The Odyssey - Characters, Plot, Myths, & Vocab

Achilles

• Son of Peleus

• best fighter for Greece

• killed by Paris

• Odysseus consults him in the Underworld

Achilles and Patroclus in the Trojan War vs. Hector

• immortal except for heel

• fights for Greece as prophesy says they need him

• Agamemnon steals Achilles girl

• Achilles leaves and doesn't fight

• Patroclus (cousin/friend) fights as Achilles

• fights Hector (son of King Priam) and dies

• Achilles wants revenge so he fights -has a choice between Fight = death, but fame or don't fight = no fame, but long life

• drags Hector’s body around Troy

• Achilles is shot by Paris in ankle when he returns to Troy

Aeaea

Where Circe lives (island)

Aeolia

• the land where King Aeolus lives

• this is where Odysseus gets the wind to take him home

• comes back again

Aeolus

• very generous to Odysseus and his men

• curious about Odysseus and his story

• gave into Odysseus' wishes and gives him a bag that was bound with the wild winds to help Odysseus get home

• King of Aeolia

• keeper of the winds

• worried that Odysseus is cursed and sends him away from his house with no way to get home

Agamemnon

• King of Greece

• Commands Greek Army

• wife - Clytemnestra

• killed by wife and Aegithus

• ghost in the Underworld that Odysseus visits

• gives advice to Odysseus to not trust his wife

• Odysseus' foil

• surprised that people from Ithaca are down in the underworld

• wants to know how they died

• praising Odysseus for testing his wife and not making the same mistake that he did

• who Amphimedon tells the suitors story to

Agamemnon and Clytemnestra

• married and have son Orestes

• angry that Agamemnon sacrificed daughter to fight in Troy

• Agamemnon leaves to fight in Trojan War and Clytemnestra has affair with Aegisthus

• Aegisthus kills Agamemnon when he returns

Ajax

doesn't talk to Odysseus when he sees him in the Underworld

Ajax

• best fighter after Achilles

• fights for Greece

• duels Hector twice

• brings back Achilles armor

• Odysseus and Ajax fight over it

• Odysseus wins and Ajax stabs himself with Hectors sword

Alcinous

• King of Phaeacians

• one Odysseus is telling his story to

• gives Odysseus riches and safe transport home

Amphimedon

• suitor who was killed by Odysseus

• tells suitors story to Agamemnon

Anticleia

Odysseus dead mother

Antinous

• son of Eupeithes

• noble -leader of the suitors

• very rude to others especially the beggar who is really Odysseus

• thinks he is the best out of the suitors

• really wants Penelope

• gets killed by Odysseus from being shot in the neck

Antiphates

• King of the Laestrygonians

• took one of the crew and ate them

• sent the giants to attack Odysseus and his men

• was able to drive them away from their city

• not willing to help Odysseus

Ares and the Trojan War

• Ares = god of war

• Fought in war on Trojan side (because he likes Aphrodite)

• Has an affair with Aphrodite

• Hephaestus tries to catch them

Arete

• Alcinous' wife

• Queen of Phaeacians

Book 21-24 plot summary

• Book 21 -

• Penelope announces bow and arrow plan. Telemachus sets up the axes. Suitors try but all fail, even Telemachus. Beggar (Odysseus) tell Eumaeus who he is.

• Antinous wants to stop for the day to sacrifice to Apollo. Beggar picks up the arrow, and Antinous says the wine is going to his head. He gets the arrow through the axes.

• Book 22 -

• Odysseus kills Antinous with second arrow. Suitors are confused. Odysseus reveals his identity and suitors are frightened. The doors are locked so there is no way out, Eurymachus says that Antinous was the only bad suitor, but Odysseus says he will spare none. Odysseus and Telemachus fight.

• One of the suitors, Melanthius, sneaks out when telemachus goes to get more swords. He gives suitors the weapons.

• Athena appears as Mentor and eventually joins the battle. The suitor, Melanthius, is then tortured for being a traitor.

• Book 23 -

• Nurse gets Penelope to greet Odysseus.

• Odysseus is worried parents of young noble men killed will be angry.

