Plot: Book 4 opens with Telemachus and Pisistratus arriving at the house of Menelaus in Sparta. At the house, celebrations for the weddings of his children are taking place, which are very extravagant. Menelaus's guard asks Menelaus if he should send the visitors away, but Menelaus scoffs and enthusiastically invites them to join the celebration. The two boys are struck with awe by the beauty of the household, and its vast riches. Menelaus quickly recognizes Telemachus as the son of Odysseus based on his appearance. Helen proceeded to tell Telemachus and Pisistratus of how during the trojan war, Odysseus disguised himself as a bigger and entered the city of Troy. Helen recognized him, but to show her supposed loyalty, did not reveal him, and allowed him to receive intelligence and kill many Trojans. After Helen had finished her story, Menelaus added that once the greeks had snuck into Troy inside the Trojan horse, Helen attempted to draw them out by impersonation all of their wives. The next day, Menelaus described his journey home from Troy. His story began with him explaining his failure to preform the hecatombs, angering the gods. His ship was then blown off coarse to an island on the coast of Egypt called Pharos. He attempted to leave the island, but no winds were available to carry him home. Eventually a goddess, Eidthea pitied him, and told him how to leave the island. She told him that he must confront the god Proteus, who watches the seas and serves Poseidon. She told him to confront this god while he slept in the sea caves, and hold him down until he had changed his form in a complete cycle. Menelaus took three of his best men and did what she instructed, and Proteus revealed that it was Zeus who was angry towards him, and that he must travel to Egypt and kill one hundred cows to appease him. Proteus continued to reveal the fate of Agamemnon and also Odysseus, who ha been in-prisoned by the goddess Calypso. Menelaus proceeded to travel to Egypt, make the sacrifice, and return home. After the story is finished, Telemachus plans to return back to Ithaca. The scene then switches back to Ithaca, where the suitors have just received word that Telemachus has left Ithaca for Pylos and Sparta. The suitors see this as Telemachus stepping into his father's shoes and maturing, so they plot to ambush and kill him on his return journey. The house boy, Medon had overheard the suitors plotting, and he told all that they had said to Penelope. Penelope was deeply saddened by the news, and wept profusely. That night, Penelope prayed to Athena for help, and Athena answered her prayer by visiting Penelope in the form of her sister Iphthime. Iphthime told Penelope that all would be well and the gods were on the side of Telemachus. The book ends with the suitors arriving on the island of Asteris, awaiting the return of Telemachus.