Menelaos finishes his nostos tale. Having sailed back to Egypt, he sacrificed a hecatomb, and when he "had ended the anger of the gods" (l. 583), he "piled a mound for Agamemnon, so that his memory / might never die". That is an interesting concept - a kind of memorial in the absence of an actual burial site or tomb. Agamemnon, however, had not died at sea, and even though he was brutally murdered, he surely must have a grave somewhere in Argos. (In Aeschylus' play Agamemnon, performed 456 BC, his daughter Electra visits the grave. I'm not sure whether he was buried with the proper funeral rites though.) Menelaos then offers Telemachos, among other things, a "fine (golden?) goblet" as parting gift; whenever Telemachos uses it in future, he will remember Menelaos (ll. 591-92). Telemachos refuses the (other?) gifts, the chariot and three horses: Ithaka and the other islands have no plains, where the horses could graze; they are "all sea slopes" (l. 608), "a place to feed goats" (l. 606). Is this a way of favourably comparing your host's land to yours? Is it a practical consideration? Is it wise to turn down presents? Menelaos is not offended, he accepts Telemachos' arguments and offers him some other stuff: a mixing bowl made by the god Hephaistos. He mentions that it is a gift from another guest-friend of his, which he is now passing on to Telemachos. Is it OK to do this? Is it supposed to make it more valuable? On the othe hand, Telemachos has nothing to do with Phaidimos, the Sidonians' king. Isn't it strange to offer the token of another guest-friendship to a third person? Meanwhile in Ithaka... one feasting scene reminds us of another. The suitors are enjoying their pre-dinner games ("discs and [...] light spears for throwing", l. 626). The ringleaders, Antinoös and Eurymachos, are not playing: they are sitting apart from the others. A certain Noëmon (is he a suitor?) approaches them and a dialogue follows. It transpires that Telemachos has taken one of the said Noëmon's ships. The scene itself feels like repetition to me, we've been here before. It seems that the suitors are not very well-informed about what is going on, but didn't Telemachos tell them he was sailing to Pylos (II.214-217)? Or they just didn't believe he was really going to do it? Or have they forgotten about Telemachos altogether? I was waiting for someone to notice that Mentor can't be in two places at the same time (ll. 653-56). Noëmon, in the light of all this, is a local person and not a suitor. Yet he speaks to them (the suitors) as if they owned the place. Medon, the herald overhears the suitors' plot to kill Telemachos on his way back, and tells Penelope. From their dialogue, it is clear that the herald originally belonged to Odysseus' household, but is serving the suitors now - not as guests, but as owners. I think there are more and more hints that the suitors behave as if they were the heads of the house, with (some) servants already regarding them as such. Having said that, Medon calls Penelope "my queen" (l. 697, doesn't prove much, as she is sure to be his queen in the future too). He doesn't want Telemachos to be killed, so he reveals to Penelope that Telemachos has sailed to Pylos and the suitors are planning to kill him. Penelope's best idea is to turn to her father-in-law. She thinks he might do something for his own flesh and blood. Well he hasn't before, why would he now? Do we know where exactly is Laertes and why? All the maids cry with Penelope and Eurykleia owns up. Penelope prays to Athene (calls her Atrytone, l. 762), asking her to prevent the suitors' evil plan from being accomplished. The suitors realise that Penelope may learn of their plans from some servant, but it's too late. They are always a few steps behind - the inefficiency of the suitors is always alluded to somehow. Not only do they violate the social code, they are rather stupid as well. Not the sort of leaders one would like to have. Athene sends a sign to Penelope in the form of a dream to assure her about Telemachos. Penelope, realising she is dealing with a god, asks about Odysseus, but she is refused an answer. It is only Book 4, after all. Everything is in the balance still as we leave the suitors waiting in ambush for Telemachos on an island called Asteris, "where ships can be hidden" (l. 847).
2 Comments
10/22/2010 12:19:22 pm
Yay, more Olga blog!
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Arran Evans
11/18/2010 12:40:05 pm
Enjoyable reading, you clearly love the subject, great to see. Keep it up, and I will read
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AuthorHave studied A219 Exploring the Classical World and A275 Reading Classical Greek at the Open University. Currently studying for a Psychology degree. ImagesPlease click on any image to be taken to its source.
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