The Odyssey
Academic English 9
Plunder (v)

steal goods typically using force and in a
time of war or civil disorder.
Valor (n)

great courage in the face of danger,
especially in battle.
Formidable (adj)
Very impressive
Men hold me formidable for guile in peace and
war.

Guile (n)
Cunning; Slyness
Men hold me
formidable for guile in
peace and war.

Ponderous (adj)

Extremely heavy thoughts
Profusion (n)

An abundance
Muster/ed (v)
To gather
All ships’ companies mustered alongside for
the midday meal.

Victuals (n)
Food
A wineskin full I brought along and victuals in a
bag.

Adze (n)

An ax-like tool
Hale (adj)

Strong
Disdain (V)
to refuse or abstain
from because of a
feeling of contempt
or scorn; reject
She disdained to
answer their
questions.

Carrion (n)

the decaying flesh of dead animals
Sage (n)

A very wise person.
Dispatch (v)

Defeat, finish
weird

Strange fate or
destiny
Odyssey Introduction
Turn to page 592-
Epithet
A descriptive word or phrase that has become a fixed
formula
Example: Zeus the lord of the cloud.
Epic simile

An extended simile developed over several
lines.
Everyday…
Having a snow day is like a day at the beach. I
can lounge on my sofa as if it were my
multicolored stripped beach chair. I can close
my eyes and listen to my favorite television
shows as if it were the waves crashing upon
the shore. It is total peace and relaxation as I
drift to sleep to all of the sounds around me.
In The Odyssey…
And swift Achilles kept on coursing Hector,
nonstop as a hound in the mountains starts a
fawn from its lair, hunting him down the gorges,
down the narrow glens and the fawn goes to
ground, hiding deep in brush but the hound
comes racing fast, nosing him out until he lands
his kill (XX11.224-229).
Invocation
A prayer; The Iliad and Odyssey both begin
with an invocation to the muse of Epic Poetry.
The Odyssey begins with an invocation on
page 595 (blue) the poet asks for inspiration
in telling the story of his hero…it also gives
a brief summary of the hero’s adventures
Muse
One of the nine patrons of fine arts
Important Terms

Hubris: overwhelming pride; considered a sin and
great offense to the gods

Homeric Simile: an extended simile elaborated in
great detail– Homer usually compared violence with
peaceful nature
Elements of an Epic Hero
What makes Odysseus a classic Greek hero?
Intelligence
-His shrewd intelligence is of the
cunning and sly sort….not the
book-smart type.
-A man of “twists and turns…”
Odysseus is a man of
deceptions and disguises.
Physical Strength

While Odysseus demonstrates
cunning, farsightedness,
adaptability and other aspects of
intellectual prowess, he is by no
means a physical weakling! He is
not enormous, but he is powerful,
and he is both an excellent
athlete and a formidable soldier.
QUEST


To return home!
The sharpness with which
he won the Trojan War is
the same devious aptitude
he uses to find his way
back home. This same
intelligence is used to outwit
monsters and other foes who
block his path and threaten
his men’s lives.
FACE DANGER WITH COURAGE
He does not shrink away from his
leadership role in times of great peril.
Assistance of the gods

Throughout the epic, Athena represents
Odysseus favorably to the other gods,
assists and guides him. Circe gives advice
and ultimately, Zeus helps Odysseus rule
peacefully once he finally arrives home.

Of course, the gods are not always
pleased. Poseidon makes Odysseus’s
journey a true test of his wit and valor.
Aristocrat

He is ROYAL, a member of the ruling class
who seeks to recapture his “rightful” place
after his long years away at war. He returns
to one last battle of revenge on
interlopers…rude, crass suitors of
Penelope’s affections and possessions…and
reasserts his claim to his palace, a beautiful
wife and a loyal son to be his proper heir.
Special Status

Odysseus must prove
himself again and again
and again, and the
perceptions others have
of him are of vital
importance to his heroic
stature, but….
Cont.’

Odysseus is always willing to find another
way around the danger if possible. He
doesn’t run, but he is willing to hide…
behind disguises, behind well-timed silences,
amongst sheep and the suitors.
Flaw

Like tragic heroes, Odysseus has faults
that lead to disaster.
Unlike tragic heroes, Odysseus is uses his
cunning and guile to escape the ultimate
price his crew has to pay for his mistakes.
Facts on Odysseus…



He’s all human– he
even turns down an
offer to be made
immortal
Married to Penelope
Father of Telemachus
Good Guys






Odysseus
Penelope
Telemachus
Circe: Originally imprisons
Odysseus and his men, but
then helps them
Alcinous: King of Phaeacia
Nausicaa: Princess of
Phaeacia
Good Guys




Athena: helps
Odysseus in battle
Eumaeus: Odysseus’
swineheard, helps him
battle the suitors when
he returns
Euriclea: Odysseus’
nurse– recognizes him
by his scar
Argos: Odysseus’ dog
Bad Guys




Poseidon: Odysseus
wounds his son, so they
become enemies
Calypso: holds Odysseus
prisoner for seven years
Polyphemus: one eyed
giant, Poseidon’s son
Sirens: half woman, half
eagle– lure sailors to their
deaths with beautiful sining
voices
More Bad Guys



Antinous: leads the
suitors
Eurymachus: another
suitor
Suitors: About 100 men
camped out in
Odysseus’ house,
waiting for his wife to
pick one for marriage
Facts about the Odyssey




Contains 11,300 lines
Story takes 40 days,
but tells the story of
Odysseus’ 10 year
journey home from the
Trojan War
Themes are “man” and
“homecoming”
Not told chronologically
More Facts about the Odyssey




Most of the story is told
by Odysseus– is he a
reliable narrator?
Told in flashback
Large setting–
Odysseus wanders
through the
Mediterranean
Odysseus goes to the
Underworld
More Facts about the Odyssey



Has more female
characters, but for the most
part women are still
represented as fickle objects
Gods are portrayed as being
envious of men
Family values are
important– establishes
contrast between a good
family and a bad family