Book 4 summary Flashcards
Where do Telemachus and Pisistratus go?
Menelaus’ palace
What do they find happening at Menelaus’ palace
The King is celebrating the two seperate marriages of his son and daughter
Who does Menelaus speak to when the guests arrive
Eteoneus
What does Menelaus say to Eteoneus when the guests arrive?
- He tells his aid to invite the strangers to feast with them, so he can honour the hospitality he received from strangers during his travels
What do Telemachus and Pisistratus do when they first enter the palace?
- They are washed, oiled and clothed by maids
- They’re presented with food and wine
What does Telemachus say about Menelaus’ mansion?
- He says to Pisistratus that the splendor of his mansion must resemble Olympus
How does Menelaus respond to Telemachus’ comparison of his house with Olympus
Menelaus says that no mortal man could compare with Zeus.
- He describes his eight years of travels, and the wealth he amassed. However, he says he would have rather stayed home with only a fraction of this wealth, if he could reverse the deaths of the soldiers in Troy
Who does Menelaus grieve the most?
- Odysseus, because he worked the hardest but suffered the most
How does Telemachus react to the mention of his father?
He cries, and Menelaus understands then that he’s speaking to Telemachus’ son
What does Helen say when she first appears?
- She asks about the visitors, and guesses that one of them is Telemachus
- She agrees with Menelaus that Telemachus resembles Odysseus in many respects, and Pisistratus confirms their identities
What does Helen do to the men?
She slips a drug into the wine that makes the men forget their sorrows
What story does Helen tell of Odysseus?
- Odysseus stole into the city disguised as a beggar, killed many Trojans, and returned to his army with useful information about the enemy.
- Only Helenr recognised him, but she didn’t give him away because by that point she regretted her infidelity and was dreaming of coming home to her husband and child.
What story does Menelaus tell of Odysseus?
- Helen tried to lure Odysseus’ comrades from the wooden horse by imitating the voices of the soldier’s wives
- Odysseus held the soldiers back and saved their lives.
What does Telemachus explain to Menelaus in the morning?
- He explains the suitor’s disgraceful behaviour after Menelaus asks if he has come to discuss a public or private problem.
- He begs Menelaus to tell him all he knows about Odysseus
What does Menelaus say when Telemachus asks him if he knows anything of Odysseus
- He says that he was trapped by the Gods in still water by the island Pharos in punishment for an inadequate sacrifice.
- When the crew’s provisions had run out, Menelaus encountered Eidothea, Proteus’ daughter, who decided to help him.
Who helped Menelaus when he was stuck on Pharos?
Eidothea, Proteus’ daughter
How did Eidothea help Menelaus?
- She advised Menelaus to surprise Proteus by disguising himself and three other men as seals, hiding in the cave in which Proteus slept and ambushing him when he lay down to rest.
- She told him that Proteus would take many different shapes, but if they held on to him until he speaks he’d tell them how to get home
How did Menelaus and Eidothea’s plan go?
- At dawn, she led Menelaus and three others to Proteus’ resting place and covered them with sealskins.
- When Proteus appeared, and was ambushed he took the shape of a lion, a serpent, a panther, a boar, a stream of water and a tree.
- The men held on to him until he began to speak
What did Proteus say to Menelaus?
- When asked how they could escape Pharos, Proteus advised that Menelaus return to Egypt and make a big sacrifice to the Gods
- Proteus also told Menelaus that Ajax died at the hands of Poseidon, and Agamemnon at the hands of Aegisthus.
What did Proteus say about Odysseus?
- That he was trapped on Calypso’ island
What is happening in Ithaca whilst Telemachus and Menelaus have another feast?
- The suitors are feasting and amusing themselves
- Antinous and Eurymachus find out from a citizen that Telemachus has sailed to Pylos with a strong crew and a god on board
What do the suitors do when they hear Telemachus has gone to Pylos?
- They are outraged and plot to murder the prince on his way back home
Who overhears the suitors plans?
The court herald, Medon
What does Medon do when he hears the suitors plans?
- He tells Penelope
- The queen is grieved to learn of Telemachus’ absence, and prays to Athena to save her son
How do the suitors start to carry out their plan?
They gather a crew of twenty men and prepare a ship.
They sail to the island Asteris, and lie in wait to try and catch Telemachus when he goes home
What happens when Penelope falls asleep?
Athena sends a phantom in the shape of Penelope’s sister to reassure her that her son is under Athena’s protection.
When Penelope questions the phantom about Odysseus, it refuses to speak
