Summary16

Telemachus reaches Eumaeus's hut and finds the swineherd talking with a stranger who just happens to be Odysseus disguised as an old man. Eumaeus suggests that the stranger stays with Telemachus at the palace but Telemachus is afraid of the suitors: about whether or not they would start a fight with him or whether or not they would be upset if he brought some stranger home when his mother is trying to choose someone to marry. He is afraid that they might hurt the stranger because they are drunk and rude.He also feels that it would be wrong to bring someone home when his mother is feeling so depressed and pressured by people around her. Instead, he tells Eumaeus that the stranger will stay in his hut and that he will send all that he needs there. Odysseus however, find this fear irrelevant and stupid and says that a man needs to control things and that one cannot let other men take over one's house and one's possesions, he says that if that is the case, then you need to comfront the people who are causing this. To this, Telemachus says that he cannot do anything about it, that his mother neeeds a husband for Odysseus left a long time ago and the kingdom needs a king (Telemachus has not yet realized he is talking to Odysseus).After this, Telemachus tells Eumaeus to go to the palace and tell Penelope that he has returned. Once Eumaues is gone, Athena visits Odysseus and tells him that he must reveal his identity to Telemachus and help retake the power that is entitled to him and to prevent the suitors from further abuse of their hospitality. With this said, Athena removes Odysseus's disguise and his true self is revealed, the glorious figure that even Telemachus believes belings to a god. It was then when he told Telemachus that he was his father and they embraced each other and had the first family moment in a very longitme. This isthe first time Telemachus sees his father in almost twenty years. With this, Odysseus tells Telemachus about his trip with the Phaecians and also tells him that they must overthrow the power of the suitors and that they must get rid of them once and for all. Using his cleverness, Odysseus creates a plan to complete such task. Odysseus comes up with a way to surprise the suitors and attack them. He will disguise himself as a beggar therefore gaining entrance to the palace and with this distraction, Telemachus will hide the weapons somewhere where the suitors cannot get them. Once all of this is done, they shall kill the suitors.

Before Eumaus could tell Penelope about his son's return, the messenger from the ship tells the entire palace the news. The suitors now realize that their plot to take over the palace and to rule has been compromised and therefore proceed to create a new plan. One of the suitors, Antinuos, suggests killing Telemachus before he reveals the suitors' plan, but Amphinomus, one of the wise suitors, convinces the others that if they kill a prince, the gods would be enraged and therefore, they must avoid this. Later on, Penelope comfronts Antinuos for his plan to kill Telemachus and to take over Odysseus's kingdom, she tells him that he has no right to do such things. Antinuos however, using sweet words and clever ideas, manages to convince Penelope that he is doing is looking after Telemachus and that neither him nor anyone else shall ever harm him.