The Odyssey - Book 20 Notes

• Odysseus went to sleep that night thinking of his revenge and how he would face all of the suitors with just himself and Telemachus on his side.
• Athena assured Odysseus that he had a god on his side, so he can't lose.  After his talk with Athena, Odysseus fell asleep. 
• The next morning Penelope woke up crying and wishing she was dead.
• When the sun rose, Odysseus woke up and heard her voice.  Odysseus prayed for the gods to send him a sign.
• Zeus heard his prayer, and a thunderclap  was heard at Odysseus's palace.
• When Telemachus woke up, he asked his nanny if Odysseus had been cared for over the night.  The nanny replied that he had. 
• The nanny then called for the other maids to prepare the hall for another night of feasting.
• The swineherd came to Odysseus's house with his three best pigs for that night.  
• Philoitios joined the two, and asked who the new stranger (Odysseus) was.  He welcomed Odysseus to Ithaca, and wished him luck in his life.
• Odysseus sensed that Philoitios was a smart man, so Odysseus promised him that he would be here the day that his master returned.
• While they were talking, the suitors were discussing their plan to murder Telemachus.  
• Amphinomos saw an eagle fly by with a dove in its claws, and predicted to the others that the plan would not work, and that they should scrap the idea.  
• The men decided to turn their thoughts instead to their dinner.  
• Telemachus made sure that Odysseus had a comfortable spot, and warned everyone else not to be rude to him unless they wanted a fight.  
• Athena, however, wanted Odysseus to be mad and provoked by the suitors, so she made the men say mean things to Odysseus.  One man, Ctesippos, threw a stool at Odysseus, but he dodged it.
• Agelaos Damastorides urged Telemachus to talk to his mother and tell her to get married, seeing as there was little chance that Odysseus was coming home.  
• Telemachus swore that he wasn't trying to delay Penelope's marriage to one of the suitors.
• As the suitors were laughing at what Telemachus said, the seer that Telemachus had brought home from Pylos saw into the men's future.  The seer saw the men with tears running down from their eyes, and their blood all over the walls and the table.
• The seer called out to the men, warning them of this, but the suitors just made fun of Theoclymenos, and called him blind.
• Theoclemonos declared that he had a good pair of eyes and a sane mind, and warned the suitors one last time of their impending death.  After he had said this, he walked out of Odysseus's palace.
• While the men were eating their meal, Penelope was sitting outside of the door, listening to everything that they said.  She decided to get out Odysseus's bow and prepare a contest for the suitors.