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Role in the Odyssey
In The Odyssey, Homer describes Odysseus' journey home from the Trojan War. Prior to the Trojan War, Odysseus was King of Ithaca, a Greek island known for its isolation and rugged terrain. When Odysseus departed from Ithaca to fight for the Greeks in the war, he left behind a newborn child, Telemachus, and his wife, Penelope. Although most surviving Greek soldiers return shortly after the end of the fighting, Odysseus did not return to Ithaca until 10 years after the end of the Trojan War.

During Odysseus' long absence, unmarried men started to suspect that Odysseus died in Troy or on the journey home. Under the pretense of courting Penelope, these unmarried men, called “the suitors,” took up residence in Odysseus' home and vied for her hand in marriage. Rather than simply rejecting the suitors, Penelope devises a plan to delay their courtship. She claims she will choose a husband after she has finished weaving a funeral shroud to present to Odysseus' father, Laertes. For three years, Penelope weaves the shroud during the day and dissembles it at night to bide time awaiting her husband's return. The suitors learn of Penelope's plan when one of her maidservants, Melantho, revealed it to her lover Eurymachus. Upon finding out about Penelope's deception, the suitors demand that she choose a husband from among them.

The suitors acted disrespectfully in Odysseus' home, drinking their wine and eating their food. Odysseus' son, Telemachus, now a young man, was frustrated with the suitors. Telemachus lamented to Athena (disguised as Mentes, one of Odysseus' guest-friends) about the suitors disrespectful behavior. In return, Athena urged Telemachus to stand up to the suitors and depart to find his father.

Once Odysseus returns home (whom Athena initially disguises as a beggar so he can plot his revenge in secret), his son Telemachus tells him that there are 108 suitors: 52 from Dulichium, 24 from Same, 20 Achaeans from Zacynthus, and 12 from Ithaca.

Important Suitors
Although there are many suitors in residence in the home of Odysseus, three are particularly important to the narrative of the epic.

Antinous
Antinous, son of Eupheithes, is the first of the suitors to speak in the epic and the first to die upon Odysseus' return Antinous is the most disrespectful of the suitors and is the suitor that devises a plan to murder Telemachus upon his return to Ithaca. Although his plan to murder Telemachus is vetoed by Amphinomus, Antinous continued to display arrogant behavior in the books following. When Odysseus finally returns home, disguised as a beggar, Antinous does not show him hospitality and throws a stool at him.

Eurymachus
Eurymachus, son of Polybus, is the second of the suitors to appear in the epic. Eurymachus acts as a leader among the suitors because of his charisma. He is noted to be the most likely to win Penelope's hand because her father and brothers supported the union and because he outdid the other suitors in gift-giving. Although he is charismatic, Eurymachus is deceitful. Eurymachus discovers Penelope's plot because he is having an affair with one of Penelope's maidservants, Melantho. Further, when Odysseus reveals himself to the suitors, Eurymachus attempts to avoid punishment for the suitors' misdeeds by blaming them all on Antinous.

Amphinomus
Amphinomus, son of King Nisos, is the most sympathetic of the suitors. Amphinomus attempts twice to dissuade the suitors from murdering Telemachus. Odysseus recognizes this and attempts to warn Amphinomus to leave the home before the final battle. Despite this, Amphinomus stays and dies alongside the other suitors.