The Odyssey: Book 16

'Go down at once and tell the lady Penelope

that I am back from Pylos safe and sound.'"

This quote is significant because it is telling us that Telemachus has arrived home.

‘All too much with enduring heart she does wait for him there in your own palace, and always with her the wretched nights and the days also waste her away with weeping.’

This quote is significant because it shows how much Penelope misses Odysseus.

He came up to meet his master, and kissed his head, and kissed too his beautiful shining eyes, and both his hands, and the swelling tear fell from him. And as a father, with heart full of love, welcomes his only and grown son, for whose sake he has undergone many hardships when he comes back in the tenth year from a distant country, so now the noble swineherd, clinging fast to godlike Telemachos, kissed him even as if he had escaped dying

This quote is important because Odysseus has finally returned home, after for being gone for so long.

Penelope, Odysseus’s wife, finds Antinous and yells at him for trying to kill her son, Telemachus. Penelope overheard the plan earlier.

In this quote it shows how loyal Eumaios is to Odysseus.

The Odyssey: Book 16

Athena pulls the beggar out of the hut. The beggar, Odysseus, returns to the hut only to realize that Athena has gotten rid of his disguise and he stood in front of his son, Telemachus, for the first time in 20 years.

In this quote Telemachus is saying that he believes his father Odysseus is a god rather then his father that has returned home.

‘Suddenly you have changed, my friend, from what you were formerly; your skin is no longer as it was, you have other clothing. Surely you are one of those gods who hold the high heaven. Be gracious, then: so we shall give you favored offerings and golden gifts that have been well wrought. Only be merciful.’

Odysseus quickly hugs his son and Telemachus and Odysseus cry in happiness.

Odysseus and Telemachus come up with a plan to overthrow the Suitors that took over the Palace while they were away.

Telemachus is alone in the hut with the “Beggar” that Eumaeus let stay overnight in his hut. The Beggar is Odysseus in disguise.

Telemachus returns home finally after a long trip at sea. Once he is back he visits Eumaeus's, his swine herder's, hut.

Eurymachus, a suitor, calms her down and deceives her about caring about Telemachus and saying nothing bad will happen to him.

Odysseus will go into the Palace as a beggar while Telemachus will take the Palace’s weapons and hide them from the suitors. Meanwhile, the Suitors find out that Telemachus has returned home before Eumaeus delivers the message. They come to the realization that their plan to kill Telemachus has failed.

‘I wish that I were truly as young as I am in spirit, or a son of stately Odysseus were here, or he himself might come in from his wandering. There is time still for hope. If such things could be, another could strike my head from my shoulders if I did not come as an evil thing to all those people as I entered the palace of Odysseus, the son of Laertes. And if I, fighting alone, were subdued by all their number, then I would rather die, cut down in my own palace, than to have to go on watching forever these shameful activities, guests being battered about, or to see them rudely mishandling the serving women all about the beautiful palace, to see them drawing the wine and eating up food in this utterly reckless way, without end, forever and always at it.’- Odysseus

Antinous, a head suitor, decides that they should kill Telemachus before he can call them out on the plan. Amphinomus, to surprise, told them to wait for a sign from the Gods before doing a dramatic move such as killing the King’s son.

In this quote Odysseus is telling Telemachus that it is better to die fighting then live dealing with the bad behavior of the suitors.

Eumaeus is very excited because of Telemachus’s return. He decides to go into the Palace, Telemachus’s home, to announce his arrival.