Odyssey Books 1-4

1. Books 1-4

Books 1-4 have a lot to do with Loyalty. Loyalty between a father and a son, a husband and a wife, a king to his country, and loyalty to the gods. The major loyalty in these 4 books is between Telemachos and his father Odysseus, Telemachos has never really knew his father because h left when he was young but he still wants to find out if he is alive and wants him to come. Another example of loyalty is the loyalty between the soldiers and the gods, those who were loyal to the gods after the War returned home safely and those who weren’t either were killed or had a long treacherous journey home.

2. Breakup the Action of Each Book

Book 1: A mob of suitors have taken over Odysseus house since he has not returned home from the Trojan War because he is at that point on an island with Calypso, who is in love with him and won’t let him leave. Telemachos Odysseus’s son does not like all the men at his house.

Book 2: The Assembly meets. Telemachos tells the assembly about his father’s absence and how the suitors have take over his home. Penelope refuses to remarry, and this upsets one of the head of the suitors Antonius. Telemachos prepares for his trip to Pylos and Sparta and Athena visits disguised as a mentor. She tells his journey will be good.

Book 3: Telemachos is at Pylos with mentor. The mentor gives Telemachos the confidence he needs to talk to Nestor. Nestor doesn’t actually have any information about Odysseus; he just remembers what happen after the fall of Troy and what happened to Menelaus, and Agamemnon. Athena then reveals she is a god when trying to protect Telemachos ship.

Book 4: Telemachos and the mentor (Athena) are now in Sparta talking to Menelaus and Helen about Odysseus, as the dined they talked about Odysseus’s heroic and smart trick at Troy. Menelaus recounts his own journey home. Meanwhile back in Ithica plan to kill Telemachos.

3. Major Characters
Odysseus: Odysseus is a heroic man who fought in the Trojan War on the Greek side. After the war he journeys for 10 years trying to get home to Ithaca. Poseidon, who makes his journey home so long and difficult, dislikes him. He is the husband of Penelope and the father of Telemachus.

Telemachos: Odysseus’s son; was an infant when his father left. Is tired of all the men corrupting his home, who are trying to marry his mother. In book 1 he meets a mentor (Athena). And together they try and find out where Odysseus is or if he is even alive.

Agamemnon: The former King of Mycenae, brother of Menelaus, the leader of the Achaean forces at Troy. His wife and her lover murdered him when he returned from the War and his son murdered them.

Helen: Wife of Menelaus, queen of Sparta, her “abduction” from Sparta is what started the Trojan War. Also helps Telemachos find his father. Extremely beautiful.

Menelaus: King of Sparta, brother of Agamemnon, Helped the Greeks in the Trojan War, married to Helen, Helps Telemachus when he was looking for his father.

Nestor: King of Pylos, a former warrior in the Trojan War, is visited by Telemachos who is trying to find his father, doesn’t know much about where he is.

Mentor: The mentor is actually Athena, daughter of Zeus’s and goddess of wisdom, and war. She is an old friend of Odysseus’s and disguises herself as a mentor to help Telemachos find out the truth about his father and possibly his where abouts.

Penelope: She is married to Odysseus; she is very loyal to her husband. She won’t re-marry until she knows for sure that he husband is dead even though there are hundreds of men in her castle begging her for marriage.

Antinoos: One of the Leaders of the suitors. Leads the plan to kill and Telemachos. Not a good person.

Eurymachos: An evil, sneaky, manipulative suitor. His approach causes him to have a bad influence on the rest of the suitors.

4. Agamemnon + Birds and Symbols
Agamemnon is a motif that represents the theme of loyalty between he and his wife. Because his wife killed him after his journey home with her lover and in return his son murdered her. Birds are a symbolizes directly to the gods or the omens of the gods.