Honors English 10 Exam
The Epic Terms
Characteristics of the epic
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it’s a genre
long narrative poem
long in length
tells a story- focused on one hero
is a poem and is written in verse
The hero = imposing in stature, of national importance, has legendary significance
Setting = huge, vast
Actions consist of deeds of great valor, requiring super-human courage
Supernatural forces intervene from time to time
The style is grand and elevated, but not complex: it’s straightforward
-these epics were originally orally transmitted and recited
The story is told with objectivity
-told by a narrator or poet, just being recited
-not told subjectively, from the point of view of a character
It’s written early in the culture
Conventions of classical epics
o Classical epics = the Odyssey, the Illiad, and the Aeneid
o convention = an accepted practice
1) Opens by stating the theme (the proem)
2) Opens by invoking the muse
-an act of piety: we need divine help, we’re just humans
-cultural memory maintained by the arts
3) Opens in media res = in the middle of things
4) Catalog or list of warriors and ships
-important in orally transmitted culture so they could remember them
5) Characters give formal speeches
-important in orally transmitted culture because it taught people how to talk sophisticatedly
6) Employs epic similes and epithets
-very economical: gets meter going
Characteristics of the epic hero
1) Imposing in nature
2) Of national importance
3) Has legendary significance
Ancient Greek outlook on life (I’m going to ask her about this one on Monday)
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Honors English 10 Exam
Dates of the Homeric epics
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8th century BC (aka 700 BC): the Illiad and the Odyssey
Actually war against Troy: 12th century BC
Heinrich Schleimann (1870s)- German credited with discovering the ruins of ancient Troy
Illiad (I’m going to ask her about this one on Monday)
Primary epic- one that was first orally transmitted and written down afterwards
-also called a folk epic
-passed down from generation to generation orally
-the Illiad and Odyssey
Secondary epic- started out being written down
-also called a literary epic
-the Aeneid
Epic simile- a long, elaborate comparison, more ornate and involved than simple simile, usually
involving a story
-also called a Homeric simile because Homer was so good at them
Epithet- short words or phrases that capture the essence of a person’s character
-added before or after the name
-repreated
Bard- the author and the performer
Rhapsodist-minstrels (not the bards) who performed and sang epics in the banquet halls of kings and
nobility
Invocation- the “call for help” in the beginning of an epic
Versification- verse, metered language
Metric feet: iambic (iamb: x / )
Trochaic (trochee: / x )
Anapestic (anapest: x x / )
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Dactylic (dactyl: / x x )
Spondaic (spondee: / / )
Meters (how many feet per line): monometer (1), dimeter (2), trimester (3), tetrameter (4),
pentameter (5), hexameter (6), heptameter (7)
Dactylic hexameter- the metrical pattern used by Homer in his epics, basically six feet of the metric
foot represented as (/ x x)
-18 syllables per line
Eponym- a word derived from a historical or mythic event, character, etc.
-their attributes become the name that means the attribute
Muses- gods- there are 9 of them
-Children of Zeus + Mnemosyne
Mnemosyne- mother of the muses and the goddess of memory
Calliope- muse of epic poetry
-sometimes spelled with a “K” (Greek)
Telemachy- the 1st four books of the Odyssey
-is why the Odyssey was at 1st considered inferior to the Illiad
Proem- the preface, brief introduction, prologue, or preamble
Narrative prolongation- a writer’s device for delaying an impending event in the story by inserting
additional episodes before it
Self referential- when the author refers to himself in the story
Patrimony- an estate inherited from one’s father or ancestor
polutropos- “of many turns”
-Odysseus is polutropos.
metis – “wisdom, skill, cunning, craftiness; plot, plan, scheme”
-Odysseus is polumetis (“of much metis”)
in media res- “in the middle of things”
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homophrosune- “likeness of mind” – meaning 2 people who think alike
-Odysseus and his family have this
arête- glory
kleos- the “glory or fame” after death, earned by performing outrageous and extraordinary deeds of
courage
-Odysseus earns his kleos without dying
-The Illiad is an epic that focuses on kleos
akleos- “oblivion, infamy” – to be forgotten
nostos- “return, homecoming”
-The word nostalgia means a longing to return/come home
-The Odyssey is an epic which focuses on nostos
xenia- “guest/host relationship”
-we translate it as hospitality
-the word “genial” comes from the Greek xenia
-based on obligation between strangers who in the process become guest-friends
-to violate xenia is to offend Zeus, who is the patron of travelers and beggars
-it’s a reciprocal relationship
-different from philos (the relationship reserved for friends and relatives and who are not bound
by the rules of xenia)
-Rules of xenia: greet strangers, offer them food and shelter, etc.
