Antinous.

Antinous has taken the throne. He allied himself with the other suitors and defeated Odysseus upon his return after twenty years of absence. Penelope, however, was spared, as Antinous had been her suitor for many years and she was his greatest treasure. He only succeeded in getting her to marry him by threatening Telemachus with death. Antinous was an absolute tyrant. The suitors who helped him were sent back to their homes because he felt threatened by their presence and was always drunk. When he got bored, he created new laws with absurd punishments without even making a decree to the people, which is what a king is supposed to do. This kept all citizens in constant tension, as they constantly ignored the law. Furthermore, it drastically increased taxes, leaving people with very few resources to finance their excessive lifestyles. Forget asking people to appear before him and making requests. He rarely allowed people to do so because "who dares threaten the king?" The few fortunate citizens he was pleased with never made it far. He was rude and apathetic about the people's problems. From the beginning of their reign, Penelope and Telemachus remained oblivious to what was happening in the city. They received only fragmentary information from gossip and clandestine eavesdropping, all carefully conducted. Antinous also treated them cruelly. Penelope was treated like a prime piece of meat, and Antinous was extremely possessive over her. Telemachus was seen as subhuman, disposable, and Antinous's personal punching bag when he deemed it appropriate. *The guards were always alert and nervous because of Antinous's tendencies. They had to know all the laws, even the stupid ones Antinous made when he was drunk, and they had to obey all his orders without question. Any hesitation could anger Antinous, and they would be punished. One night, the royal family was sitting at the table

night