Argos, Odysseus' dog, is symbolic of the kingdom of Ithaca.Argos, Odysseus' dog, is symbolic of the kingdom of Ithaca.
To Odysseus' private dismay, Argos dies. This heart-wrenching passage symbolizes the danger in which Ithaca and Odysseus' house lies. His family has waited for him for two decades (like Argos), but they cannot wait forever. The suitors are quite literally eating them out of house and home.
