The Odyssey Review

Athena (Athene)

• Goddess of wisdom, courage, warfare

• Helps Odysseus with advice, disguises, and influencing gods/mortals

• Symbolizes intelligence and divine help

Poseidon

• God of the sea and Odysseus' enemy

• Angry because Odysseus blinded his son (Polyphemus the Cyclops)

• Causes storms and delays; represents nature’s power

Hermes

Messenger god

Helps Odysseus resist Circe’s magic

Guides souls to the underworld

Symbolizes divine aid in magic and the supernatural

Who Wrote The Odyssey?

• Homer (8th century BCE), also wrote The Iliad

What Is an Epic?

• Long narrative poem about heroic deeds

• Includes gods, vast settings, and important cultural values (honor, fate, loyalty)

What Makes an Epic Hero?

Reflects cultural ideals

Faces challenges that test strength, intelligence, and virtue

Odysseus is brave, clever, and determined

What Does "In Medias Res" Mean?

• Latin: "In the middle of things"

• The Odyssey starts with Odysseus already gone for years

Who Are the Muses?

• 9 daughters of Zeus; inspire arts and science

• Calliope (epic poetry) is invoked at the beginning of The Odyssey

Odysseus' Journey

Goal: Return home to Ithaca
Why?: To reunite with wife Penelope and son Telemachus
How long gone?: 20 years (10 at war, 10 trying to return)

Penelope

loyal and clever wife

Telemachus

son who matures and helps Odysseus

Book 5 – Calypso

• Odysseus trapped by nymph Calypso

• Gods tell her to let him go

Book 9 – The Cyclops

• Polyphemus traps Odysseus' men

• Odysseus blinds him and escapes

• Cyclops curses Odysseus

Book 10 – Circe

Men turned into pigs

Hermes helps Odysseus resist her

Circe later helps him continue journey

Book 11 – Land of the Dead

Visits underworld

Prophet Teiresias gives advice

Sees spirits of dead

Book 12 – Sirens

Their song lures sailors to death

Men use wax in ears; Odysseus listens while tied to the mast

Book 12 – Cattle of the Sun God

Men kill sacred cattle

Gods punish them; all die except Odysseus

Book 16 – Father and Son Reunite

Odysseus and Telemachus meet again

Shows family bond and growth

Book 17 – Beggar and Dog

Odysseus returns in disguise

His old dog Argos recognizes him and dies peacefully

Book 21 – Test of the Great Bow

• Penelope’s contest: string the bow and shoot through 12 axeheads

• Only Odysseus succeeds

Book 22 – Death in the Palace

Odysseus reveals himself

Kills suitors with Telemachus’ help

Book 23 – Odysseus and Penelope

Penelope tests Odysseus with the bed trick

She finally knows it’s really him

Laertes

Odysseus’ father, represents restoration of order

Polyphemus

Cyclops blinded by Odysseus

Laestrygonians

Giant cannibals who destroy ships and men

Alcinous

Phaeacian king who helps Odysseus get home

Eurylochus

Crew member, disobeys Odysseus, causes trouble

Teiresias

Prophet in the underworld

Scylla and Charybdis

Monsters representing tough choices

Telemachus

Son who grows up and helps his father

Eurycleia

Loyal nurse who recognizes Odysseus

Argos

Odysseus’ loyal dog, dies after seeing him again