Book+XXII

=The Odyssey - Book XXII=

====The climax of the story is here, in Book XXII. Odysseus is ready to reclaim his rightful kingdom. But first he must deal with more than a hundred young and hostile suitors. The first one he turns to is Antinoös. ====

Athena

Odysseus is currently in the last stage of the Hero's Cycle: **The Hero Returns Home.**

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"You are not the man you were, Odysseus! Where is the courage and strength you showed in that endless conflict, those nine years of battles for beautiful Helen! Many a man you killed in open fight, and by your device the great city of Priam was taken! Now you have come back to hearth and home, why do you grumble to show your strength before a pack of young men in love? Lazy man, stand by my side and see a masterpiece!" - Homer,. //The Odyssey//. New York: Signet Classic, 1999. 247. Print.======

Odysseus

The most important event of Book XXII, is when Odysseus finally gets revenge against the suitors who are relentlessly pursuing Penelope. After successfully shooting an arrow throught the ax heads, Odysseus reveals himself to the suitors and begins the slaughter of the the suitors by shooting the biggest threat, Antinoos, through the throat while he was drinking wine from a cup. Telemachus joins the battle and helps his father to kill the rest of the suitors.

The slaughter of the suitors is an important event in the tale of __The Odyssey__, because it is the moment Odysseus has been waiting for. After a twenty year wait and an ardous journey, Odysseus is finally able to defend his wife, Penelope, from the relentless suitors at the time when they were becoming the most impatient with her stalling techniques. This particular event affects the plot of the story greatly, because Odysseus finally reveals himself and is reunited with Penelope. Without this moment, it is possible the Penelope would lose all hope of seeing Odysseus again and marry one of the suitors, therefore giving all of the money, property, and status that Odysseus had to the suitor.