"Would I were young as you, to match my spirit now,
or I were the son of great Odysseus, or the king himself
returned from all his roving – there’s still room for hope!
Then let some foreigner lop my head off if I failed
to march right into Odysseus’ royal halls
and kill them all. And what if I went down,
crushed by their numbers – I, fighting alone?
I’d rather die, cut down in my own house
than have to look on at their outrage day by day."
– Homer
The Odyssey, Book 16, lines 111-119. Appearing in disguise to his son Telemachus, Odysseus-the-beggar speaks about how he would kill all of Penelope’s suitors if he were young and noble. He hasn’t yet revealed himself to his own son, but continues to lie about his identity. This is because he is unsure of who he can trust. Odysseus’ deadly warning about the suitors is foreshadowing of how they will all be slaughtered in Odysseus’ final battle.