The Odyssey, Book 4 summary
Book 4 of 24 · 30 min to read the book
In Book 4, Telemachus visits Menelaus and hears that Proteus reports Odysseus alive but trapped with Calypso, giving his search a definite answer. Meanwhile, the suitors discover his voyage and sail out to ambush him, while Penelope learns of the danger and receives comfort through a vision sent by Minerva.
What happens
- Menelaus welcomes Telemachus and Pisistratus, and Helen recognizes Telemachus through his resemblance to Odysseus.
- Helen drugs the wine against sorrow, and she and Menelaus recall Odysseus’s cunning and restraint at Troy.
- Menelaus describes capturing Proteus, who reports other leaders’ fates and identifies Odysseus as Calypso’s captive.
- Telemachus declines horses unsuited to Ithaca, and Menelaus offers a precious silver mixing bowl instead.
- Noemon reveals Telemachus’s voyage, prompting Antinous and the suitors to arrange a murderous ambush.
- Medon warns Penelope; Euryclea encourages prayer, Minerva sends a comforting vision, and the ambushers take position at Asteris.
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Why does Telemachus decline Menelaus’s offer of horses?
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