xenos- “guest, host, friend (resulting from xenia), stranger, foreigner”
-our word “xenophobia” means fear of strangers or foreigners
dike- “justice”
time- “honor”
Honors English 10 Exam
Characters from The Odyssey
1) Achaeans
-another name for the Greeks
2) Achilles
-hero of the Illiad
-he asks about his son (all of the heroes do, revealing that the society was patriarchal society with
strong father-son relationship).
-When he hears about the good news of his son, he’s so happy he floats off.
3) Aegisthus
-the cunning murderous man who marries Clytemnestra
-murders Agamemnon
-He’s later killed by Orestes
4) Aeolos
-master of the winds
-King of Aeolian island
-very generous, wealthy, and hospitable
-He gives Odysseus a sack, and when the men open it, it propels them back to the island. Aeolus
then kicks them out.
5) Agamemnon
-Atrides
-victim of treachery by a lustful suitor
6) Ajax
-brazen warrior who drowns on his return from Troy
OR
-Odysseus retrieved Achilles armor, but Achilles promised it to Ajax. Ajax committed suicide over
this. He refused to forgive Odysseus, despite his begging. Odysseus has to live with this.
7) Alcinous
-King of the Phaeacians
-very generous
-he implies that he wants Odysseus to marry his daughter, but he’ll help him home anyway
-very hospitable—Xenia
-notices Odysseus is crying both times- stops the song the 1st time, and addresses Odysseus the 2nd
-gives Odysseus ships and supplies for a safe ride to Ithaca
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-realizes that the prophecy is coming true (about Poseidon being vexed because they escort
everyone so one day he’ll crush one of their ships and pile a mountain around their port)
-has everyone make sacrifices to the gods
8) Amphinomus
-suitor #3
-when he sees Telemachus home safely, he starts laughing and says that some god must have been
on his side-he’s the one that Penelope trusts the most because he makes the most sense
-he’s only concerned with the suitors’ well-being and interests and he’s still siding with them
-he’s worried for their safety so he wants to check to see if the gods are on their side first and
foremost
-After the maiming of Irus, he gives beggar-Odysseus 2 loaves of bread
-he is warned by beggar-Odysseus that Odysseus will come home soon, so he should get out
while he can before he and his son kill everyone
-he’s worried and full of anguish, but there’s no escaping his fate, Athena has bound him to die
-He tries to charge Odysseus during the battle, but Telemachus stabs him in the back
-his real loyalty is to the suitors
-Even after receiving a warning about the impending slaughter, this suitor keeps his place among
the other suitors, as ordained by Athena
9) Antinous
-leader of the suitors
-suitor #1
-He’s despicable, rude, pigheaded, and selfish.
-He’s the most likely to marry Penelope.
-When Telemachus draws the assembly, he blames Penelope, and casts the blame off of the
suitors. He “saunters” up to Odysseus after the assembly, feeling like he won.
-ruthless, greedy, cruel, bully
-he states that the gods must have been on Telemachus’s side to help him survive  he’s totally blind and oblivious because he doesn’t even recognize that they should stop “suitoring”
-he wants to kill Telemachus before he can call an assembly
-he reveals that the suitors are losing public favor
-he hypocritically says that the beggar (Odysseus) will consume the patrimony when that’s what
he’s doing himself
-he insults Eumaeus and beggar-Odysseus.
-When beggar-Odysseus insults him right back by telling him he has no brain to match his
handsome looks, Antinous gets angry and throws a stool at him
-He thinks the argument between Irus and beggar-Odysseus is amusing and he wants them to fight.
-he pits them against each other for his own amusement and uses a sausage
-When the bow is brought out, he is temporizing and stalling
-He’s a coward
-He insults, harasses, heckles, and taunts others  classic bully profile
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-He postpones the contest and says let’s eat
-He’s the first one killed, which makes sense from a military standpoint because he was the leader
-he was killed with an arrow from the bow
10) Aphrodite
-Ares and Aphrodite always secretly hook up.
-She is cheating on her husband Hephaestus who finds out and weaves an almost invisible web to
trap them.
