Rhiley Bernyce Magpantay - The Odyssey: Books 10 - 15 Discussion Questions

**English 1 Honors/IB**

***The Odyssey* (Robert Fitzgerald translation)**

**Books 10-15**

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**Book 10**

1\. Who is Aiolos?

Aiolos is the king of Aiolia Island and is associated with the winds.

“We made our landfall on Aiolia Island,/ domain of Aiolos Hippotades,/ the wind king dear to the gods who never die-” (10. 1-3).

2\. How does Aiolos’ gift cause trouble for Odysseus? How does Odysseus display and/or ignore the practice of *xenia* in this episode with Aiolos?

Aiolos gives Odysseus a bag of winds that will help Odysseus’ ship to sail. His crew felt as if Odysseus got all the gifts and that he was greedy. They thought that the bag was a bag of treasure, and when they opened it, it released the wings. Odysseus heads back to Aiolos and asks him for more help, which displays improper *xenia*.

“‘I say we ought to crack that bag,/ there’s gold and silver, plenty, in that bag!’ Temptation had its way with my companions,/ and they untied the bag./ Then every wind/ roared into hurricane; the ships were pitching/ west with many cries; our land was lost” (10. 49-55)

3\. What happens at the island of the Laestrygonians?

The Laestrygonians are cannibals and Antiphates eat some of Odysseus’ men. All of the ships but his sink and only him and his crew are left.

“Antiphates, who came to drink their blood./ He seized one man and tore him on the spot,/ making a meal of him; the other two/ leaped out of doors and ran to join the ships” (10. 128-131)

4\. Who is Eurylochus? What strange tale does he tell Odysseus after surveying the land?

Eurylochus is Odysseus’ right hand man. He was fearful of Circe’s island so he stayed wary and was the only man who was not turned into a pig.

“Like sheep they followed her,/ but \[Eurylochus\] saw cruel deceit, and stayed behind./ Then all our fellows vanished” (10. 283-285)

5\. Who is Circe? How does she treat Odysseus and his crew? How long do they stay with her?

Circe is a witch who turns a bunch of Odysseus’ men into pigs, except for Eurylochus and Odysseus himself, at first. But then after all was made well, she treated them very nicely, supplying them with food and drink and giving Odysseus advice on what to do next. They stayed with her for a year.

“Scarce had they drunk when she flew after them/ with her long stick and shut them in a pigsty-/ bodies, voices, heads, and birstles, all/ swinish now, though minds were still unchanged” (10. 262-265).

6\. Summarize the advice Circe gives Odysseus in order for his crew and him to continue his voyage.

Circe instructs Odysseus and his crew to go to the Underworld to find Teiresias the blind prophet, who will tell him what to do.

“‘Meanwhile draw sword from hip, crouch down, ward off/ until you know the presence of Teiresias./ He will come soon, great captain; be it he who gives you course and distance for your sailing/ homeward across the cold fish-breeding sea.’” (10. 592-597)

7\. Who is Elpenor and what happens to him?

Elpenor is the youngest of Odysseus’ crew. While he was drunk he climbed up to Circe’s roof and fell asleep. He awoke in the morning but slipped and died.

“Having climbed on Kirke’s roof/ to taste the cool night fell asleep with wine./ Waked by our morning voices, and the tramp/ of men below, he started up, but missed/ his footing on the long steep backward ladder/ and fell that height headlong. The blow smashed/ the nape cord, and his ghost fled to the dark.” (10. 612-618)

**Book 11** *(Read Summary. Remember that ANSWERS to the following questions for Book 11 ARE REQUIRED; however, evidence/quotes are not needed for this section/book.)*

8\. How does Odysseus attract the spirits of the dead?

He makes offerings and they all gather to drink blood.

9\. Who is Teiresias? Summarize the predictions he makes?

Teiresias is the blind prophet of Apollo. He predicted that Odyssseos will die as Poseidon’s vengeance for his son, or he will be able to make home with no ships or crew as punishment.

10\. Who is Anticleia? How does she die?

