Book 15: The Prince Sets Sail for Home

By: Mac Budd and Daniel Whitaker

Characters

• Telemachus: Son of Odysseus, he is trying to reach Ithaca to protect the kingdom and Penelope, the queen of Ithaca.

• Pisistratus- Son of Nestor, he travels with Telemachus to Sparta.

• Athena- God of wisdom, helps Telemachus with his adventure to find Odysseus.

• Menelaus- King of Sparta• Theoclymenus- a prophet’s descendant who is escaping

prosecution from committing murder• Eumaeus- a swineherd in Ithaca• Piraeus- he takes Theoclymenus as a guest as

Telemachus asks.

Main Events• Athena finds Telemachus and Pisistratus at Sparta and she tells him he

needs to sail back to Ithaca and keep the suitors from taking over the kingdom and protect Penelope. She also says that he must talk to Eumaeus about how to get to the kingdom an Penelope.

• The next day, Telemachus told Menelaus of his departure and Helen and Menelaus gave them a gold and silver mixing-bowl and a robe made by Helen . As he is leaving Sparta, an eagle swoops down with a goose and Helen says that it means that Odysseus is going to return to Ithaca.

• When they reach Nestor’s island, they are about to leave when a man named Theoclymenus asks to leave on Telemachus’s ship after committing murder.

• Odysseus goes to the hut of Eumaeus, and asks him if he should go into the kingdom with all of the suitors, and Eumaeus says that it would be suicide. The two then tell about themselves and how Eumaeus got to Ithaca.

• Last, the crew arrives at Ithaca and they split ways with Telemachus and Theoclymenus was left with Piraeus.

Theme: Hospitality

• When Theoclymenus introduces himself to Telemachus and asks if he can aboard his ship, he says of course because Telemachus is caring and displays hospitality. Also, when Telemachus and his crew arrive at Ithaca, he says that Theoclymenus is welcome to stay in the kingdom, but Telemachus will not be there and his mother will not see him.