’s chair.” Despite Telemakhos’ prominent figure in the opening lines of this book, it soon becomes obvious that he is not an extremely powerful figure. Telemakhos intends to expel the suitors from his home but he is not strong enough to fight them. It is important that the reader meets Telemakhos in the beginning because he is the main character in the Ithaca plot and also he must overcome obstacles at home foreshadowing the obstacles his father faces later in the epic. In lines 219-234 of book II he decides to go in search of news of his father. If he finds Odysseus is dead then he will give Penelope to another husband. Penelope is also introduced in book II. She is a wise woman who, out of love for Odysseus, procrastinates marrying another man. One instance of her defiance to the suitors occurs in lines 104-106 when she says “Young men, my suitors, now my lord is dead, let me finish my weaving before I marry, or else my thread will have spun in vain.” She intends to trick the suitors and weave very slowly so she does not have to marry. Finally the suitors are introduced in book II as well. The suitors are the young men who occupy Odysseus’ home, eat his food, consume his wealth, and attempt to woo Penelope. Homer does an outstanding job by introducing these characters at the beginning of the epic. This opens the reader’s eyes to a smaller subplot that is occurring Bruns 3in Ithaca as Odysseus makes his way home. Homer introduces these characters and their concerns first so that the reader is not caught off guard later in the narrative when Odysseus finally does reach his homeland. These specific characters all play vital roles in the climax of the story and they are introduced early so that the reader can relate with their issues better later in the narrative. Homer also leaves the proper order of time in the Odyssey to show Odysseus’ urgency to return home to his beloved wife and kingd...
