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the odyssey

The Odyssey

Prepare to recognize the following characters. 

Odysseus: Grandson of Arcesius and Autolycus, son of laertes and Anticleia, Husband of Penelope, father of Telemachus, king of Ithaca and the surrounding islands

 

Athena: Or Palla Athena, goddess, daughter of Zeus, defender of the Achaeans. A patron of human ingenuity and resourcefulness, whether exemplified by handicrafts, such as spinning and weaving, or by skill in human relations, such as that possessed by Odysseus, her favorite among the Greeks

 

Zeus: king of the gods, son of cronus and rhea, brother and husband of hera, father of the olympians and many mortals too. His spheres include the sky and the weather, hospitality and the rights of guests and suppliants, the punishment of injustice, sending of omens and the governance of the universe, controlled to some extent by fate as well.

 

Poseidon: God of the sea, son of Cronus and Rhea, younger brother of Zeus, father of Polyphemus, throughout the Odyssey an inveterate enemy of Odysseus.

 

Calypso: Goddess-nymph, daughter of Atlas, who makes her home on the island of Ogygia.

 

Penelope: Daughter of Icarius, wife of Odysseus, mother of Telemachus, queen of Ithaca

 

Telemachus: Grandson of Laertes and Anticleia, son of Odysseus and Penelope, heir to the throne of Ithaca.

 

Alcinous and Arete: King of the Phaeacians, husband of Arete, father of Nausicaa. And Queen of Phaeacia, wife of Alcinous, mother of Nausicaa

 

Eurylochus: Kin of Odysseus, and his second in command

 

Nausicaa: Daughter of Alcinous and Arete.

 

Scylla: Man-eating monster that lives in a cliffside cavern opposite the whirlpool of charybdis.

 

Polyphemus: Cyclops, son of Poseidon and Thoosa, blinded by Odysseus

 

Charybdis: Monster in the form of a giant whirlpool, located across from Scylla.

 

Aeolus: Master of the winds and father of Cretheus.

 

Persephone: Goddess of the underworld, daughter of Demeter, and wife of hades.

 

Circe: Goddess and enchantress of Aeaea, who changes men to swine.

 

Lotus-Eaters: Legendary people visited by Odysseus, they live on a plant whose fruit induced stupor and forgetfulness of home.

 

Antinous: Son of eupithes, one of the two leading suitors.

 

Laestrygonians: Legendary clan of giant cannibals.

 

Eurymachus: One of two leading suitors, son of polybus and killed by Odysseus.

 

Cyclops: A cannibal clan of one-eyed giants; also a name for Polyphemus in particular.

 

Laertes: Son of Arcesius, husband of Anticleia, father of Odysseus

 

Eumaeus: Swineherd of Odysseus.

 

Eurycleia: The old nurse of Odysseus and Telemachus, attendant of Penelope.

 

Identify the following places.

Troy: Capital city of the Troad, and alternatively called Ilium

 

Ithaca: Home of Odysseus, ionian island off the western coast of Greece.

 

Aeaea: Island home of Circe.

 

Aeolia: Island ruled by Aeolus.

 

Ogygia: Island in the center of the sea and home of Calypso.

 

Olympus: Mountain in northeast Thessaly, home of the gods.

 

Sparta: Capital city of Lacedaemon, the home of Menelaus and helen.

 

Phaeacia: A kingdom whose alternative name is Scheria.

 

 

 

 

 

Why does Odysseus take ten years to get home from Troy? Who was against him? 

Poseidon punished Odysseus for blinding his son, Polyphemus. He faces challenges like monsters and hostile land.

What happens on the places Odysseus lands on the way home? (Lotus Eaters, Thrinacia, Ogygia, Aeaea, Laestregonia, Aeolia, Isle of the Cyclops, Land of the Dead in particular).

  • Lotus eaters

    • Odysseus’ men eat lotus flowers, which makes them forget that they want to go home.

  • Thrinacia

    • Odysseus’ crew eats the sacred cattle. This leads to their destruction by Zeus.

  • Ogygia

    • Calypso keeps Odysseus captive for 7 years because she wants him to be her husband.

  • Aeaea

    • Aeolus gives Odysseus a bag of winds that his crew opens. This blows them away.

  • Isle of Cyclops

    • Odysseus blinds Polyphemus and escapes the cave.

  • Land of the Dead

    • Odysseus talks to Tiresias the prophet about his journey home.

Why is Odysseus the only one from his ship who survives?

Odysseus is the only survivor because his men ignored the divine warnings, like Helios’ cattle. This causes Zeus to destroy their ship, only leaving Odysseus alive.

Where did he get stuck for long periods of time? Who had him for a year? Five years?

Odysseus was stuck with Circe in Aeaea for a year. He was stuck with Calypso in Ogygia for seven years.

Why was it important that Princess Nausicaa found him on the shore of Phaeacia? How does this help him?

It is important that Princess Nausicaa found him on the shore because she brought him to her parents who were able to help him.

Why are the suitors so sure that Odysseus is not coming home?

They believe he is dead because he was gone for twenty years.

What does Penelope do to stall the suitors for several years.

She says that she will marry when she is finished weaving a shroud. She weaves it during the day and unweaves it at night for three years, never finishing it.

What  did Odysseus use to prove to others (Eumaeus, Philoteaus, Eurycleia) who he was?

Odysseus reveals his identity to Eumaeus, Eurycleia,  and Philoteaus by showing them a scar that he received from a  boar hunt when he was young.

What was the test Penelope set for the suitors?

Penelopes challenges the suitors to string Odysseus’ bow and shoot an arrow through 12 axe heads. None of them succeed. 

List 8 things from the film O Brother, Where Art Thou?  that are events similar to those of the Odyssey. How are they different/ similar to the Odyssey?

1. Them escaping prison is similar to Odysseus escaping captivity

2.  When they encounter the singing women in the river it is similar to the sirens.

3. The blind prophet railroad man is similar to Tiresias

4. Big Dan Teague’s one eye is similar to the cyclops. Both of their encounters result in violence.

5. Everett disguises himself from his prison outfit much like Odysseus.

6. Everett’s journey home and away from the prison is similar to Odysseus’ journey to Ithaca

7. Everett has an ex-wife named Penny, similar to Odysseus’ wife Penelope.

8. When Dlemar thinks that the women in the river turned Pete into a toad. This is similar to when Circe turned Odysseus’ men into pigs.