Wednesday, November 2, 2016

Why does Antinous, leader of the bridegrooms, say that Telemachus has scored first? What does he plan to do to Telemachus?

Antinous is angry and feels that Telemachus has scored against him and the other suitors for Penelope's hand because Telemachus has taken a ship and crew and departed Ithaca to go in search of information about his father, Odysseus.  Antinous says, "'We said it should not be; and here in spite of all of us this young boy simply goes, launching a ship and picking out the best men of the land."  He feels that Telemachus has been rebellious and impudent, and he is angry, in part, because Telemachus disobeyed has what the suitors told him to do; he is also angry, I think, because this very young man has basically outsmarted them, going behind their backs to do what they told him he should not.  It's embarrassing to Antinous!


As a result, Antinous plans o get his own ship and a crew of twenty or so men, and he "'will lie in wait upon [Telemachus's] way, and guard the strait between Ithaca and rugged Samos.'"  In other words, he will lie in wait for Telemachus to return and then capture and kill him before he can return home.

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