What test did Penelope set for the suitors?

What test did Penelope set for the suitors?

But then Penelope’s ruse was discovered and the suitors demanded a decision. She came up with another ruse, an archery contest. She would marry whoever could string Odysseus’s bow and fire it through 12 axes.

What is Penelope’s challenge to the suitors?

She then takes her husband’s weapons to the main hall and presents them to the suitors. Penelope addresses the suitors and offers them a challenge to win her hand in marriage. She challenges the unscrupulous suitors to shoot an arrow through twelve ax heads aligned in a straight row using Odysseus’s renowned bow.

Why does Penelope allow the suitors to stay?

Odysseus’ wife, Penelope, has suitors because she is physically attractive and possesses great wealth. So, another reason Penelope has suitors is because she is expected to remarry. At the beginning of the story, we are told that Penelope has not made her intentions clear to the suitors.

Does Odysseus cheat on Penelope?

Pausanias 8.12. 5 records the story that Penelope had in fact been unfaithful to Odysseus, who banished her to Mantineia upon his return. Other sources (Duris of Samos; the Vergilian commentator Servius) report that Penelope had sex with all 108 suitors in Odysseus’ absence, and gave birth to Pan as a result.

What was Penelope’s challenge to the suitors?

Penelope held a contest for the suitors: Whoever could string Odysseus’ bow and fire an arrow through twelve axe handles would be able to marry her. This is a trick Odysseus did when he was younger.

Where does the story of Penelope’s test take place?

The story of Penelope’s Test is told in Book XXI of The Odyssey, and Odysseus’ revenge upon the suitors is told in Book XXII. Enjoy! And happy caching! And now the tale’s end. Penelope directs the servants to set twelve axe handles upright in a line in the sand such that the holes in the handles all form a straight line.

How did Penelope get Odysseus to take the test?

Penelope likely considered this prior to assigning the test. She also acted slightly flirtatious with the suitors for the first time, to make them believe they had a chance and to spur the still-disguised Odysseus to string his bow and retake his home.

Who was Penelope’s suitor who could string a bow?

She would marry whoever could string Odysseus’s bow and fire it through 12 axes. The bow once belonged to the archer Eurytus, grandson of Apollo, and no one, she hoped, could wield it. One by one the suitors tried their hand, but none could even string the bow let alone shoot an arrow with it through the axes.