The Odyssey Book 4 Study Questions

1. How does Menelaus respond to the arrival of Telemachus and Pisistratus? What theme does it reinforce? (25-85)
2. What story does Menelaus refer to in lines 100-110?
3. Helen appears for the first time in Book IV. How does she refer to herself in lines 160-162?
4. What story does Helen tell of Odysseus during the war? How had he managed to slip into Troy during the war?
5.What does Telemachos learn from Menelaos?
6.Is it a similar lesson as that learned from Nestor?
7. How does Menelaos feel about the Trojan War?
8. Pay close attention to Menelaos’ account of his encounter with the god Proteus, “the ancient of the sea.” What is the symbolic meaning of the use of the seal disguises?
9. What is the meaning of Proteus’ ability to change shapes?
10. Do Menelaos and his men in some sense also change shapes by using a disguise? What is the meaning of all these transformations?