• Penelope doesn't believe it is Odysseus at first.

• Odysseus goes with Telemachus to Laertes' orchard and tell Penelope to lock herself inside.

• Book 24 -

• Hermes leads suitors into Hades. They see Agamemnon who says at least Penelope is faithful unlike his wife, Clytemnestra.

• Laertes doesn't recognize Odysseus.

• Rumor spreads the fight in the palace.

• Parents of suitors meet. Elderly man, Halitherses, says suitors got what they deserved. But Eupithes, Antinous's father, encourages others to seek revenge on Odysseus. With a small army, they travel to Laertes's house.

• Athena disguises herself as Mentor to stop the violence. Laertes spears Antinous's father. Athena makes others forget the massacre and recognize Odysseus as king. Peace is restored

Calypso

• keeps Odysseus on island for 7 years

• offers to make him immortal if he stays on island

Charybdis

• sucks up water 3 times a day and spits it back out

• no way to be saved if caught when she sucks it down

• lives on the other side of Scylla

Cicones

• Live on Ismaros

• first people Odysseus encounters and raids

Cimmerians

• people who lived in the deep, outermost Ocean

• wrapped in mist

• never see sunlight

Circe

• daughter of Helios

• turns Odysseus' men into pigs

• Odysseus resits her magic and she undo's it

• Odysseus and men remain on island for a year

• helps Odysseus get to the Underworld and out alive

• gives Odysseus advice on the rest of his journey and about Charybdis and Scylla

Clytemnestra

• Agamemnon's wife

• cheated on him

• killed Agamemnon with help of lover Aegithus

• later killed by son, Orestes, to avenge fathers death

Cyclops

• one eyed man eating giants

• live in Hyperia

Demodocus

• good stories and sings well

• singer of tales at Phaeacia

Earthshaker

Poseidon's epithet

Elpenor

• member of Odysseus' crew

• dies when he falls off the roof drunk

• visited by Odysseus in Underworld and asks for proper funeral

Eumaeus

• loyal swineherd

• offers Odysseus to stay in house while he is a beggar

• helps Odysseus in slaughter of suitors

• wants Odysseus to come back and is sick of the suitors

• feels that if he tries to shoot the bow, his life will be taken

• Odysseus later tells him that the beggar is really him to gain support for the slaughter

• locks Melanthius away

Eupeithes

• Antinous' father

• wants revenge on Odysseus

• starts a rebellion with other fathers of dead sons

Eurycleia

• nurse

• faithful to Odysseus

• tells Odysseus about the bad maids

Eurylochus

• leading member or Odysseus' crew

• tells Odysseus about Circe and what she did to the crew

• tells the crew it's okay to eat Helios' cattle

Eurymachus

One of Penelope's suitors killed by Odysseus

Hades

• God of the Underworld

• refers to dwelling place of the dead people fear visiting him

Halitherses

• son of Master

• says that what the suitors did was monstrous and foolish and they should pay for that

• wants to be peaceful and keep peace in Ithaca

• not many listened to him

Helios/Hyperion

• Sun god

• sheep that Tiresias warns him not to eat

• sun god who has 7 herds of cattle and 7 flocks of sheep

• prayed to Zeus to punish Odysseus' crew for eating flock

• Zeus listened and caused a storm that killed Odysseus' crew and sent him Ogygia

Hermes

• tells Odysseus about Circe scheme

• gives him herb to repel her drugs

• in the end, he helps Odysseus get his men back and not get drugged

• epithet = quicksilver

• messenger of the gods

Ilion

Troy

Ismaros

• town Odysseus visited

• killed men

• pillaged city

• took women and treasure

• wanted to move out, but his crew sat and drank and killed cattle and sheep

• people who survived the earlier attack fought against Odysseus and his group again

• won against the remaining survivors

Ithaca

• Where Odysseus is from (King of Ithaca)

• very pretty place

• Odysseus misses home

Laertes

• Odysseus father

• tested by Odysseus as well to make sure that his father was loyal

• tested Odysseus to make sure it was him

Laestrygonians

• people that live in Lamus

• really are giants

• pelted rocks at Odysseus and crew

• speared bodies

• destroyed all ships except for Odysseus'

