“Can’t you spare me a little piece of bread?” Odysseus said. “After all, you’re getting it free.”
The suitor was outraged. He picked up a wooden stool and threw it hard, hitting Odysseus in the back. A weaker man would have been knocked off his feet. Odysseus stayed steady—but that was only the first attack. Another beggar appeared in the hall doorway, a greedy hulk of a man called Irus. He was furious to see a rival (1) beggar in the hall, and he charged at Odysseus, intending to throw him out.
“A fight, a fight!” the suitors shouted in delight. “Let’s see who’s the best wrestler!”
They jumped up and crowded around, egging Irus on and cheering drunkenly as Odysseus tucked up his rags. Odysseus knew he could win easily, but he chose not to hurt Irus too much. He beat him just enough to make his nose bleed—which raised a cheer from the suitors—and then dumped him outside the hall.
At that moment, Penelope appeared, coming slowly down the stairs. She looked so beautiful that all the suitors stopped shouting and fell silent, feeling as though their bones were melting. Each of them remembered, all over again, why he was there, and how much he wanted to marry her.
Cross, Gillian. The Odyssey. Illustrated by Neil Packer. Candlewick Press, 2012, pp. 152–153