Episode Details

Today on Ascend: The Great Books Podcast, Dcn. Harrison Garlick welcomes Dr. Alex Priou to discuss Book 22 of the Odyssey, the Slaughter of the Suitors.

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What happens in Book 22?

Odysseus stands at the threshold of his home, cries out to Apollo, and lets loose an arrow straight through the neck of Antinous (22.15). Chaos erupts in the hall as bread and meats are soaked in a swirl of bloody filth (22.21). Eurymachus attempts to broker a truce with Odysseus, but it is rejected (22.57); he then calls the suitors to arms and is slaughtered (22.73). Telemachus brings armor and weapons to his father, the swineherd, and the cowherd (22.121), but the goatherd sneaks weapons to the suitors (22.151).

On his second run, the cowherd and swineherd intercept the goatherd, tie him up, and hang him from the rafters (22.196). Athena first arrives in the guise of Mentor (22.217) and then perches like a sparrow on the rafters, assisting Odysseus with her man-destroying shield of thunder (22.250). The suitors fall into panicked madness as Odysseus and his men wheel into the slaughter, slashing left and right, with grisly screams breaking from cracked skulls and the floor awash with blood (22.311).

Odysseus spares the bard and the herald but shows no mercy to the prophet (22.327). The slaughter complete, Eurycleia summons the disloyal female servants, who help carry out the corpses and clean the gore (22.458–471). Telemachus oversees the disloyal women being slowly hanged in the courtyard—a pitiful, ghastly death (22.487)—while the goatherd is retrieved and mutilated to death by the swineherd and cowherd (22.500). Odysseus purifies his home with fire and brimstone (22.518), and the book ends with the loyal maidservants surrounding their king as he breaks down and weeps (22.528).

Chapters:

00:00 Introduction to the Great Books Podcast

04:40 Exploring the Odyssey: Book 22 Overview

06:58 The Role of the Gods in the Odyssey

09:55 Justice and Revenge in the Slaughter of the Suitors

12:54 Imagery of Food and Gore in Homer

14:49 The Cyclops Narrative and Guest Friendship

18:51 Antinous: The First Death and Its Implications

22:36 The Role of Recognition in Justice

25:05 Eurimachus and the Plea for Mercy

29:18 Piety and the Restoration of Order

32:53 The Political Landscape of Ithaca

33:48 Purging and the New Order in Ithaca

34:18 The Balance of Power and Leadership Lessons

35:24 Pedagogical Journeys: Odysseus and His Men

37:39 Divine Endorsement and the Purging of the Unworthy

39:35 Odysseus's Transformation: From Arrogance to Understanding

41:36 The Role of Recognition in Identity

43:08 The Consequences of Identity and Wisdom

46:29 The Tragedy of Odysseus and Penelope

48:42 Telemachus's Growth and Inexperience

53:12 Divine Justice and the Nature of the Fight

58:11 The Role of Prophecy and Piety in Justice

01:05:23 The Nature of Piety and Accountability

01:06:59 Eros and the Path to Ascent

01:09:52 Self-Reflection and the Nature of Desire

01:13:10 Justice and the Fate of the Maidservants

01:23:36 The Consequences of Disloyalty

01:30:37 Recognition and Political Rule

Discussion:

Dr. Priou and Dcn. Garlick examine the justice of the slaughter, noting that while Antinous dies without recognizing Odysseus, the goatherd Melanthius suffers one of the most gruesome tortures in Homer—strung up and mutilated in language echoing the barbaric king Echetus. They discuss the hanging of the disloyal maidservants, Telemachus’s role in thei