What were the main faults of the suitors? How does Homer characterise individual suitors?

The suitors are vying for the wealth of King Odysseus and are determined to gain it before his son, Telemachus, comes of age and claims his father's inheritance. They invade Odysseus's hall, feast day and night, and abuse the laws of hospitality. When the suitors abuse the Greek custom of hospitality, and act like leeches as they waste Odysseus' food and wealth, they are punished severely, more so than Polyphemous, because the suitors should know better being Greeks themselves.

The suitors want Penelope to remarry because they believe that Odysseus is dead. They waste his food and hospitality, feasting in gluttony while waiting for Penelope to choose one of them. Antinous is the main suitor and thinks of several evil plots, one of these being to kill Telemachus when he is sailing to Pylos. They are punished by Odysseus after he reveals himself by completing a task that none of them could do, shooting Odysseus' bow, and this demonstrates that the suitors are quite unworthy people.

Eurymachus is a pathetic and cowardly suitor. He acts mean and vicious but when Antinous is killed he begs Odysseus for his life by trying to bribe him using money. Amphinomus seems to be the only suitor that actually makes a conscious effort to hold back the suitors from doing any more damage to Odysseus' home. When there is a fight brewing, he is there to calm the rest of the suitors down. However, when Odysseus warns Amphinomus, he does not heed the warning and so loses his life along with the other suitors. Amphimodon was another nasty suitor who followed Antinous throughout the book. All the suitors are characterised individually.

Antinous is given the most vile and dreadful characterisation. He has no respect for the laws of hospitality and is the cruellest, being the one who came up with the scheme of killing Telemachus. Eurymachus follows Antinous' footsteps all the way, being as cruel and mean as his leader until Antinous is killed and then we see that he is in fact a spineless fool who is terrified because he no longer has anyone to hide behind for protection.

Amphimodon is also characterised as an evil character with his depraved ways and treacherous plans of destroying Odysseus' household and taking everything. And finally Amphinomus is the other main suitor who in fact is nothing like the other suitors at all. In fact he is the kindest and most thoughtful, as at the end of the night, he is the one who sends the suitors home and he breaks up any fights before they even start. He is against the killing of Telemachus saying it is unworthy to kill a prince. Homer makes us feel compassion for him when he dies but also frustration because he does not accept Odysseus' warning and leaves when he is told.

Christina Layton