it.
What characters are in Book 21 of the Odyssey?
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- Odysseus- Main character; when he doesn’t return from battle, people thought that he was dead.
- Penelope- Odysseus’s wife; in search of a new suitor.
- Eumeaus & Philoteus- Two servants that Odysseus reveals his identity to.
- Antinous- Suitor of Penelope’s who ridicules Odysseus.
What is Odysseus Plan Book 21?
In Book 21 of The Odyssey, Penelope holds a contest. She brings out Odysseus’ bow and tells the suitors she will marry the first one who can string it and shoot an arrow through 12 axes. Telemachus and the suitors try and fail to even string the bow.
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.
What does Athena inspire Penelope to do at the beginning of Book 21?
Athena inspired Penelope to set the bow and the axes before the suitors.
What is an epic simile in Book 21 of the Odyssey?
Homeric simile-Like a musician, like a harper, when with a quiet hand upon his instrument he draws his thumb and forefinger a sweet new string upon a peg:so effortlessly Odysseus in one motion strung the bow.
What is an epic simile in Book 21 of The Odyssey?
Who does Odysseus reveal himself to last?
Telemachus
Having defeated the suitors, Odysseus reveals his identity to Penelope. The next day, he and Telemachus travel to the house where Odysseus’s grieving father, Laertes, lives.
What does Odysseus promise to give the men?
He promised them both on his honor, and that he would keep his word; “if God shall destroy all these men by my hands, I will find wives for both of you, and give you land and well-build houses close to himself, and that they shall by friends and brothers of his son Telemachos.
What does the contest of the bow symbolize?
The ruse failed only when Penelope was betrayed by a disloyal maidservant. Primarily, the bow symbolizes the physical superiority of the king — an important point in a world in which the mighty prevail. But the bow also symbolizes the maturity and perhaps the character of the king.