The Odyssey Books 9-12 Quiz

How does Odysseus introduce himself to the Phaeacians?

Odysseus introduces himself by explaining his name, his father, and where he’s from. “I am Odysseus, son of Laertes. My home is on the peaked sea-mark of Ithaca.”

What happens when Odysseus and his crew land near Ismarus?

Odysseus and his men arrive in Ismarus. They begin to enslave women, but you can see Odysseus hurry when said, “I stormed that place and killed men who fought.”

What happens to those who eat the Lotus?

The Lotus flower is a drug like flower that distracts you from all surrounding, making you forget common things.

How does Odysseus rescue his men from the land of the Lotus Eaters? What does it tell the audience about the hero and his relationship with his men? What does this show about his leadership?

Odysseus rescues his men from the land of the Lotus eaters by forcing the, back to the ships after they have already eaten the lotus flower and no longer want to return home. Odysseus cares about his men and is determined to get them home safely.

How do the Greeks view the Cyclopes

The Greeks viewed the cyclopes as uncivilized and dangerous because they did not follow the customs and laws that Greek society values, especially xenia.

Epithet example

“When the young dawn with fingertips of rose”

What does Euanthes’ son, Maron, give to Odysseus, and why does Maron give Odysseus this?

Maron gives Odysseus a goatskin full of sweet liquor, seven shining gold talents, and a solid silver wine bowl. He gives Odysseus these offerings as an act of hospitality, showing his honor of Greek law. (Xenia.)

How long does Odysseus stay on the island of Aeolus

1 month

What gift does Aeolus give Odysseus? How do the men ruin it “by their own folly”? What is Aeolus’ reaction when Odysseus returns for help?

King Aeolus gives Odysseus a leather bag containing all the stormy, destructive winds, and he sets a gentle west wind free to push Odysseus's ships straight toward Ithaca

Describe Circe. What does she do to Odysseus’s men?

Circe is a with goddess who makes persuading easy. She turned Odysseus’ men into pigs after drugging them.

What two things does Hermes give Odysseus?

hermes gives him a magical herb called moly and gives him advice to not drink circes potion.

How does Odysseus get Circe to reverse her spell and turn his men back into men?

hermes gives Odysseus the moly to protect him from circes poison sorcery

What is life like for Odysseus and his men while they stay with Circe? How long do Odysseus and his men stay with Circe?

Odysseus and his men stay with circe for a year and are treated really with xenia

Where does Circe tell Odysseus he must go next before he can go home? Who must he speak to? What is Odysseus’s reaction?

circe tells Odysseus he must go to the underworld and he must speak to teiresias. Odysseus is crushed and sorrowful, not wanting to go.

Where does Book 11 take place? From whom is Odysseus given advice? What advice does he give Odysseus?

book 11 takes place in the underworld where Odysseus receives a prophecy from teiresias and agamemnon. teiresias warns Odysseus that posiden is angry with him because he blinded his son Polyphemus. he tells Odysseus not to harm the cattle of the sun god Helios

Who from Odysseus’s past does he see? How did she die?

While in the underworld, Odyseus sees his own mother and is confused and devastated. She had ended her life due to odysseus fail to return home to Ithaca.

Why should Odysseus be wary of the Sirens?

odysseus is told to be wary of the sirens because of how their able to lure anyone into their spells through there singing.

What should Odysseus do to keep safe from the Sirens?

Odysseus is told to put beeswax in him and his mens ears to block out all sounds from the sirens.

Describe Scylla.

scylla is a man eating sea monster who has 12 dangling feet, six long necks, with each head having three rows of sharp teeth.

What advice does Circe give Odysseus concerning Helios’s cattle?