Anticleia is the mother of Odysseus and she died from loneliness.

11\. What does the ghost of Agamemnon tell Odysseus?

Agamemnon tells Odysseus that he admires Penelope for remaining loyal and not choosing to marry a suitor.

12\. Who is Tantalus? How is he punished for his crime?

Tantalus was the king of Sipylus who was punished in the Underworld for trying to serve his own son at a feast with the gods. His punishment was to stand in a pool of water under a branch of a fruit tree, never able to quench his thirst or satisfy his hunger despite being stood directly near water and food.

13\. Who is Sisyphus? How is he punished for his crime?

Sisyphus is the former king of Ephyra and on multiple occasions, he tried to cheat death. His punishment was to roll a boulder up a hill for eternity, and everytime it would get to the top it would roll back down and he would have to start all over again.

**Book 12**

14\. Where and how does Odysseus fulfill his promise to Elpenor?

Odysseus fulfills his promise and buries Elpenor on the island of Aiaia.

“Then we heaped his barrow,/ lifting a gravestone on the mound,/ and fixed/ his light but unwarped oar against the sky” (12. 16-18)

15\. What instructions does Circe give Odysseus?

Circe instructs Odysseus to be wary of the sirens and to block his and his crews’ ears with wax. She also warns him about Skylla, Charybdis, and Helio’s island.

“‘Steer wide;/ keep well to seaward; plug your oarsmen’s ears/ with beeswax kneaded soft; none of the rest should hear that song./ But if you wish to listen,/ let the men tie you in the lugger, hand/ and foot, back to the mast, lashed to the last,/ so you may hear those harpies’ thrilling voices” (12. 57-64)

16\. Describe the Sirens.

The Sirens are temptresses. Their beautiful voices have the capability to lure sailors to the sea and drown them.

“The lovely voices in ardor appealing over the water/ made me crave to listen, and I tried to say/ ‘Untie me!’ to the crew. Jerking my brows” (12. 246-248).

17\. Describe Scylla.

Scylla is a sea monster with six heads and many tentacles. She sweeps many of Odysseus’ men off the ship to take them for herself.

“‘\[Skylla’s\] legs-/ and there are twelve- are like great tentacles,/ unjointed, and upon her serpent necks/ are borne six heads like nightmares of ferocity,/ with triple serried rows of fams and deep/ gullets of black death’” (12. 106-11).

18\. Describe Charybdis.

Charybdis is a whirlpool that can devour any ship that passes its way. “By heaven! When she/ vomited, all the sea was like a cauldron/ setting over intense fire, when the mixture/ suddenly heaves and rises” (12. 305-308)

19\. What warning does Circe give Odysseus about Helios?

Circe warns Odysseus that they should not touch Helios’ cattle on his island or there will be consequences.

“Keep your thoughts/ intent upon your course for home,/ and hard seafaring brings you all to Ithaka./ but if you raid the beeves, I see destruction/ for ship and crew” (12. 163-167)

20\. How does the South Wind interfere with the crew’s plans?

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21\. How are Odysseus’ men punished for their actions on Helios?

Zeus kills all of Odysseus’ men with his thunderbolt as punishment. “With crack on crack of thunder, Zeeus let fly/ a bolt against the ship, a direct hit,/ so that she bucked, in reeking fumes of sulphur/ and all the men were flung into the sea” (12. 527-530)

**Book 13**

22\. How does the narration change in Book 13?

The story is told from a third person point of view.

23\. How does Alcinoos reward Odysseus and what is the method of payment for these gifts?

Alcinoos rewards Odysseus with gold, garments, etc. The method of payment is with taxes.

“‘Garments are folded for our guest and friend/ in the smooth chest, and gold/ in various shaping of adornment lies/ with other gifts, and many, brought by our peers;/ let each man and his tripod and deep-bellied/ cauldron: we’ll make levy upon the realm/ to pay us for the loss each bears in this’” (13. 12-18).

24\. Describe the discussion between Zeus and Poseidon. What plan/action does Poseidon wish to carry out regarding Odysseus?

