The Odyssey Part 2 Plot

When Odysseus returns to Ithaca he has no followers and nobody is loyal to him anymore.

Since everyone thinks he is dead, the suitors have invaded his palace, looking to marry the queen Penelope.

Athena disguises Odysseus as a beggar.

Odysseus can see Athena and Telemachus cannot because "for not to everyone will gods appear". This means that Odysseus has fought hard enough and earned recognition from the gods, or at least is a good enough warrior and has a reputation in Olympus.

Before Odysseus reveals himself to his son, Athena makes him young again, turning his gray beard brown again and rejuvenating him.

Telemachus thinks that Odysseus is a god because he has heard of him before and he knows that he left as a young man and should have returned as an old man but he sees he is younger and still claims to be his father.

Odysseus tells his son about his plan to kill the suitors and Telemachus thinks he is crazy. He thinks it is impossible because there are hundreds of suitors and they are only two men.

Telemachus tells Odysseus about the men from the island and others who have come from other places that want to marry Penelope.

There are hundreds of men with their helpers and armorers prepared to kill Odysseus.

Odysseus tells Telemachus that Zeus and Athena are on their side. Telemachus acknowledges it but also tells Odysseus that other gods are in favor of the suitors.

Odysseus tells Telemachus his plan for the next day. Both of them will go to the castle. Odysseus will dress up as a beggar, be the distraction. Then Telemachus will go to the armory and take all the weapons. Odysseus gives a reason for Telemachus to tell the men and then warns him one last time not to tell anyone, including Penelope, of his return.

Odysseus wants to keep his identity secret to everyone but his son because the suitors want to kill him and he hides his identity to Penelope to find out if she has been cheating on him.

Odysseus uses a metaphor to describe how the kingdom has responded to his absence, using the dog as a comparison.

Eumaeus thinks that Odysseus is somewhere far away, dead.

Antinous is a suitor who wants to marry Penelope. He is rude, not respectful, a drunk, etc.

Odysseus is calm when Antinous attacks him but he plays with him by pretending he is a god and cursing him.

Odysseus's curse is ironic because he talks about his wedding day and how he will die, and he knows this will happen because he is planning to do it.

Other suitors tell Antinous that he has to be more careful because the beggar could be a god in disguise and he could get punished for his misbehavior.

When the other suitors tell Antinous about how he has to be careful, it is ironic because Odysseus isn't really a god, but the chair breaks on his shoulder so the suitors think he is powerful.

When Telemachus sees that his father is being attacked and abused, he obeys his father's orders and doesn't do a thing, even though he feels angry and violent.

Penelope is a fair and kind person and she is horrified at how the beggar was treated. She invites the beggar in because he wants to give him food and ask him about Odysseus.

The beggar responds to Penelope about his origins, that he will cry and feel depressed if he recounts his life.

Penelope reveals to the beggar that she does not like the suitors invading the castle and she is loyal to Odysseus and will wait for him.

Penelope tricked the suitors for three years by telling them that when she finishes weaving a shroud she will get married.

But she weaves during the day and unweaves it at night.

Penelope's ruse is caught because the maids in the castle are gossiping about it because they saw her, and one of the suitors heard.

The beggar convinces Penelope that he has seen Odysseus by describing his clothes perfectly.

The beggar promises Penelope that before the next crescent moon, Odysseus will return to Ithaca.

Penelope thinks that the bow is fair and a good challenge because Odysseus could do it and she thinks that the strongest man will be able to do it.

After Odysseus completes the challenge, everybody is silent because they never thought a beggar could be that strong and skilled. Zeus makes a thunder roar to add to the intensity of the moment.

Antinous is the first suitor killed by an arrow, because he is the one that said he would marry Penelope and was bothering Odysseus.

When Antinous is drinking from his cup of wine, Odysseus shoots the arrow at his uncovered neck and kills him.

Eurymachus tells Odysseus that Antinous was the only one that wanted Penelope and that the rest just followed him and went with it. He then tries to negotiate with Odysseus, offering him many things in exchange for their lives.

Odysseus fights the suitors with Telemachus, and two other faithful servants.

When Odysseus kills all the suitors, Homer compares the battle grounds and events to when you fish with a net and bring the fish out of saltwater, hopeless.

After the battle, Penelope tells Odysseus that he can sleep on the bed outside their room. Odysseus thinks she is hardhearted because they had slept in that bed together 20 years ago.

Odysseus tells Penelope the story of their bed, how nobody had seen it, how he carved it and moved it into the room, etc. This convinces Penelope that Odysseus is who he claims he is.

When Odysseus and Penelope go to Laertes' country estate the next day, the angry relatives of the suitors come to fight, but Athena tells them to make peace, not war. The people understand and obey her and so the story ends.