Which suitor tries to blame Antinous after the bow contest?

The suitor who tries to blame Antinous after the bow contest is Eurymachus. In Homer’s Odyssey, Odysseus strings his famous bow, shoots through the axe heads, and then kills Antinous, the most aggressive of Penelope’s suitors.

Eurymachus responds by portraying Antinous as the principal cause of the suitors’ wrongdoing. He claims Antinous drove the others to consume Odysseus’ provisions, abuse hospitality, and plot against Telemachus. He even offers repayment for what they have eaten, proposing twenty oxen from each man.

The speech is an act of self-preservation rather than a sincere apology. Eurymachus had been one of the leading suitors, and Homer presents him as an eloquent but manipulative figure. His attempt fails: Odysseus rejects the bargain and kills him immediately afterward.

A common mix-up is confusing Eurymachus with Antinous. Antinous is the first suitor killed, while Eurymachus is the one who tries to shift responsibility onto him.