Lamus

• Land of the Laestrygonians

• giants lived there

Leodes

• tries to warn the others about what will happen when Odysseus does return

• sits by a wine bowl all day

• made fun of because he is not strong

• not really a suitor, just eats everything there

• begs Odysseus to spare his life

• claims he is the soothsayer who has done no wrong

• Odysseus kills him

Lotus-Eaters

gave Odysseus' men fruit which made them want to stay on island forever and were oblivious of home

Maids

• 12 very disloyal to Odysseus

• Odysseus treats them well

• killed 12 women by hanging them

Medon

• messenger

• remained faithful to Odysseus

• spared as well

• Telemachus also saves him

Melanthius

• goatherd

• allied with suitors when Odysseus is away

• desperate for Penelope

• rude to beggar Odysseus

• killed by Odysseus

• rude to Odysseus when he is beggar

• sneaks out and steals weapons from storerooms

• caught by Eumaeus

• tied him to a board

• cut off nose, ears, hands and feet

Menelaus and Helen

• Menelaus is king of Sparta

• Helen is taken to Troy

• Helen returns home after war

Moly

herb given by Hermes to prevent Odysseus from being put under Circe's spell

Noman

name Odysseus used to trick Polyphemus

Ogygia

Island that Calypso lives on

Olive tree

• Odysseus build his bedroom around the olive tree

• secret only a few people including Odysseus and Penelope

• how Penelope finds out that it is really Odysseus

Orestes

Agamemnon's son who ends up killing both his mother and Aegisthus -wanted revenge on his father's death

Paris and Golden Apple

• Prophecy that King Priam's son, Paris, will ruin Troy

• wedding of Thetis and Peleus, where Eris, godess of discord isn't invited

• Throws apple to the fairest of them all to cause chaos

• Athena, Hera and Aphrodite all want apple

• Paris picks one with best gift, which is Aphrodite who offers him any woman he wants

• chooses Helen wife of Menelaus, King of Sparta

• Menelaus is angry when Helen is gone and goes to brother, Agamemnon, King of Greece, and declares war on Trojans

Penelope

• Odysseus' wife

• has been struggling back in Ithaca with suitors who want to marry her

• mother to Telemachus

• comes up with plan to pick a suitor via Athena

• doesn't want to believe that Odysseus is dead

• been loyal to Odysseus while he has been away

Phemius

• bard

• forced to entertain suitors

• remains faithful to Odysseus

• spares him because of his fidelity

• Telemachus begs his father to not kill him as well

Philoetius

• cowherd

• remains faithful to Odysseus

• helps Odysseus with the slaughter of the suitors

• passes Odysseus' test

Places Odysseys goes to in order

Ithaca (home) Troy (The Trojan War) Ismaros Land of the Lotus Eaters Land of Cyclopes Aeolia Lamus/ Land of the Laestrygonians Aeaea Land of Cimmerians/ Hades Sirens Scylla and Charybdis Thrinacia Ogygia Scheria/ Phaeacia Ithaca

Plot

9-12 plot book 9 Finally tells king of his wonderings from Troy:

1. Ismarus (city of Cicones). His men plunder the land overcome with greed.

2. Zues sends storm, Land of the Lotus-eaters. Intoxicating fruit, that makes them lose thoughts of returning home. Odysseus has to drag men back to ship and lock them up.

3. Sail through night to the land of the Cyclopes. Eat wild goats, and come across a cave of sheep, milk, and cheese. Polyphemus, son of Poseidon, pretends to be friendly, but then eats two of the men, and imprisons the rest of the men. Odysseus needs Polyphemus to remove the rock, so he makes up a plan. Odysseus hardens a wooden staff in the fire. He gets Polyphemus drunk on wine. He asks Odysseus for his name, which he says is "nobody." Odysseus and men push staff into his eye when he falls drunk. Polyphemus wakes and shrieks. His friends come, but leave when he says, "nobody is killing me." Put sheep skin on their backs so they can escape. Odysseus and men escpape, and then he reveals true name. Polyphemus asks for revenge from his father on Odysseus. book 10

4. Sail to land of Aeolus (god of winds). Gives Odysseus a bag of winds. They see Ithica in 10 days, but men think the bag contains gold and silver so they open the bag. It creates a storm, that brings them back to Aeolia. Aeolus doesn't help anymore because he is afraid gods are angry.

