As The Odyssey continues to dominate the global box office for a second consecutive week, one question about its climactic scene remains prevalent. During the contest of the bow, Penelope’s (Anne Hathaway) suitors fail to string the bow that Matt Damon‘s Odysseus left behind when he went to war with Troy. However, following his return to Ithaca after 20 years, Odysseus successfully sets the bowstring and hits the targets. Here is why he succeeds where others failed.
Why could only Odysseus string the bow in The Odyssey
Odysseus was successful in stringing his bow for several reasons. An important thing to note here is that while Christopher Nolan took considerable liberty in his adaptation of the Odyssey, the Oppenheimer director largely kept the contest scene faithful to the source material. In the epic poem predominantly attributed to Homer, Odysseus strings the bow after the suitors are unable to do so.
One of the most undenible reason for this is that Odysseus is incredibly strong, but that’s not the only reason. We can assume that there were at least a few individuals in that hall who were much stronger than the man who had been wandering on the sea for a decade. So, it can’t be the only reason.
However, the poem provides perhaps the most logical answer to this query. It describes the bow as “palintonos.” In modern English, that word translates to “bent or stretched backwards,” indicating the bow had to be strung backward, unlike regular bows (via Greek Reporter). This means an archer requires special knowledge to string and use that weapon. So, while the suitors had little to no idea about how to use it, Odysseus did. As the film shows, he used it regularly for hunting and to show off during gatherings in his hall before his departure.
In those scenes depicting Odysseus’ life, we see him plucking the bow to let his prey know about his presence. Perhaps this is why he also plucks the string after his return, to give the suitors a heads-up before he unleashes his vengeance.
The Odyssey is currently in theaters.
