Homer's Odyssey: A CommentarySnider, Denton Jaques
Philosophy
Homer's Odyssey: A Commentary
Snider, Denton Jaques
Epic poetry, Greek -- History and criticism; Homer. Odyssey; Odysseus, King of Ithaca (Mythological character) -- In literature
But in order to make a fair fight, it is necessary that the Suitors be
armed, in part at least. Melanthius, the goatherd, finds his way to the
chamber where the arms are deposited. Arms for twelve he brings, and
then goes for more, when he is caught. But now Pallas has to appear in
the form of Mentor, in order to put courage into the heart of Ulysses.
The first armed set of Suitors advance and throw their javelins without
effect, while the four on the side of Ulysses kill four men. Four more
Suitors are slain in a fresh onset, then two more; now their store of
weapons is exhausted. Thirteen mentioned here by name have fallen
beside those unnamed ones whom the arrows of Ulysses slew. The most
prominent Suitors are weltering in their blood, there are no more
weapons, the result is a panic.
(3) This is the third stage of the battle. A large majority of the
Suitors, probably 80 or more out of the 108 plus 10 attendants are
still alive, though without weapons and completely paralyzed with
terror. "Pallas held from the roof her man-destroying aegis, their
hearts trembled with fear, they fled through the palace like a drove of
cattle." The four men now use their swords upon the terrified,
defenseless crowd, and cut them down. Leiodes, the soothsayer of the
Suitors, begs for mercy and recounts his attempts to restrain their
violent deeds; vain is his prayer, he perishes with his company of
brigands, "for if thou wert their soothsayer, thou must often in my
palace have prayed the Gods against my return" and for the Suitors.
Thus the priestly man too is involved in the net, he knew the wrong,
yet remained the chaplain of that godless company.
Two, however, are saved, the guiltless. The bard, who "sings for Gods
and men" is spared, because he sang "by necessity for the Suitors, and
not for sake of gain;" also Telemachus intercedes for the herald Medon,
who "took care of me as a child," a beautiful gleam on this ghastly
scene. From Ulysses, however, we hear the moral of the event
proclaimed, which the reader may take unto himself: "From this thou
mayst know and tell to another how much better well-doing is than
evil-doing." So speaks the slayer over these corpses, which utterance
we may at least regard as an attempt of the poet once more to enforce
the ethical purpose of his work. Not a single living Suitor or
attendant can be found skulking anywhere, and none have escaped.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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