Suitors of Penelope

Penelope and the Suitors by John William Waterhouse (1912).

The Suitors of Penelope (also known as the Proci) are one of the main subjects of Homer's Odyssey.

Role in the Odyssey

In The Odyssey, Homer describes Odysseus' journey home from the Trojan War. Prior to the Trojan War, Odysseus was King of Ithaca, a Greek island known for its isolation and rugged terrain.[1] When Odysseus departed from Ithaca to fight for the Greeks in the war, he left behind a newborn child, Telemachus, and his wife, Penelope. Although most surviving Greek soldiers return shortly after the end of the fighting, Odysseus did not return to Ithaca until 10 years after the end of the Trojan War.

During Odysseus' long absence, unmarried men started to suspect that Odysseus died in Troy or on the journey home. Under the pretense of courting Penelope, these unmarried men, called “the suitors”, took up residence in Odysseus' home and vied for her hand in marriage. Rather than simply rejecting the suitors, Penelope devises a plan to delay their courtship. She claims she will choose a husband after she has finished weaving a funeral shroud to present to Odysseus' father, Laertes. For three years, Penelope weaves the shroud during the day and dissembles it at night to bide time awaiting her husband's return. The suitors learn of Penelope's plan when one of her maidservants, Melantho, revealed it to her lover Eurymachus. Upon finding out about Penelope's deception, the suitors demand that she choose a husband from among them.

The suitors acted disrespectfully in Odysseus' home, drinking their wine and eating their food. Odysseus' son, Telemachus, now a young man, was frustrated with the suitors. Telemachus lamented to Athena (disguised as Mentes, one of Odysseus' guest-friends) about the suitors disrespectful behavior. In return, Athena urged Telemachus to stand up to the suitors and depart to find his father.[2]

Once Odysseus returns home (whom Athena initially disguises as a beggar so he can plot his revenge in secret), his son Telemachus tells him that there are 108 suitors: 52 from Dulichium, 24 from Same, 20 Achaeans from Zacynthus, and 12 from Ithaca.[3] Together, Odysseus, Telemachus, and Philoetius kill the suitors and the maidservants.

Important Suitors

Although there are many suitors in residence in the home of Odysseus, three are particularly important to the narrative of the epic.

Antinous

Antinous, son of Eupheithes, is the first of the suitors to speak in the epic and the first to die upon Odysseus' return[4][5] Antinous is the most disrespectful of the suitors and is the suitor that devises a plan to murder Telemachus upon his return to Ithaca.[6] Although his plan to murder Telemachus is vetoed by Amphinomus, Antinous continued to display arrogant behavior in the books following. When Odysseus finally returns home, disguised as a beggar, Antinous does not show him hospitality and throws a stool at him.[7]

Eurymachus

Eurymachus, son of Polybus, is the second of the suitors to appear in the epic. Eurymachus acts as a leader among the suitors because of his charisma. He is noted to be the most likely to win Penelope's hand because her father and brothers supported the union and because he outdid the other suitors in gift-giving.[8] Although he is charismatic, Eurymachus is deceitful. Eurymachus discovers Penelope's plot because he is having an affair with one of Penelope's maidservants, Melantho.[9] Further, when Odysseus reveals himself to the suitors, Eurymachus attempts to avoid punishment for the suitors' misdeeds by blaming them all on Antinous.[5]

Amphinomus

Amphinomus, son of King Nisos, is the most sympathetic of the suitors. Amphinomus attempts twice to dissuade the suitors from murdering Telemachus. Odysseus recognizes this and attempts to warn Amphinomus to leave the home before the final battle. Despite this, Amphinomus stays and dies alongside the other suitors.

List of Suitors of Penelope

Appearing in the Odyssey

Slaughter of the suitors by Odysseus and Telemachus, Campanian red-figure bell-krater, c. 330 BC, Louvre (CA 7124)

While most of the suitors are not dealt with individually by Homer, some are mentioned by name and play more or less significant roles in the poem. Among the Suitors of Penelope are:

Appearing in Bibliotheca

An extensive list of Penelope's suitors is given in the Bibliotheca.[26] This source does not appear to fully respect the Homeric tradition, as the numbers are different and not all of the names known from the Odyssey appear in Bibliotheca. Due to the text being damaged, some of the names are repeated several times and the lists for Dulichium and Zacynthus actually contain fewer names than the given figures suggest.

