[Music] in book 2 of the Odyssey Odysseus his son stands up to the suitors gathers them all together and he says enough is enough you mooches need to go but the suitors fire back hey your mom Penelope promised she'd marry one of us and we're not leaving until she does meanwhile Penelope has been in her room working on a death shroud for Odysseus's aging father Laertes this is a custom that she is rising up to meet knitting this thing slowly but as she gets close to the end she undoes her work continuing the process and
she's been working on it now for four years the symbol of the death shroud is important because it represents that little bit of hope that little kernel of faith in physical form or manifestation that Penelope has that her husband is still out there and that there's a chance he can come home by undoing her work instead of completing it she keeps that faith alive this shroud stands as Penelope's excuse to keep her belief stoked to keep the fires burning and to keep the suitors at bay as long as she possibly can in this way Penelope
moves the action forward of the suitors waiting it keeps the belief in hospitality or the theme of the suitors sticking around alive and it sets up all the action that can happen while she's waiting at home and Odysseus is working a return now Zeus sends down two Eagles and they also keep up that kernel of faith that Odysseus is coming home and when he does it's going to mean Swift brutal justice for those suitors meanwhile Athena councils with Telemachus and disguises herself as him summoning men and ships so that Telemachus can potentially go out and
inquire and learn about the whereabouts of his father this is another important theme all that interceding all that getting involved from the gods Athena litter he dresses up as telemachus she sets up his journey for him but like we'll see a lot in the book there are motifs like wind and disguises that mean the gods are working on your behalf but the mortals are going to have to meet them halfway the gods may create that path but the mortals are going to have to rise up and walk it [Music]
