The Odyssey Bow Contest Scene, Explained
With a runtime of 2 hours and 52 minutes, Christopher Nolan’s The Odyssey is a behemoth to be sure — but that makes the climactic bow contest scene all the more satisfying.
To recap, poor Penelope and Telemachus have been waiting for Odysseus to come home for twenty years. Both of them held out hope that they’d be reunited with the warrior one day, but for Penelope, it seemed like that faith had started to dwindle somewhat. During Odysseus’ absence, an obscene amount of suitors (108, to be precise) took up residence in his home, all of them hoping to marry Penelope and, in turn take his place as the King of Ithaca.
While the story of the bow contest is technically thousands of years old, it kinda goes without saying that, if you haven’t watched The Odyssey, there are some serious spoilers ahead. Read at your own risk.
What Happens Leading Up To The Bow Scene?
Before we dive in, allow me to give you a little bit of context. Throughout The Odyssey, Odysseus is on an island with Calypso. When he stops eating the lotus flower she gives him, he slowly remembers how he ended up there, from his brutal actions during the Trojan War, to his encounters with sirens and a cyclops, and ultimately, the death of all his men. These deaths, among other things, weigh heavily on Odysseus, but ultimately, he decided to go home.
Once he gets there, he disguises himself as a beggar. Eventually, he runs into his son Telemachus and ultimately reveals his identity. The pair scheme together to get all the suitors in the castle as Telemachus holds a ‘feast,’ while Odysseus sneaks in, still in his beggar disguise.
Odysseus in his disguise speaks to Penelope. It’s up to interpretation whether she recognises in that moment whether it is truly him. Still, after their conversation, something shifts, as she announces to the suitors that there will be a challenge, and that the winner will win her hand in marriage.
When the suitors gather in her castle the next day, she reveals the challenge: whoever successfully strings Odysseus’ bow and shoots an arrow with it between twelve axe-heads will win her hand. This is a callback to an earlier moment in the film where Odysseus can be seen doing this with ease.
How Does The Bow Scene Pan Out?
Predictably, the suitors fail miserably at this challenge. Odysseus, still as a ‘beggar,’ requests to try. Antinous, in his most iconic and meme’d line, refutes this, declaring: “Somebody get these beggars out of here!”
Despite his protests, Odysseus as the ‘beggar’ is allowed to partake in the trial; managing to both string the bow and shoot his arrow with ease. At this point, everyone realises that he is Odyseeus, and a bloodbath ensues as he faces all of the suitors. Inevitably, he ends up victorious. While he ends up having to go into exile with Penelope for the murders, the pair seem pretty happy with that arrangement, with Telemachus ascending to the throne.
Why Is Stringing The Bow Significant?
The reason why the bow is so hard to string is because it is considered ‘palintonos’ which is essentially a fancy way of saying that the bow is backwards. What this means is that its limbs are naturally pointed in the other direction when it's not strung.
So, stringing that bow involves a lot of strength, patience, and a very precise technique. We know from the myth that Odysseus is known for his intelligence, so that cunning nature undoubtedly helped him perfect his method.
His background as a warrior helps too — it means he has a lot of brute strength and experience dealing with tougher bows than the average hunting bow you’ll find in Ithaca.
This strength, intelligence, and excellent aim all come together in this challenge — and given his stellar reputation, the moment he completed the challenge, there was no doubt that Odysseus had come home at last. It was an impossible task, but time and time again, Odysseus has proven that he can fight against the impossible — even when the gods are against him. And honestly, I think Penelope knew that, which is why she set the challenge in the first place.