57 suitors from Dulichium

  1. Amphinomus
  2. Thoas
  3. Demoptolemus
  4. Amphimachus
  5. Euryalus
  6. Paralus
  7. Evenorides
  8. Clytius
  9. Agenor
  10. Eurypylus
  11. Pylaemenes
  12. Acamas
  13. Thersilochus
  14. Hagius
  15. Clymenus
  16. Philodemus
  17. Meneptolemus
  18. Damastor
  19. Bias
  20. Telmius
  21. Polyidus
  22. Astylochus
  23. Schedius
  24. Antigonus
  25. Marpsius
  26. Iphidamas
  27. Argius
  28. Glaucus
  29. Calydoneus
  30. Echion
  31. Lamas
  32. Andraemon
  33. Agerochus
  34. Medon
  35. Agrius
  36. Promus
  37. Ctesius
  38. Acarnan
  39. Cycnus
  40. Pseras
  41. Hellanicus
  42. Periphron
  43. Megasthenes
  44. Thrasymedes
  45. Ormenius
  46. Diopithes
  47. Mecisteus
  48. Antimachus
  49. Ptolemaeus
  50. Lestorides
  51. Nicomachus
  52. Polypoetes
  53. Ceraus

23 from Same

  1. Agelaus
  2. Peisander
  3. Elatus
  4. Ctesippus
  5. Hippodochus
  6. Eurystratus
  7. Archemolus
  8. Ithacus
  9. Peisenor
  10. Hyperenor
  11. Pheroetes
  12. Antisthenes
  13. Cerberus
  14. Perimedes
  15. Cynnus
  16. Thriasus
  17. Eteoneus
  18. Clytius
  19. Prothous
  20. Lycaethus
  21. Eumelus
  22. Itanus
  23. Lyammus

44 from Zacynthus

  1. Eurylochus
  2. Laomedes
  3. Molebus
  4. Phrenius
  5. Indius
  6. Minis
  7. Leiocritus
  8. Pronomus
  9. Nisas
  10. Daemon
  11. Archestratus
  12. Hippomachus
  13. Euryalus
  14. Periallus
  15. Evenorides
  16. Clytius
  17. Agenor
  18. Polybus
  19. Polydorus
  20. Thadytius
  21. Stratius
  22. Phrenius
  23. Indius
  24. Daesenor
  25. Laomedon
  26. Laodicus
  27. Halius
  28. Magnes
  29. Oloetrochus
  30. Barthas
  31. Theophron
  32. Nissaeus
  33. Alcarops
  34. Periclymenus
  35. Antenor
  36. Pellas
  37. Celtus
  38. Periphas
  39. Ormenus
  40. Polybus
  41. Andromedes

12 from Ithaca

  1. Antinous
  2. Pronous
  3. Leiodes
  4. Eurynomus
  5. Amphimachus
  6. Amphialus
  7. Promachus
  8. Amphimedon
  9. Aristratus
  10. Helenus
  11. Dulicheus
  12. Ctesippus

References

  1. Homer. Homer's The Odyssey. Translated by Richard Lattimore. New York, New York: Harper & Row, Publishers, Inc. pp. Book IX, 30–34.
  2. Homer (1967). Homer's The Odyssey. Translated by Richard Lattimore. New York, New York: Harper & Row Publishing Inc. Book I, 269-305.
  3. Homer (1967). Homer's The Odyssey. Translated by Richard Lattimore. New York, New York: Harper & Row Publishing, Inc. pp. Book XVI, 245–254.
  4. Homer's The Odyssey. Translated by Richard Lattimore. New York, New York: Harper & Row Publishing, Inc. 1967. pp. Book I, 383–387.
  5. 1 2 Homer's The Odyssey. New York, New York: Harper & Row Publishing, Inc. 1967. pp. Book XXII, 48–49.
  6. Homer's The Odyssey. Translated by Richard Lattimore. New York, New York: Harper & Row Publishing, Inc. 1967. pp. Book XVI, 372.
  7. Homer's The Odyssey. Translated by Richard Lattimore. New York, New York: Harper & Row Publishing, Inc. 1967. pp. Book XVII, 375–415.
  8. Homer's The Odyssey. Translated by Richard Lattimore. New York, New York: Harper & Row Publishing, Inc. 1967. pp. Book XV, 16–18.
  9. Homer's The Odyssey. Translated by Richard Lattimore. New York, New York: Harper & Row Publishing, Inc. 1967. pp. Book XVIII, 323–326.
  10. The Odyssey, 22. 241, 293
  11. The Odyssey, 22. 284; 24. 103
  12. 1 2 The Odyssey, Book XVIII
  13. The Odyssey, Book IV
  14. The Odyssey, 20. 288 ff
  15. The Odyssey, 22. 286 ff
  16. The Odyssey, 22. 226
  17. 1 2 3 The Odyssey, 22. 267
  18. The Odyssey, 18. 296
  19. The Odyssey, 22. 283
  20. The Odyssey, 22. 79
  21. The Odyssey, 2. 15 - 22
  22. The Odyssey, 2.242; 22.294
  23. The Odyssey, 21. 144
  24. The Odyssey, 22. 310
  25. The Odyssey, 18. 299
  26. Pseudo-Apollodorus, Bibliotheca, Epitome of Book 4, 7. 26 - 7. 30
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