the odyssey

books 2, 3, 4, 14, 15, 20, and 24 are not included in the specification :)

what kind of structure does Homer’s books take?

two shorter stories and then the longer/ main one

what is a Homeric hero motivated by

nostos, kleos, and time

what does nostos mean

the desire and duty to return home

what does kleos mean

glory

what does time mean

honour

how does Odysseus come from noble birth

He’s the son of Laertes, King of Ithaca

what is Aeolia

the home of Aeolus

what is Cyclops’s island

where the Cyclops Polyphemus lives

what is Circe’s island called

Aeaea

what is xenia (note: huge theme in the Odyssey)

the guest-host relationship

whats the opening passage called

the proem

what does the proem tell us

Odysseus will learn from his travels but will also suffer, and that the men bought their own doom

why is it ironic that all other warriors are either dead or home safely, except odysseus?

He’s known for being resourceful, yet hasn’t been able to return

we learn that Odysseus is our main character late in the intro, why?

it may represent the fact that he has to be careful in who knows who he is, having disastrous consequences when he slips out his real name

how is Telemachus initially shown

lacking spirit and helpless against the suitors but he is still a good host

how do the suitors and Telemachus differ

the suitors are rude and loud, whereas Telemachus is respectful

what do we learn about Telemachus

he’s filled with uncertainty, being raised with a father neither dead nor alive

why does Athene help Telemachus the way she does

out of devotion to Odysseus

why is Telemachus sent to go on a journey and look for his father

to build Telemachus’s reputation, allowing Odysseus to come home to a ‘worthy’ son, and let Telemachus know that he is his father’s son

how is Penelope first shown

to be still deep in her grief

who are we introduced to in the end of book 1?

Eurycleia, Odysseus and Telemachus’s nurse

how are we first introduced to Odysseus

here he is at Calypso’s island, whining and sobbing, different from how we’d expect this great and strong hero to be

how is Calypso presented

a good hostess, who genuinely seems to love Odysseus

what is the word for when a story is slowed down

retardation

Homeric epithets

a word that describes a person or thing

what’s an example of a Homeric epithet

bright-eyed Athene, or noble Odysseus

what was the point of Homeric epithets

it helped bards memorize the poems and helped the audience know who was who

Calypso offered Odysseus immortality and rejects it, what does this show us?

he’s truly devoted to getting back to his family, a heroic trait

when Odysseus appears in front of Nausicaa what do we appreciate about him

even while naked and half-dead, he still tries to be courteous and appropriate

how does the theme of identity show up in Nausicaa and Odysseus’s encounter?

he chooses not to state who he is or that he’s married - we can see Nausicaa is attracted to him and by omitting details he is further convincing her to help him

what’s the difference between Nausicaa and Telemachus

she’s honoured and a worthy daughter, whereas Telemachus worries he will shame his hero father

what is Scheria

Nausicaa’s and King Alcinous’s island

who is insulted by Odysseus’s refusal to take part in the Phaeacian games

Eurylas

what happens after Euryalus and Odysseus’s conflict and why is it interesting

Euryalus gives Odysseus a personal apology, something rare in Greek literature

in book 8 we are given a simile about Odysseus’s tears, what does it tell us (it’s about a woman weeping with her arms around her husband fallen in battle)

even though he is a victor, his grief is associated with a victim. She has lost what she loves most, as has Odysseus - deprived of his home, wife and child

how does Agamemnon and Odysseus’s families contrast

Clytemnestra is unfaithful and kills Agamemnon, while her sister, Helen, causes a lot of destruction due to adultery. Penelope, however, suffers but remains faithful

what’s something interesting that Calypso points out

she notes how goddesses are punished for loving mortals while gods do the same thing

how does Queen Arete differ from normal representation of women in greek epics

she is the one Odysseus has to ask for help rather than the king, and she’s able to settle ‘men’s debates’

what are books 9-12

a flashback of the last 10 years, from when Odysseus left Troy till he crashed at Calypso’s island

after escaping an ambush in Troy, what pushes them off course

the North wind and current

what are the three stories in this book

the lotus-eaters and the escape from Troy are the shorter ones, while the Cyclops are the main one

why might Odysseus’s encounter with Polyphemus be so popular?

it’s when Odysseus is at his most charismatic/ shows his human traits and flaws

the Phaeacians and Cyclops’s used to be near each other, how do they differ?

the Phaecians show good hospitality where the cyclops don’t, and Scharia is civilised

how does Odysseus’s change from Cyclops island to how we see him in Scharia

he’s far less arrogant and adventurous, now he just wants to see his family, he’s also alone in his journey now

what are the three stories of book 10

their trip(s) to Aeolus, their encounter with man-eating giants, and Circe’s island

in book 10, what do we start to notice from the men

some jealousy and spite, with Eurylochus in particular causing trouble

what sort of emotional state is Odysseus in in book 10

not well, he considers suicide but thinks he needs to suffer quietly, a typical trait in epic heroes

when do we see Odysseus’s leadership not be great in book 10

the men have to remind Odysseus they should leave, they have to step in for him

what shows Odysseus’s dedication to his family in the underworld

when Calypso offered him immortality, he had already seen the underworld, already saw what mortality means, and still chose to reject it

what does Achilles tell Odysseus

that he regrets everything and that the underworld is boring

in book 12, how does Odysseus show foolishness

by ignoring Circe’s warning to not arm himself and try to fight Scylla

what does Eurylochus do in book 12

he convinces the crew to kill the sheep, causing Zeus to kill them as they sail away

what does book 17 highlight

how unkindly slaves, poorer or elderly people are treated. It also shows what happens when society is left to itself

in book 19, the aged Odysseus sees Penelope. What does he think of her and the suitors

he doesn’t blame her at all for it

in book 22, Odysseus shoots Antinous (one of the suitors) in the neck, what’s interesting about Homer describes it

it’s described as tender, showing compassion for his pitiable death

after is Antinous is shot and the suitors realise their are no weapons, what does Eurymachus do

he asks them to be spared, saying it was entirely Antinous’s doing, offering to give many gifts to make up for their behaviour

what does Athene do in book 22

she protects Odysseus and ensures the suitors miss

who does Telemachus spare

Phemius and Medon

what does Eurycleia do after the suitors have been killed

he triumphs at the suitors defeat and Odysseus tells him it’s horrid to cheer over the slain

how does Penelope react in seeing an undisguised Odysseus

she doesn’t believe it’s truly him and is in great shock, he recognises she’s been through a lot just as he has