Poseidon and Zeus discuss how to punish the Phaeacians for helping Odysseus.

“‘Let me impale her,/ end her voyage, and end all ocean-crossing/ with passengers, then heavea a mass of mountain/ in a ring around the city’” (13. 188-191).

25\. How are the Phaeacians punished?

The Phaeacians are punished by Poseidon. He sinks their ships into stone.

“Poseidon, god of earthquake,/ departed for Skheria, where the Phaiakians/ are born and dwell. Their ocean-going ship/ he saw already near, heading for the harbor;/ so up behind her swam the island shaker/ and struck her into stone, rooted in stone, at one/ blow of his palm” (13. 199-205).

26\. Why does Athena cover Ithaca in a mist and make “him find the whole place unfamiliar”?

She covers Ithaca in a mist so that the Phaeacians will not recognize him.

“Pallas Athena, Zeu’s daughter, poured/ a grey mist all around him, hiding him/ from common sight- for she had things to tell him/ and wished no one to know him” (13. 240-243).

27\. How is Athena disguised in Book 13?

Athen is disguised as a shepherd.

“Athena came to him from the nearby air,/ putting a young man’s figure on a shepherd/ like a king’s son, all delicately made” (13. 280-282).

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28\. How is Odysseus disguised and what purpose does this disguise serve?

Odysseus is disguised as an old beggar. The purpose of this disguise it to stay under the radar and collect information without being seen by suitors.

“Speaking no more, she touched him with her wand,/ shriveled the clear skin of his arms and legs,/ made all of his hair fall out,/ cast over him the wrinkled hide of an old man” (13. 538-541).

29\. Odysseus questions Athena regarding Telemachos. What is Athena’s response/reasoning for the journey she advises him to take?

She wants Telemachos to be known and recognized. “At this the grey-eyed goddess Athena said:/ ‘No need for anguish on that lad’s account./ I sent him oof myself, to make his name/ in foreign parents-no hardship in the bargain”

**Book 14** (*Read Summary. Remember that ANSWERS to the following questions for Book 14 ARE REQUIRED; however, evidence/quotes are not needed for this section/book.)*

30\. Who is Eumaios?

Eumaios is a swineherd who help out Odysseus in his beggar form.

31\. What part of Odysseus’ story does Eumaios refuse to believe?

He does not believe that Odysseus is still alive and that he is coming back.

32\. What hint does Odysseus give Eumaios at the end of this Book?

Beggar Odysseus has gone through many of the same trials that Odysseus has went through.

33\. Compare and contrast Eumaios and Polyphemus regarding their adherence to *xenia*.

Eumaios is very welcoming and does not hesitate to help the beggar out, which showcases proper *xenia*. Polyphemus does not do any of that which displays improper *xenia*.

34\. How does the treatment and behavior between beggar (disguised Odysseus) and Eumaios change throughout Book 14?

Eumaios’ hospitality stays the same throughout Book 14.

**Book 15** *(Read Summary. Remember that ANSWERS to the following questions for Book 15 ARE REQUIRED; however, evidence/quotes are not needed for this section/book.)*

35\. What dream does Athena bring Telemachos?

She lets him dream that his mother Penelope is about to marry the suitor Eurymachos and because of that he must hurry home to Ithaca.

36\. Describe the omen that Helen interprets.

Zeus had sent an eagle with a goose in its talon. She interprets this as Odysseus has come home and is ready to take back his home from the suitors.

37\. Who is Theoclymenos and briefly summarize the story he shares with Telemachos.

Theoclymenos in a descendant of Melampous and a prophetic man. He is being hunted down for murdering his cousin in Argos.

38\. How does Odysseus “test” Eumaios’s *xenia*?

Beggar Odysseus makes himself seem like a burden for staying in Eumaios’ household.

39\. Once Telemachos arrives home to Ithaca he witnesses an omen. Describe this omen and what it is believed to mean.

A hawk holds a dove in its talons. This is believed to mean that Odysses’ family will rule Ithaca forever.