The Odyssey: Book 19

Book 19 (Sam & Emma)

Important Quotes
The first important quote we chose was “That left the great Odysseus waiting in his hall/as Athena helped him plot the slaughter of the suitors/ he turned at once to Telemachus, brisk with orders:/ ‘Now we must stow the weapons out of reach, my boy/ and ask you questions, put them off with a winning story: / ‘I stowed them away, clear of the smoke. A far cry/from the arms Odysseus left when he went to Troy/ fire damaged equipment, black with reeking fumes/ and a god reminded me of something darker too. / When you’re in your cups a quarrel might break out/ you’d wound each other, shame your feasting here/ and cast a pall on your courting. / Iron has powers to draw a man to ruin.’ ’ ” [page 390, 1-14]

This quote is significant because it not only shows Odysseus’ plan against the suitors, but has a great bit of dramatic irony wove it; Telemachus tells the suitors he is worried about a fight breaking out between the guests, when Telemachus and Odysseus are really the ones who will start the battling. The sentence ‘iron has powers to draw a man to ruin’ is very beautiful, and could be implied as a theme surrounding the Odyssey; seeing as war was the reason why Odysseus was twenty years late coming home.

Our second quote was “And so the man is safe / as you can see and he’s coming home, soon, / he’s close, close at hand—/ he won’t be severed long from kin and country/ no not now. I give you my solemn, binding oath. / I swear by Zeus, the first greatest god—/by Odysseus’ hearth, where I have come for help/ all will come to pass, I swear exactly as I say/ true, this very month—just as the old moon dies/ and the new moon rises into life—Odysseus will return!” [page 400, 344-354]

At this point in the book, Odysseus is disguised and talking to his wife, Penelope, telling her Odysseus is fine and will be home soon. This is another example of dramatic irony, or when the audience knows more than a character does; we all know it’s Odysseus but Penelope believes he is just a beggar. It is a crucial quote to this book, because it not only shows that Odysseus still loves Penelope and wants to comfort her, it foreshadows Odysseus’ return home.

The final quote we chose was “Oh my queen”/ Odysseus, man of exploits, urged her on/ “royal wife of Laertes’ son, Odysseus, now, / don’t put off this test in the halls a moment/ before that crew can handle the polished bow/ string it taught and shoot through all those axes—/Odysseus, man of exploits, will be home with you!”/ “If only, my friend,” the wise Penelope replied.” [page 409, 655-662]

This quote may seem similar to the previous quote we selected, but if you inspect it closely, you realize the quote is really about Odysseus begging Penelope to put off the tests. Odysseus is worried that Penelope will be forced to marry the winner which doesn’t seem like such a problem, given he’s going to slay all the suitors, but it will make things either messier or more emotional for Penelope. The last line in this quote also illustrates Penelope’s attitude; she has given up.

The Elements of Monomyth
The element of the monomyth that felt the most prominent in Book 19 was “rescue from without”; help given to hero to overcome final obstacle. Rescue from without is the point in the Hero Quest when the hero is very close to finishing his mission and must complete one last task. The basic plot of book nineteen follows this pattern closely; Odysseus must return home and infiltrate his own home so he get close enough to the suitors to slaughter them. “…now I’m home at last/after bearing twenty years of brutal hardship/home on native ground. But you know/ now that a god has flashed it in your mind/ quiet! Not a word to anyone in the house/ or else I warn you—and I mean business too—/if a god beats down these brazen suitors at my hands…” The quote displays Odysseus’ desperate feeling, trying to rush to finish off the suitors so he can finally fully go home. Odysseus is quite exhausted of his unpleasant twenty year voyage, and the quote shows how worn he is; Odysseus simply wants to be home. The only thing preventing him from fulfilling that dream is the twenty suitors who would very willing to kill him; so Odysseus must murder them before they discover who he is.

