Commentary on The Odeyssey

stopped that glutton.” Without knowing that the stranger was Odysseus there prophetic words had destined them to death, as Odysseus’s dearest wish was to have the suitors out of his house. The word glutton can also be considered to represent the suitors, as they are gluttonous by living off of Odysseus’s fortune. Glutton also shows that the suitors crave food, and it is culinary imagery. In Ancient Greece, food was akin to power, the more food you had the more powerful you were. Therefore, the suitors were craving power. The food can also represent submission to temptation. Because of the culinary imagery that the suitors are fond of, it shows that, they submit to temptation very easily. The lines 124 – 129 contain an important theme. The theme is that a son should be like his father. Odysseus says, “Like your father . . . his great reputation. . . You are his son, they say . . . seem to be intelligent” He says this to Amphinomus, who is a suitor living off of Odysseus’s wealth. He says like father like son, and if this was true, then Amphinomus would wise up and leave the palace and trying to court Penelope. However, his actions were not like his fathers, as well as him stepping out of his social standing, and thus he was doomed to die. There is also foreshadowing shown in the lines 118 and 119. This is when Odysseus was given fat and blood by Antinous, and 2 loaves of bread by Amphonomus. This symbolizes giving power to Odysseus. The blood also represents what is to come of them. Literally, Antinous gave Odysseus his blood. Near the end of the passage there is even more foreshadowing, in the line149 and 150, In which Odysseus, in disguise says, “Once he (Odysseus) is under his own roof . . . blood will be spilt before . . . the suitors are departed”. He knows that the suitors will not leave his house peacefully, so he is stating that he will kill them in order for them to leave. They will be killed because the stepped out of line socially, they were lower than Odysseus, yet they were planning to kill and replace those that were above them in the social ladder. Due to this there was retribution, and they were smitten. As the passage progresses the foreshadowing becomes more and more clear. In the beginning his foreshadowing is very vague like when he says, “let that be a lesson to every man never to live a lawless life but quietly to enjoy what the gods give him”, to very clear as in “Blood will be split before he and the suitors are parted”. In disguise he gives the suitors a warning that there will be death when they and Odysseus meet. He is also making an oath to himself by saying that he will have revenge on the suitors.