Pisander

Pisander, son of Polyctor, is one of the twelve suitors from Ithaca itself who occupy Odysseus's house and consume his wealth while pressing Penelope to marry. He appears only in the final books of the poem, where his role is confined to the climactic contest of the bow and the ensuing massacre. His presence among the suitors marks him as part of the local nobility that has betrayed its absent king, and his death at the hands of a loyal servant rather than by Odysseus's own hand emphasizes the totality of the household's uprising against the invaders.

Identity and Role Among the Suitors

Pisander is named among the Ithacan suitors, a group of twelve well-born men who, together with contingents from Dulichium, Same, and Zacynthus, have overrun Odysseus's home. The poet lists him specifically as one of those who bring gifts to Penelope when she cunningly solicits presents from the suitors: "king Pisander son of Polyctor gave her a necklace of the rarest workmanship" . This act places him among the wealthier suitors who compete for Penelope's hand through material offerings, though the gesture is hollow, as the suitors are simultaneously devouring Odysseus's estate without recompense. Pisander's father, Polyctor, is otherwise unknown in the poem, but the patronymic establishes him as a member of a local Ithacan family of standing.

Participation in the Contest of the Bow

When Penelope proposes the contest of the bow—promising to marry the man who can string Odysseus's great bow and shoot an arrow through twelve axe heads—Pisander is among those who attempt the feat. The bow, a gift from Iphitus son of Eurytus, is so stiff that none of the suitors can string it. Leiodes, the sacrificial priest, tries first and fails; the others warm and grease the bow but still cannot bend it. Pisander, like the rest, proves unequal to the task, and the contest stalls until Odysseus, still disguised as a beggar, takes the bow and strings it effortlessly. Pisander's failure is part of the collective humiliation of the suitors, who are shown to be weak and unworthy of Penelope compared to the true master of the house.

Death in the Slaughter of the Suitors

After Odysseus reveals himself and begins killing the suitors with his arrows, a fierce battle ensues in the great hall. When the suitors arm themselves with weapons smuggled by the treacherous goatherd Melanthius, the fighting intensifies. Odysseus and his allies—Telemachus, the swineherd Eumaeus, and the stockman Philoetius—stand together against the remaining suitors. In the second volley of spears, after Minerva deflects the suitors' throws, Odysseus's party strikes back. The text records: "Eumaeus killed Elatus, while the stockman killed Pisander" . Pisander thus falls not to Odysseus or Telemachus but to Philoetius, the loyal cowherd who had earlier wept at the sight of Odysseus's rags and pledged to fight for his master. This detail reinforces the theme of servant loyalty: the faithful herdsmen, whom Odysseus had tested and revealed himself to, actively participate in the restoration of order. Pisander's death, alongside that of other suitors, contributes to the pile of corpses that Euryclea later finds, and his body is carried out to the gatehouse along with the others.

Significance and Thematic Role

Pisander's brief appearance serves several narrative functions. As one of the twelve Ithacan suitors, he represents the local elite who have betrayed their king, making the slaughter not merely a foreign invasion but a civil conflict within Ithaca itself. His gift of a necklace to Penelope illustrates the suitors' superficial courtship, which combines lavish presents with the destruction of Odysseus's property. His death at the hands of Philoetius, a servant, underscores the poem's moral economy: those who have been loyal to Odysseus are rewarded with the chance to exact vengeance, while the disloyal—whether suitors or treacherous servants like Melanthius—are destroyed. Pisander is a flat character in Forster's sense, built around a single idea of complicity in the suitors' collective wrongdoing, and his fate is a necessary part of the poem's resolution, where every transgressor receives his due.