HONR 101 - Midterm Prep: Characters (without titles)

important characters in all the works we've read so far

Aristotle

author of Poetics (defining a tragedy)

Euripides

author of Medea (tragedy)

Medea

main character in Medea, her husband Jason abandons her and she plots her revenge against him

Creon

king of Corinth, exiles Medea from Corinth but ultimately lets her stay an extra day to collect herself and leave

Jason

Medea’s husband, leaves Medea for the princess of a nation

Aeugus

King of Athens, invites Medea to stay in his kingdom but will not bring her there himself

Epictetus

author of The Handbook, associated with stoicism (achieving inner peace)

Homer

author of The Odyssey

Athena

goddess of wisdom and warfare, Odysseus’ strongest supporter

Agamemnon

greek warrior, killed by wife Clytemnestra and her lover Aegisthus

Telemachus

Odysseus and Penelope’s son, he matures as he sets out to learn about the whereabouts of his father

Nestor

King of Pylos, oldest and wisest of the Greeks, tells Telemachus about Agamemnon’s homecoming

Menelaus

a Spartan who fought alongside Odysseus, tells Telemachus of his ambush by the sea god Proteus and that Odysseus is stranded on Calypso’s island

Lotus-Eaters

their honey sweet fruit causes those who eat it to lose their memories, making them lose their desire to leave

Polyphemus

a Cyclops who eats some of Odysseus’ men (Odysseus tells him his name is ‘no one’), Odysseus spears his eye to escape

Poseidon

sea god, Polyphemus’ father, tries to prevent Odysseus from getting home

Circe

goddess and enchantress who houses Odysseus and his men for a year, eventually directing him to go to the underworld

Achilles

a Greek hero who fought alongside Odysseus in the Trojan War, tells Odysseus it’s better to be a slave among the living than the king of the dead

Scylla & Charybdis

six-headed monster & deathly whirlpool, Odysseus loses 6 men sailing past them

Calypso

goddess keeping Odysseus captive on her island

Phaeacians

civilized people whose island Odysseys stumbles upon after leaving Calypso

Princess Nausicaa

first human Odysseus comes in contact with after seven years, brings him to her parents to show xenia

Demodocus

Phaeacian bard who sings songs about moments from the Trojan War

King Alcinous & Queen Arete

Princess Nausicaa’s parents, agree to send Odysseus home to Ithaca

Eurymachus

one of Penelope’s suitors, doesn’t want to harm Telemachus

Antinous

one of Penelope’s suitors, plots to kill Telemachus

Eumaeus

one of Odysseus’ most loyal servants, provides xenia to Odysseus even when he’s undercover

Melanthius

abusive, violent, disloyal slave

Argos

Odysseus’ old hunting dog, recognizes Odysseus, dies because he wasn’t taken care of in the 20yrs Odysseus was gone, tick infested

Eurycleia

Odysseus’ old nurse, she recognizes his scar

Laertes

Odysseus’ father, Penelope stalls the suitors by claiming to weave something for him

Atwood

author of The Penelopiad

Penelope

wife of Odysseus, was thrown into a lake to drown as a child because it was prophesied that she would kill her father

Helen

Penelope’s beautiful cousin who all the men drool over (and want)

Odysseus

Penelope’s husband, a trickster and warrior

Augustine

author of Confessions (autobiography about journey to Christ)

Una

Augustine’s lover

Tacita

Augustine’s child fiancee

Monnica

Augustine’s mother

Illa

Monnica’s childhood servant

Faustus

respected Manichean bishop, major disappointment to Augustine

Ambrose

first Christian teacher that impressed Augustine enough with his style that he stayed to listen to the substance

Alypius

Augustine’s friend who was addicted to gladiatorial games

Adeodatus

Augustine’s son with Una, died at 17

Victorinus

smart philosopher who was afraid to publicly convert out of shame, but got over it and eventually converted publicly

Antony

monk who heard scripture when he was young and converted, his friends heard his story and did the same

Sappho

author of If Not, Winter, first surviving female author in the Western tradition

Clytemnestra

Agamemnon’s wife, killed him with her lover, often compared to Penelope in her lack of loyalty

Aegisthus

Clytemnestra’s lover, kills Agamemnon once he returns from the Trojan War

Ares & Aphrodite

two gods who have an affair

Kleis

Sappho’s daughter