Review sheet chapter 17

James Kay

Characters
Eumaeus- Swine heard who Telemachus is staying with and who Odysseus stays
with. He is very loyal to Odysseus and to Ithaca.

Melanthius- Goat herd who bullies Odysseus but Odysseus resists a fight.

Theoclymenus- Man who makes a prediction that Odysseus is on the island

planning a revenge.

Antinous- Suitor who throws a stool at Odysseus, but Odysseus resists the
temptation to kill him, for now.

Argos- The dog that recognizes Odysseus as he walks past him in the castle.
Odysseus trained him as a puppy, but he had to go to war and the dog did not get
attention after that.

Penelope- Wife of Odysseus and Queen of Ithaca. Penelope is the woman all the
suitors are lusting after because of her wealth.

Athena-The goddess who transformed Odysseus into a beggar, she urges him on to
ask the suitors from food to tell the guilty from the innocent.

Odysseus- Is disguised as a beggar and goes into the castle lead by Eumaeus, he
finds out which suitors are bad and good and is assaulted by Antinous.

Eurycleia- Loyal housemaid who is one of the first to greet Telemachus when he
returns.

Important Quotes
"'A pity you have more looks than heart.
You'd grudge a pinch of salt from your own larder
to your own handy man. you sit here, fat
on others' meat, and cannot bring yourself
to rummage out a crust of bread for me!'" Book 17, lines 594-599

This is Odysseus and he is testing the suitors Sacred Duty of the Host by asking
them to give a poor beggar bread. When they do not he reacts like that.

“But the moment he sensed Odysseus standing by he thumped his tail, nuzzeling
low, and his ears dropped, though he had no strength to drag himself an inch
toward his master.” Book 17, lines 329-333
This brings up the loyalty of the dog to Odysseus. It seems at this point that the
only loyal man is his son Telemachus and the dog Argos.

Themes
Loyalty- Loyalty is a huge theme in this chapter. The chapter starts off by
testing Eumaeus’ loyalty, and he passes. The dog symbolizes loyalty because
he immediately recognizes his master and greets him with a tail wag.
Eurycleia also represents loyalty as she greets Telemachus first when he
arrives.

Prophecy- Theoclymenus makes a prediction that Odysseus is still on the

island and he is seeking revenge. This is dramtic irony because we know that
Odysseus is there. It is foreshadowing however, because now we know that
he will seek revenge.