1. Book XX

2. Neither Odysseus nor Penelope slept well

3. Athena assures Odysseus he will prevail
against the suitors

4. Next morn, when Odysseus hears Penny
weeping, he prays to Zeus

5. Zeus sends thunder as a sign

6. A loyal maid hopes the thunder signals the
deaths of the suitors

7. Servants readied the house for a feast day

8. Eumaeus arrives with some pigs

9. Telemachus dresses for battle

10. Melanthios the goatherd arrives and taunts
the old beggar

12. Philoetius, the loyal cowherd arrived

13. The cowherd expresses sympathy for the
beggar, who reminds him of Odysseus

14. Eumaeus and Philoetius pray for their
master’s safe return

15. All went inside and were served dinner

16. Suitor Ctesippus threw a heifer’s foot at
the old beggar

17. Telemachus gives all of the suitors a sound
scolding

18. Suitor Agelaus tells Telemachus he should
order his mother to marry

19. Telemachus refuses, and Athena sets the
suitors to witless laughter

21. Theoclymenus foretells disaster

22. He saw the walls dripping blood

23. And the ghosts of the suitors

24. Laughed at, Theoclymenus leaves

25. Hidden behind a pillar, Penelope has
listened to the entire exchange

26. Book XXI

27. In the morning, Penelope retrieves
Odysseus’ special bow

28. The bow was a gift from Iphitus, later killed
in anger by Hercules

29. She carried the bow to the suitors

30. Penelope
announces that she
will marry the man
who can easily
string the bow and
shoot an arrow
through twelve
axes.

31. Weeping, Eumaeus set the bow before the
suitors

32. Telemachus set up the axes and tried three
times to string the bow

33. He would
have gotten it
on the fourth
try, but his
father
signaled him
to stop.

35. Penelope invites suitors to try

36. The suitors are unable to string the bow

38. Outside the gates, Odysseus reveals
himself to the swineherd and cowherd

39. The suitors decide to quit trying to string
the bow for now. It is a feast day of Apollo,
after all!

40. Athena urges Odysseus to try the bow

41. Led by Antinous, the suitors are outraged

42. But Penelope and her son both invite the
beggar to try the bow

43. Eumaeus put the bow into the hands of
Odysseus
Eurycleia locks up the maids and
Philoetius closes and locks the outer
gates.

44. Odysseus easily strings the bow

46. He shoots an arrow

49. He wins the contest

50. Book XXII Slaying of Suitors

72. Book XXIII Man and Wife

87. Book XXIV