-When Ares and Aphrodite are caught by the web, the gods laugh and say that they
want to clamp themselves down there with Aphrodite. Only Poseidon stands up for Ares
and compromises with Hephaestus.
Themes of:
i. Adultery
ii. Entrapment and deceit
iii. Deception, craft, trickery
11) Apollo
-(see story sung by the bard right above)
12) Arêtê
-Queen of the Phaeacians
-she’s honored, dear to everyone
-looked at as a god
-good sense and judgement
-she recognized that the shirt that Odysseus was wearing belonged to them
13) Argos
-Odysseus’ hunting dog
-lived an unfilled life, never realized his talents as a great hunter
-symbol of great potential gone to waste like Ithaca
14) Artemis
-one of the virgin gods
15) Athena
-Sparkling Eyed (epithet)
-goddess of wisdom- very sharp of mind and cunning
-She loves Odysseus and is always defending him. She constantly asks Zeus to help Odysseus and
petitions for his return to Ithaca.
-She also inspires Telemachus grow up and have self-confidence and take action. She builds his
confidence, tells him he has potential, constantly reminds him that he is Odysseus’s son, and
gives him direction and a plane, guidance, and moral support. (she’s a good mentor for him) She
is a catalyst for Telemachus: she initiates his reactions.
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-She calms Penelope down and eases her pain.
-She uses many disguises, such as Mentes and Mentor.
-defends Odysseus again at the God’s assembly.
-She directs him to Scheria, Island of the Phaeacians.
-She disguises herself and tells Nausicaa to wash her clothes.
-She protects Odysseus with a mist when he travels through Scheria.
-She disguises herself as a little girl and gives Odysseus directions to the palace.
-But she also warns him that the Phaeacians don’t like strangers, which isn’t true.
-She’s playing him- she knows this will put him on guard and she doesn’t want him to get
distracted or side-tracked, she wants him to get home.
-She also wants to hide him from Poseidon, and these people are in close relationship with him.
-disguised as a little shepherd boy when she sees Odysseus at Ithaca
-then she appears to him in her full splendor, which was a big deal. Gods never appeared to any mortals,
apart from the Phaeacians, in their full splendor, they were always in disguise.
-she warns Odysseus and gives him direction to go to the pig stables.
-She tells Odysseus that he will have to endure the abuse of men in silence once he gets to the
palace—he’s going to have to put up with the suffering and will have to practice self-control. (His
lack of self control with Polyphemus is the reason for his long suffering journey)
-She appears to Telemachus (in Sparta) and inspires him to go home
-she tells him that Penelope will soon marry Eurymachus
-if she marries him and has a son, he’ll lose his patrimony, his fortune
-she wants him to get up and decide to leave on his own, so she just gives him motives
-she warns him about the suitor’s ambush
-she tells him to go to the swineherd and send news to your mom to tell her you made it back safely
-he believes everything she says
-She appears to Odysseus at Eumaeus’s and tells him to reveal his true identity to his son
-She continually builds up his anger so he’ll flare up at the right moment
-She reassures Odysseus that it’s easy work for a god to pull this plan off during his dark night of doubts,
and then showers sleep on his eyes
-During the battle, she appears as Mentor
-Odysseus knows it’s her
-shows that he’s pious
-She rouses, manipulates, bullies, and prods Odysseus for him to unleash his fury on the suitors
-she also terrifies the suitors
-she protects and defends Odysseus
-watches over him after she turns into a bird and flies off, settling on a perch in the great hall
-deflects arrows
-the suitors think she left though
-She asks Zeus on how to deal with the retaliation of the fathers of the suitors
-She encourages and spurs Laertes to kill Antinous’s father
-At the very end of the story, she lays down peace and is going to continue to watch them
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16) Atreus
-father of Menelaus of Agamemnon
17) Atrides
“sons of Atreus”
-Menelaus and Agamemnon
18) Autolycus
-Odysseus’s grandfather: father of Anticleia, Odysseus’ mother
-“the wolf himself”
19) Broadsea
-when Odysseus says that he doesn’t want to compete, he insults him on 2 levels:
1. Implies that Odysseus is not of leisure class and isn’t one of them—only the wealthy could
compete in games because they could practice all the time, but the poor had to work
2. Says that Odysseus isn’t a captain, he’s part of a merchant ship and is involved in piracy. He
says he’s a merchant skipper, not an athlete. He suggests that he gets his money by jumping
ships for other people’s goods.
