Analysis of the Suitors

At the beginning of the epic, we see the suitors as one faceted characters all exhibiting a single trait: rudeness. They steal, drink and fight, all at the expense of Telemachus. They have no compassion, and no intelligence either, as they do not wish to reason or even listen to Telemachus when he tells them to leave. As Telemachus is gone, they turn worse and plan to kill him by ambush. They remain as one group and have the same traits. But when Odysseus returns, they change their whole image. Amphinomus exemplifies this, as he is kind to Odysseus, even dressed as a beggar. Homer is showing a compassionate side to the suitors, making it all the more difficult for Odysseus to kill them all later. This is really talking about the human condition, as it is easy for the reader to be frustrated by the suitors early on, and even maybe support their deaths, but as we see flaws and good character, that becomes harder and harder to support, and shows that the more human someone is, the more people sympathize with them.