Admin Table of Contents
What is special about Odysseus bow?
Homer describes the bow as being “palintonos” which is translated as “bent or stretched backwards”. Unlike the bow in Figure 1, which has zero energy when initially strung and straight, this bow requires significant energy to be strained from backward to forward curve.
Why did Odysseus leave his bow at home?
This is because the bow was given to him as a token of friendship by a man named Iphistus. The bow had belonged to Iphistus’ father who had been killed by Hercules. When Iphistus gave the bow to Odysseus, Odysseus was very honored and therefore, later, he did not want to bring such a special bow to war.
What is Odysseus plan to conceal the slaughter of the suitors in the palace?
He formulates a plan to launch a surprise attack from within the palace: Odysseus will enter disguised as a beggar and Telemachus will hide the palace’s surplus arms where the suitors cannot easily reach them. The two of them will then seize the arms and slaughter the suitors.
What is Odysseus handling of the bow compared to?
What simile does Homer use when describing Odysseus stringing the bow? He compares Odysseus to a virtuoso musician. What omen does Zeus send to Odysseus?
What does Odysseus bow symbolize in the Odyssey?
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.
Why does Odysseus string his bow?
The description of Odysseus stringing his bow at Od. 21.405-409, which is compared to a singer repairing a lyre, is formulated to be emblematic of the restoration of his xenia relationships and his position as basileus in Ithaca.
How does Odysseus tell his son to respond if the suitors practice shots on Odysseus?
How does Odysseus tell his son to respond if the suitors “practice shots” on Odysseus? If the suitors “practice shots” on Odysseus, who is pretending to be a beggar, Telemachus is to hold his anger and refrain from acknowledging his father. Odysseus practices the values of the gods and treats strangers with courtesy.
What is the reaction as Odysseus strings the bow and shoots the arrow?
When Odysseus takes up the bow and effortlessly strings it, the suitors’ attitude changes to one of shock. They are stunned into silence that they were bested by a mere beggar. At that moment, Zeus sends a thunderclap to break the silence.
Why is Odysseus bow so hard to string?
None of the suitors can even string the bow so none of them even gets a shot at the axe handles. The reason that this is so hard is that the bow is very stiff. This is a very difficult task to complete because no one has strung the bow since Odysseus did it, and it takes great strength.
Where does Odysseus get his great backsprung bow?
Summary and Analysis Book 21 – Odysseus Strings His Bow. Penelope announces the contest and retrieves Odysseus’ great backsprung bow from a secret storeroom deep in the palace. For sport, Telemachus attempts to string the bow and fails three times.
How did Penelope get Odysseus’s bow in the Odyssey?
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.
Why did Odysseus ask Antinous for the bow?
Antinous suggests that they adjourn until the next day, when they can sacrifice to Apollo, the archer god, before trying again. Odysseus, still disguised, then asks for the bow. All of the suitors complain, fearing that he will succeed.
What did Telemachus do in Odysseus and the bow?
Telemachus sets up the axes and then tries his own hand at the bow, but fails in his attempt to string it. The suitors warm and grease the bow to make it supple, but one by one they all try and fail.Meanwhile, Odysseus follows Eumaeus and Philoetius outside.