Invocation
• Homer asks Caliope (muse) for inspiration
• We learn Odysseus is lost at sea
– His men will die b/c they are reckless
– Telemachus is looking for his dad
Sailing from Troy (in medias res)
• Odysseus asks Alcinous for a ship
• Alcinous trades a ship for a story
• Odysseus tells of his travels (flashback!)
Lotus-Eaters
• Storm blows Ody. to island
• Ody. orders 3 men to discover about the
people of the island
• Men became addicted to lotus flower
– THEY DON’T WANT TO LEAVE!
• Ody. orders them all to leave
Cyclops (Polyphemus)
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Ody. is curious about who lives in the cave
Takes 12 men of his best men to explore
Cyclops traps them in his cave
Cyclops eats 6 men
Ody. Gets him drunk
Ody. Tells him “I am Nohbdy”
Ody. stabs him in the eye
Ody. Sneaks out under sheep
Ody. Mocks Cyclops, tells his name, and where
he lives
Land of the Dead
• Circe tells Ody to find Tiresias (blind dude
sees the future!) in Hades
• Ody makes sacrifices to the dead
• Ody meets his soldier Elpenor
– Elpenor died but wasn’t buried so he wanders
– Elp asks Ody for a funeral (Ody is depressed)
• Ody sees mom, but can’t speak to her
Land of the Dead (cont)
• Ody finds Tiresias who tells him the future:
– Posiedon is after you
– Tells Ody to do 3 things
• Pass through a narrow, dangerous strait
• Show self-control
• Control your men
– DO NOT EAT HELIOS’ (sun god) COWS!
– You will live but your men will all die
– When you return to Ithaca, the suitors will be in your
home -> They will all be killed
– Make sacrifices to the gods, and live a peaceful life
Sirens
• Ody. Tells his men, many will die
• Ody tells men to tie him up and don’t untie
me no matter what he says
• Ody puts wax in the men’s ears so they
can’t hear the Sirens
• Sirens (body of giant bird, head of woman,
BEAUTIFUL voice) try to seduce the men
• EVERYBODY survives
Scylla (6 headed monster)
and Charybdis (whirlpool)
• The men hear a LOUD noise in the ocean
and become afraid
• Ody calmly encourages them “We’ve
survived worse than this, men.”
• Ody chooses to stay close to Scylla to
avoid Charybdis
• Scylla eats six men who cry out to Ody in
pain
• “We rowed on.” (980 ln 826)
Cattle of the Sun God
• Ody’s men make it to the island of Helios
• Ody’s men eat the cows! (even though he tells
them not to)
• Helios asks Zeus to punish the men
• Zeus destroys the ships and the men
• Ody floats ALONE back to Charybdis
• Ody survives Charybdis by holding to a tree (he
FINALLY gives thanks to Zeus)
• Zeus allows Ody to float to Calypso
Ody Returns to Ithaca!
• Athena disguises Ody so he can get the
scoop about what’s happened for the last
20 years!
• Eumeus welcomes the stranger (Ody) and
tells him everything
• Ody meets with Telemachus (his son)
• Telem mistakes Ody for a god
• Ody and Telem come up with a plan to
boot the suitors (with Zeus and Athena’s
help)
Argus
• Ody walks to his castle
• He sees Argus, who is broken and tired
• Argus is 20 years old and the servants mistreat
him
• Argus was strong and waited for Ody
• Argus recognizes Ody in disguise
• Ody sheds a tear
• Argus lets himself die
• ARGUS SYMBOLIZES LOYALTY!
Penelope
• Penelope asks the beggar’s (Ody’s) life story
• Ody. Dodges the question and flatters Pen. For
her beauty and her leadership
• Ody tells her “I’ve had it rough, but I’m not one to
complain”
• Ody is testing Penelope to see if she is still loyal
• Ody asks “How did you keep the suitors away
for so long?”
• Pen. Tells of her guile “I wove a shroud every
day for 4 years and unwove it at night.”
• Ody falls in love with her all over again
• Pen. Tells that her servants betrayed her and
told the suitors of her trick “I can’t wait any
longer – I have no choice”
• Ody tells her to keep hope, her husband is alive
and WILL return
The Challenge
• Penelope tells the suitors that which ever suitor
can string and shoot the bow, firing an arrow
through 12 axehandles will become her husband
• IT IS IMPOSSIBLE B/C IT IS ODY’S BOW!
• The suitors fail
• Ody strings the bow, fires and wins in a single try
• The suitors are shocked
• Ody and Telemachus trade looks, “strap up for
battle,” and get ready for “amusement later in
the evening.”
Odysseus’ Revenge
• Ody shoots Antinous (leader of the suitors)
• The other suitors turn on Antinous, but try
to defend themselves
• Then Ody kills EVERYONE
• Telemachus fights like a hero (makes Ody
proud)
• Eameus and another shepherd help Ody
and Telem (not to mention the gods!) 
Penelope’s Test
• Penelope is unsure of Ody’s identity
• Ody shows patience “I understand you have had a long
20 years”
• Penelope thinks the man might even be a god
• Penelope tells a servant to move Ody’s bed to the hall
• Ody is outraged that Penelope moved his bed and
suspects that she has been unloyal
• BECAUSE Ody knows that no man could move his bed
carved into a tree trunk
• Penelope weeps from joy b/c she knows that only Ody
knows about the bed
• Odysseus is home.
Guile
• Ody lies to Cyclops about Posiedon
destroying his ship (959 ln 226-227)
• Ody gets Cyclops drunk, lies about his
name, hides his men under sheep (961 ln
313-315)
Strength – physical/emotional
• “We climbed briskly to the cave” (957 ln
157)
• Ody lifts the huge spear made of a tree
trunk and stabs Cyclops in the eye (960 ln
265 – 270)
• Ody decides to sacrifice 6 men instead of
losing the whole boat (980 ln 826)
• The stool that Antinuous threw bounced off
of Odysseus’ shoulder
Patience – self-control
• Ody. Resists killing Cyclops so the men
could get away (big door!) (960 ln 247250)
• Ody knows he won’t be able to resist the
Sirens so he has his men tie him up (975
ln 694-698)
Wisdom – street smarts, book
smarts
• Ody discovers the Lotus eaters and tells
his men to get on the boat before they get
stuck (955 ln 103-105)
• Ody comes up with a plan to defeat
Cyclops and rescue his men from the cave
(960 ln 270-280)
• Ody puts wax in his men’s ears to protect
against the Sirens’ song (977 ln 712-713)
Leadership
• Ody stands up to Cyclops even though he
is scared and asks for hospitality (958 ln
201-203)
• Ody tells his men that “we will die” after he
talks to Tiresias (975 ln 686-687)
Odysseus’ Character Flaws
• Boastful – calls Cyclops a fool after Ody
defeated him (965 431-435)
• Curiosity – Ody. Risks his men to meet
Cyclops instead of just stealing some food
(958 ln 171-173)
• Temper – Ody. kills not just Antinuos, but
all of the suitors. He is unable to forgive.
He also gets really angry at Penelope
when he thinks she’s been untrue!
Greek culture
Respect the dead
• The men mourn their shipmates’ deaths
after Cicones (954, ln 60-70)
• Ody. talks to Elpnor who asks for a funral
(fire, monument) and Ody weeps (972, ln
609-10)
Greek Culture
Hospitality
• Eumeus welcomes Ody even though Ody
is dressed as a beggar (p994)
Greek culture
Praise the gods
• Ody is punished for not giving thanks to
the gods (Invocation)