5. Row to land of Laestrygonians. Race of giants, that eat men for dinner. Sink boats by throwing boulders. Odysseus escapes.

6. Travel to Aeaea, home of witch-goddess, Circe. Circe turns men into pigs. Hermes goes to Odysseus, and tells him to eat a special herb to protect him from her spell. Odysseus forces a sword against her and tells her to let go his men. Odysseus becomes Circe's lover, living on the land for a year. He decides to leave. She tells him how to get bac

Polyphemus

• Cyclops of Poseidon

• eats some of Odysseus' men after trapping them in a cave

• Odysseus and men stab him in the eye to blind him

• as punishment, Poseidon tries to prevent Odysseus from reaching Ithaca

Poseidon

• against Odysseus

• epithet is "earth shaker"

• Polyphemus' father

• god of the sea

Rumor

• tells suitors parents about Odysseus murdering their sons and how they haven't been buried

Scylla

• monster that is a women from the waist up, but has 6 dog heads and a dozen feet

• lives on cliff straight across from Charybdis

Sirens

• singing birdlike creatures

• lure sailors in with irresistible voices

Suitors

• angry that they are dead

• Amphimedon tells story to Agamemnon about how they died

• currently in the underworld with all the other dead people where Hermes is making the mortal eyes sleep

The bow

• Odysseus received as gift from Eurytus

• contest to see who can string the bow and then shoot it through 12 axes

• one who can do it will become Penelope's husband

The Trojan War

• Trojans and Greeks fight

• Troy=fortified city

• Odysseus comes up with Trojan Horse after 9 years

• Greeks hide in horse and give to Trojans

• Trojans are skeptical about it at first, but when a man dies they see it as a warning -

• arty thinking they have won and then Greeks come out and burn the city

• Greeks win and Odysseus forgets to thank Poseidon

Thrinacia

• place where Helios lives

• where there are sheep

• Odysseus and crew will get marooned on island

• Odysseus doesn't want to stay here, but storm by Zeus makes them stay on island

Tiresias

• blind seer from Thebes

• dead and a ghost in the Underworld

• Persephone gave him intelligence after his death

• Odysseus is supposed to consult him about another journey he has to take

• seer who tells Odysseus that a god is making it difficult to come home

• he tells Odysseus that all of his crew will die and gives him advice to not eat the sun sheep as well as make a sacrifice to Poseidon

epic

a long narrative poem telling of a hero's deeds

muse

the inspirational goddesses of literature, science, and the arts

(epic) hero

• men or women of special strength, courage, or ability

• noted for superhuman courageous acts

• larger than life

• presented without favoritism

• gods and goddesses help or hinder

patronymics

calling son by father's name ex. "Laertes' Son"

epithet

an adjective or phrase that expresses a striking quality of a person ex. "grey-eyed Athena"

epic simile

when the author breaks from the plot to compare two things (in italics and separated from the rest of the page)

in media res

a piece of writing that begins in the middle of the action, this is used to push the story along

foil

a character who acts as a contrast to another character ex. Odysseys and Agamemnon

Ilion

another name for Troy

What are the places Odysseus and his crew travel to in book 9?

1. Ismaros

2. Land of the Lotus Eaters

3. Land of the Cyclops

What are the places Odysseus and his crew travel to in book 10?

1. Aeolia

2. Lamus

3. Aeaea

What are the places Odysseus and his crew travel to in book 11?

1. Underworld/Land of the Cimmerians

What are the places Odysseus and his crew travel to in book 12?

1. Sirens

2. Syclla and Charbdis

3. Thrinica

4. Oygia

Argus

Odysseus’ loyal dog that was left uncared for in Ithaca