The section of text establishes the complex and climatic course that Odysseus has plotted between himself and the suitors. Through the description of Antinous’ actions, Odysseus property, and Odysseus’ rags, a stark contrast is created, highlighting the eventual return of the prior status quo. The lesser, suitors, have unjustly taken from the king. Now the king will reclaim what is rightly his in the form of a lesser, a beggar. The great odds facing Odysseus are also highlighted in the selected text, displaying that no man can accomplish what he is trying to accomplish. He is attempting to do the impossible, and thus the glory of what follows is magnified. The difficulty facing Odysseus is plainly laid out in the text. Odysseus is just one mortal…show more content… In this selected quote, the impossibility of Odysseus’ task is displayed in four ways. First, the usage of “who could dream” implies that no man could imagine Odysseus destroying the suitors (Fagles 1996, 439). The concept of Odysseus returning to claim victory is not a rational thought to the suitors. They would never suspect that their ruin was within their midst. Secondly, there is illustrated a plain numbers comparison through, “One foe in that crowd of feasters” (Fagles 1996, 439). Odysseus is one man, surrounded by likely one-hundred and eight suitors. It would make no sense that one man or even a few men could eliminate a crowd of that size. Thirdly, through the usage of “however great his power is,” Homer illustrates that no ordinary man could accomplish what Odysseus is trying to accomplish (Fagles 1996, 439). For a human, the level of power needed is not attainable. He could be the most powerful man in existence, but not strong enough to defeat the crowd of suitors. Odysseus is fighting the best men, the best sons. The best of the best are in his
