Book Summaries
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Odysseus leaves Phaeacia and starts on his way home to
Ithaca. Before he leaves, the Phaeacians throw him a feast,
give him many gifts, and say prayers for his safety.
On the boat, Odysseus falls into a deep sleep. The
Phaeacian crew unload him and his treasures onto the
shore, and head for their own home.
But Poseidon, mad at the Phaeacians for helping Odysseus,
turns their boat into stone to teach them a lesson. From
then on, they decide not to help wayward travelers. They
also sacrifice twelve bulls to the gods in repentance.
Set design for Act 1, Scene V of
Monteverdi's Il ritorno d'Ulisse in Patria
(the Phaecian ship is turned to stone),
prepared by Alfred Siercke for the 1964
production by Hamburg State Opera
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Meanwhile, Athena has shrouded Ithaca in mist.
When Odysseus wakes up, he does not know where
he is.
Athena, disguised as a shepherd, goes to Odysseus
and reveals that he is home.
Odysseus, too, pretends to be someone else.
Athena is impressed. She says she will help him by
disguising him as a vagabond and tells him to go
to his swineherd (the man who looks after his pigs)
to find out what’s happening in his house.
Odysseus goes off to the swineherd’s, while Athena
goes off to bring Telemachus home.
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Odysseus goes to the swineherd, Eumaeus,
who houses and feeds him and tells him the
story of his “dead” master. Odysseus replies
that his master will come home, but Eumaeus
doesn’t believe him.
When Eumaeus asks Odysseus his story,
Odysseus lies, saying that he’s from Crete,
that he ended up in Egypt after the Trojan
War, that he was saved from slavery by the
gods, and that he escaped to Ithaca.
Odysseus tests Eumaeus’s good nature by
asking for a cloak. Eumaeus passes the test,
offering him his nicest, warmest cloak.
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Athena finds Telemachus in Lacedaemon.
She tells him to avoid certain routes on his
way home because there are people sent out
to kill him, and to go to the swineherd first.
As Telemachus leaves, an eagle with a goose
in its talons flies by. Telemachus takes this
as a good omen of Odysseus’s return.
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Meanwhile, Odysseus (still in disguise) tests
the swineherd’s loyalty again by offering to
leave. Eumaeus passes the test by urging
him to stay until Telemachus comes back.
Odysseus asks how the royal family (i.e., his
family) is doing, Eumaeus tells Odysseus his
own life story, and then they both go to
sleep.
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In the morning, Telemachus lands ashore.
On his way to the swineherd’s hut, he sees a
hawk flying with a dove in its claws. He takes
this as another good omen—that his family
will reign forever.
Telemachus finds Odysseus,
still disguised as a vagabond,
at the swineherd’s.
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Odysseus sits by the fire as Eumaeus discovers Telemachus
at the entrance of his hut (Bonaventura Genelli,1798–1868)
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Athena reappears and turns Odysseus back
into his true self, and the two men are
reunited. They come up with a plan to get rid
of the suitors.
They decide not to reveal Odysseus’s true
identity to Eumaeus because the disguise is
crucial for the success of the plan.
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The suitors hear the news of Telemachus’s
return and plot to kill him. Penelope
overhears them and scolds them for wanting
to kill Telemachus. They lie to her and say no
one will ever kill Telemachus.
Meanwhile, the swineheard warns Telemachus
that some men are waiting, armed, in the
harbor. Telemachus, knowing the men are
the suitors he’s after, smiles at Odysseus,
eats a big meal, and goes to sleep.
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Telemachus goes home to Penelope and tells her
what he found out about Odysseus, but doesn’t tell
her that Odysseus is home.
In the meantime, the swineherd brings the disguised
Odysseus to the palace. On the way they encounter a
suitor. He insults and kicks the beggar (Odysseus).
At the palace, Odysseus goes around to each person
at the table begging for food. Antinous, a suitor,
doesn’t give him any and insults him. Odysseus
insults him back. Antinous then throws a chair at
him. Penelope hears all this and asks Eumaeus to
bring the beggar to see her, but Odysseus doesn’t
want the suitor to see him going to her.
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Arnaeus, another beggar, comes into the palace
and challenges Odysseus in a boxing match,
much to the suitors’ delight.
Athena tells Penelope to show herself to the
suitors and makes Penelope more beautiful.
Penelope tells the suitors that Odysseus told her
to remarry if he didn’t come back by the time
Telemachus grew up, and asks them to bring her
gifts. Each suitor brings gifts.
Athena convinces the suitor Eurymachus to insult
Odysseus, and predictably Odysseus insults him
right back. They are on the verge of a riot when
Telemachus steps in and breaks up the fight.