Book 19 (Nellie & Elizabeth)

Important Quotes:
Odysseus and his princely son, / and began to carry off the helmets, studded shields / and pointed spears, and Pallas Athena strode before them, / lifting a golden lamp that cast a dazzling radiance round about. / “Father,” Telemachus suddenly burst out to Odysseus, / “oh, what a marvel fills my eyes! Look, look there- / all the sides of the hall, the handsome crossbeams, / pinewood rafters, tall columns towering- / all glow in my eyes like flaming fire! / Surely a god is here- / one of those who rule the vaulting skies!” (19.33-43)

To begin with, the quote shows how breathtaking the presence of a god can be. Odysseus is easily used to such things. He witnesses gods throughout the Trojan War, his journey home, and he talks with gods regularly. Telemachus may never have seen a god, and didn’t realize till now how powerful they are. This passage shows how young and full of wonder Telemachus is at heart. Odysseus may take such events for granted nowadays, but=2 0that makes them no less majestic.

“But please, / read this dream for me, won’t you? Listen closely… / I keep twenty geese in the house, from the water trough, / they come and peck their wheat-I love to watch them all. / But down from a mountain swooped this great hook-beaked eagle, / yes, and he snapped their necks and killed them one and all / and they lay in heaps throughout the halls while he, / back to the clear blue sky he soared at once. / But I wept and wailed-only a dream, of course- / and our well-groomed ladies came and clustered round me, / sobbing stricken: the eagle killed my geese. But down / he swooped again and settling onto a jutting rafter / called out in a human voice that dried my tears, / ‘Courage, daughter of famous King Icarius! / This is no dream but a happy waking vision, / real as day, that will come true for you. / The geese are your suitors-I was once he eagle / but now I am you husband, back again at last, / about to launch a terrible fate against them all!’” (19. 603-620)

First, this passage is about a dream Penelope has. In the dream it foreshadows Odysseus killing the suitors, which is significant, because it is his final obstacle to face. It is curious that Penelope does not believe the dream is true. The eagle is Zeus’ symbol, and all earlier omens with the eagle came true. Perhaps Penelope had been hoping so much, that being so close to seeing her husband again was too much to depend on. Whatever the reason for Penelope to have doubt, the dream does come true and is one of the last steps in Odysseus’ journey home.

“My good woman,” Odysseus, the master of craft, replied, / “no man on the face of the earth could find fault with you. / Your fame, believe me, has reached the vaulting skies. / Fame like a king’s who dreads the gods, / and who governs a kingdom vast, proud and strong- / who upholds justice, true, and the black earth / bears wheat and barley, trees bow down with fruit / and the sheep drop lambs and never fail and the sea / teems with fish- thanks to his decent, upright rule, / and under his sovereign sway the people flourish.”

This quote is from when Odysseus begins to speak to Penelope. It is an epic simile, and an example of Homeric style. The epic simile reflects how much Odysseus believes his wife is influential. His comparison of her to a famous and powerful king shows his admiration for her. The quote is significant, because it is an example of an epic simile. Epic similes compare things in the epic to events that are easier to picture and/or relate to. The help the reader, and in this case the character spoken to, understand what the character is describing.

Elements of the Monomyth
The first element that applies the Book 19 is Magic Flight. Odysseus is helped by Athena as they together plan to defeat the suitors. As Odysseus and Telemachus are taking the suitors’ weapons, Telemachus notices how a god is making their surroundings look dazzling. Athena is leading the way and the golden lamp she carries lights the way. There are various times when the text says “Athena helped him plot the slaughter of the suitors.” Throughout his journey, Odysseus is assisted by Athena, especially as he is returning to his old life.
The second aspect of the monomyth is Rescue from Without. Odysseus’ final obstacle is to overcome the suitors. Though he is home, he still needs to restore order. This book shows him giving hope to Penelope, Telemachus, and the nurse. Odysseus is busy plotting how he is to kill the suitors while he is disguised and telling Penelope he is alive and what happened while he was away.