Circe tells Odysseus to completely avoid harming the cattle and steer completely clear of them

Describe the circumstances of all of Odysseus’ shipmates’ deaths

odysseus’ men died from the cicones, polyphemus, the laestrygonains, circes island, scylla and charybdis, and the island of thrinacia

Timeline of Odysseus’s journey

Ithaca - Trojan war - Cicones - Lotus eaters - Polyphemus - Aeolus - Laestrygonians - Circe - Underworld - Circe - Sirens - Scylla/ Charybdis - Thrinacia - Calypso - Phaeacians - Ithaca

Hubris

Hubris is extreme pride or self-confidence, defiance of the gods, and ultimately leads to nemesis. In Greek Tragedy, excessive pride, linked with defiance of the gods, leads to nemesis

What kind of creatures are the Cyclopes?

The Cyclopes are portrayed as lawless, clumsy, and stupid; they are very large monsters with one eye.

1. What is Odysseus’ reply to his men when they voice their desire to steal the Cyclops’ cheese and lambs?

Odysseus tells his men to wait because he is curious to see who inhabits the cave.

How do Odysseus and his men threaten the Cyclops in their response?

Odysseus and his men expect the Cyclops' help and gifts (hospitality). Odysseus’s reply to the Cyclops stresses the claim that it "[is] custom [...] to honor a stranger. We would entreat you, great Sir, have a care for the gods’ courtesy; Zeus will avenge the unoffending guest" (citation). It is implied that if the Cyclops does not welcome Odysseus and his men into his home, Zeus will avenge Odysseus.

1. What does the Cyclops do to Odysseus and his men? Does the Cyclops participate in xenia when he interacts with Odysseus and his men?

The Cyclops eats Odysseus’s men and refuses to take part in xenia when he interacts with Odysseus and his men. The Cyclops proclaims that the Cyclopes “‘care not a whistle for your thundering Zeus or all the gods in bliss’” (9.179-180). This is not the ideal belief for the Greeks, and so he is punished by losing his eye,

What pun is used when Odysseus tells the Cyclops his name?

Odysseus tells the Cyclops that his name is Nohbdy. When Polyphemus calls for help from the other Cyclopes, Polyphemus answers their questions with, “Nohbdy’s tricked me, Nohbdy’s ruined me ”

What happens to the Cyclops?

Odysseus and his men give Polyphemus the “pure and fiery” brandy; given to Odysseus by Euanthes’ son, Maron. Once Polyphemus is intoxicated and falls asleep, Odysseus and his men sharpen an olive tree into a spike and jam it into his only eye, blinding him. 

How do Odysseus and his men escape Polyphemus’s cave?

Odysseus and his men tie together three rams and sling a man under the middle ram to be shielded on all sides. When Polyphemus lets the rams and goats out to pasture, the men are hidden from his view. Odysseus himself hides under the largest of the rams. Because he is weighing down one ram, it is the last to leave the cave, and Polyphemus notes this.

How does hubris get Odysseus into trouble after he escapes with Polyphemus’s sheep? How is he then cursed? 

Odysseus’s hubris gets him into trouble because he gloats and boasts to the Cyclops, giving him his name and home. Odysseus feels compelled to take ownership of blinding the giant cyclops per the rules of kleos.

How is it ironic that Odysseus is asked to go to the underworld, considering that he has been living for a year with Circe and being unfaithful to his wife?

1. This is ironic because Odysseus is very close to his home because of the wind that Aeolus gave him, and now, he has to go a completely different route to get home.

Where do Odysseus and his men go after they leave the underworld?

After leaving the underworld, Odysseus and his men return to Circe’s island.

What will Charybdis do if Odysseus’ ship gets too close? 

Charybdis is a violent whirlpool; if Odysseus’ ship gets too close, she will rise up, engulf the ships, and destroy them. 

What ends up happening when the men encounter Scylla?

1. When the men encounter Scylla, she takes six of Odysseus’s best men from the ship. This is the most horrific experience for Odysseus in all his journeys because he knows he is going to lose men, but he is powerless to prevent it.

Temptress

•  a woman who tempts someone to do something, typically one who tries to allure or seduce someone.

Femme Fatale

• an attractive, seductive woman, especially one who ultimately brings disaster to a man who becomes involved with her.

Damsel in Distress

a young woman in trouble, implying she needs to be rescued.