CLA204 Week 6 – The Nostoi pt 2 & Aeschylus
The Suitor
• While Odysseus is absent from Ithaca, wealthy young men from Ithaca
o Want to take Odysseus and his position of basileus by marrying Penelope,
who is of noble birth
• Penelope is loyal to Odysseus and declines to marry any suitors
o Plot of the loom: Refuses to choose a husband until she finished weaving
shroud (burial cloth) for Laertes (father of Odysseus)
• Suitors refuse to leave the house of Odysseus until marries one of them
o Stay and feast everyday at Odysseus’ expensive, devouring livelihood and
wealthy -> fall into disrepair
§ THEME XENIA: Suitor – abused xenia -> guest who are violating xenia
-> excuse of xenia to taking advantage of the guest material for own
benefit
• Telemachus, son, resents the suitors who are harassing his mother and stealing all
his inheritance
Penelope and the Loom
• Clever plan -> feminine plan
o Woman expected to stay indoor and woman work -> textile production and
weaving
o Representation of perfect wife, loyal wife -> preserve through female role as a
textile producer
• Serving woman betray her:
o Tension in her household: good servants w helping Penelope/Odysseus and
bad servant w helping suitors
• Lack of presiding male figure (Telemachus without the lack of authority due to his
young age) -> lack of authority -> division and tension within serving class,
agriculturists in the land
o Suitor asserts authority by taking time of Telemachus
o Telemachus wants to assert
Athena acts as Mentes
, • Gods decide to aid Odysseus, Athena arrives at Ithaca and disguises the form of an
old guest-friend, Mentes of the Taphians
• Comes to the house of Odysseus where Telemachus entertains her as the guest-
friend
• Meanwhile suitor pay her no heed towards Athena but also Telemachus (temporary
owner of the household) -> Athena is greatly disgusted by their behavior
o Foreshadows the religious dimensions of the punishment that awaits them
o Important religious dimension and a way to upheld/reinforced by the fear of
punishment
Athena’s Advice
• Athena poses as proper guests meanwhile suitor is improper guests
o Athena gives homeric code of introduction
• Telemachus gets a divine advice:
o Travel to Pylos and Sparta to ask other heroes of Troy whether they have any
news of Odysseus
• Athena acts as a mentor -> take action to attain manhood and behave proper
Homeric way
o His responsibility to expel the suitors
o Assemblies with god as witness
§ Aspect of Homeric World: First call an assembly and public to attain
manhood/leadership
o Make voyages
§ Establish as basilieus through his start to travel and participate in elite
assemblies
§ Seaborn mobility -> characterize civilization
o Permission & instruction to kill the suitors publicly or in private through
trapping
§ Divine permit to murder because of the transgression of xenia
Telemachus’ Warning to Suitors & Departs on Voyage
• Telemachus is filled with courage and warns the suitors that they will be divinely
punished for violating xenia
o If you don’t stop, Zeus will kill you
The Suitor
• While Odysseus is absent from Ithaca, wealthy young men from Ithaca
o Want to take Odysseus and his position of basileus by marrying Penelope,
who is of noble birth
• Penelope is loyal to Odysseus and declines to marry any suitors
o Plot of the loom: Refuses to choose a husband until she finished weaving
shroud (burial cloth) for Laertes (father of Odysseus)
• Suitors refuse to leave the house of Odysseus until marries one of them
o Stay and feast everyday at Odysseus’ expensive, devouring livelihood and
wealthy -> fall into disrepair
§ THEME XENIA: Suitor – abused xenia -> guest who are violating xenia
-> excuse of xenia to taking advantage of the guest material for own
benefit
• Telemachus, son, resents the suitors who are harassing his mother and stealing all
his inheritance
Penelope and the Loom
• Clever plan -> feminine plan
o Woman expected to stay indoor and woman work -> textile production and
weaving
o Representation of perfect wife, loyal wife -> preserve through female role as a
textile producer
• Serving woman betray her:
o Tension in her household: good servants w helping Penelope/Odysseus and
bad servant w helping suitors
• Lack of presiding male figure (Telemachus without the lack of authority due to his
young age) -> lack of authority -> division and tension within serving class,
agriculturists in the land
o Suitor asserts authority by taking time of Telemachus
o Telemachus wants to assert
Athena acts as Mentes
, • Gods decide to aid Odysseus, Athena arrives at Ithaca and disguises the form of an
old guest-friend, Mentes of the Taphians
• Comes to the house of Odysseus where Telemachus entertains her as the guest-
friend
• Meanwhile suitor pay her no heed towards Athena but also Telemachus (temporary
owner of the household) -> Athena is greatly disgusted by their behavior
o Foreshadows the religious dimensions of the punishment that awaits them
o Important religious dimension and a way to upheld/reinforced by the fear of
punishment
Athena’s Advice
• Athena poses as proper guests meanwhile suitor is improper guests
o Athena gives homeric code of introduction
• Telemachus gets a divine advice:
o Travel to Pylos and Sparta to ask other heroes of Troy whether they have any
news of Odysseus
• Athena acts as a mentor -> take action to attain manhood and behave proper
Homeric way
o His responsibility to expel the suitors
o Assemblies with god as witness
§ Aspect of Homeric World: First call an assembly and public to attain
manhood/leadership
o Make voyages
§ Establish as basilieus through his start to travel and participate in elite
assemblies
§ Seaborn mobility -> characterize civilization
o Permission & instruction to kill the suitors publicly or in private through
trapping
§ Divine permit to murder because of the transgression of xenia
Telemachus’ Warning to Suitors & Departs on Voyage
• Telemachus is filled with courage and warns the suitors that they will be divinely
punished for violating xenia
o If you don’t stop, Zeus will kill you
