The Odyssey: Book 20 Flashcards
Themes:
- betrayal
- omen
- prayer
- Xenia
- anger
- supernatural
- conflict
Summary:
Odysseus sees the maids going to sleep with the suitors and is enraged at their betrayal. Athena gives Odysseus a speech and Penelope prays for death and dreams that Odysseus will come back but doesn’t believe the good omen. Odysseus wakes at dawn and asks Zeus for a sign he was meant to come home - Zeus heard and sends a thunderclap through a perfectly clear sky.
Melanthios comes to taunt Odysseus and philoitios treats Odysseus nicely and notices the resemblance between Odysseus and the beggar he’s disguised as. He asks eumaeus and philoitios if they would fight on odysseus’ side against the suitors and they agree.
The suitors taunt Odysseus and ktesippos throws a cows foot (stool) at the beggar but Odysseus dodges and Telemachus runs to Odysseus’ defense. Theoclymenus has a vision of the hall filled with blood and shades of the dead but the suitors laugh at him