-Later he apologizes and shows good will with the gift of a silver sword
20) Calypso
-the nymph that is holding Odysseus at her island against his will and hides Odysseus for 7 years
-she wants him to be her husband.
-her name means “to hide or to conceal”
-When Hermes tells her Zeus’s decree to let Odysseus go, he keeps emphasizing it wasn’t his idea, it
was Zeus’s. He doesn’t want to make her mad at him she is a force to be reckoned with
-She’s indignant when she hears that she has to let him go, and accuses the gods of being
jealous. She says that they can’t stand when a goddess has a mortal, and now they’re after me,
when she’s the one who saved him in the first place. She agrees but says that he can’t have any
escorts and he’ll be sorry that he left
-says she “hide nothing”- but she’s already plotting a new strategy of how to get him to stay  she’s
sharp
-tries to hold him back by insinuating if he leaves, then that means he’s choosing his mortal wife
over her, a goddess
21) Charybdis
-devouring whirlpool
22) Ciconês
-Trojan allies, living to the north of Troy in Thrace
-Odysseus’ men were foolish and plundered while here, ignoring Odysseus’ warnings due to their
greed
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-The Ciciones came back stronger
-Odysseus lost men to them
23) Circê
- she is the Queen of Aeaea.
-She is the nymph who is weaving and singing when they first see her.
-She bewitches Odysseus’s crew and turns them into pigs.
-She said that Odysseus was “doomed to die twice over—others die just once” She is suggesting that
she noticed that he’s been transformed. His old self has died.
-she warns him about the Sirens, Scylla, and Charybdis. She tells him it’s better to lose some of his
men instead of all of them, so he should cut his losses and escape.
24) Clytemnéstra
-unfaithful while her husband fights in Troy
25) Dawn
-rose-red fingers (epithet)
26) Demódocus
-blind Phaeacian bard
-self-referential: he is Homer
-he’s blind, has the gifts of song and the power to please, and sings about Troy
-he is treasured and they make sure that he’s always comfortable
-he is the keeper of lots of knowledge and can move and affect people with his music
-unique and special
27) Elpênor
-the youngest crew member who got drunk and fell asleep on the roof at Circe’s palace
-In the morning, he dies when he tumbles off the roof
- When they run into his ghost in the Underworld, he begs them to bury him, so they go back to
Circe’s island and bury him.
28) Érebus
-the underworld
29) Eumaeus
- the pig herder
-symbolizes undying, unwavering loyalty of servant to master
-he’s improved his master’s property and built up his wealth- he didn’t have to do this, nobody
is watching or monitoring him and he’s not getting rewarded  ultimate in loyalty
-represents unmatched Xenia, hospitality, and piety
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-he’s concerned about the dogs attacking beggar-Odysseus— not many people stop by and
visit him
-when beggar-Odysseus tries to make a deal with him saying if Odysseus doesn’t come back,
Eumaeus can kill him—Eumaeus is horrified and says there’s no way he’d harm his guest
-he sleeps with Odysseus’s pigs to protect them
-he gives from nothing
-gives beggar-Odysseus the best cut of meat and best blanket
-his hospitality is warm and genuine
-talks constantly about his master—he’s totally consumed with the thought of him
-goes beyond the normal master-servant relationship
-he sees the beggar (who is actually Odysseus) and is reminded of him
-When Odysseus first talks to him, his function is to inform Odysseus about Ithaca – he talks openly
with the stranger, so Odysseus gets to hear everything that has happened
-finds out Eumaeus hates the suitors
-notices how Eumaeus speaks loyally and favorably about the royal family
-he has to give the suitors the best pigs because of hospitality, but he resents it
-he passes all of Odysseus’s tests:
-gives him a blanket
-extends his hospitality and lets him stay as long as he wants
-his life story:
-he is of royal blood
-he was sold into slavery
-bought by Odysseus’s family, so he’s very attached to them
-he is incredibly pious and noble  the Greeks wanted to show that he has some royal
blood in him to explain why he is so noble and pious
-he and Philoetius cry when they see Odysseus’s bow
-Odysseus asks him to fight with him  enormous honor
-Telemachus orders him to bring the bow to beggar-Odysseus
-as he carries it up, the suitors start heckling him and he freezes
-he’s still intimidated by the suitors
-Telemachus urges him on
30) Eupithes
-father of Antinous
-He rouses the angers of the suitors’ fathers and wants to retaliate against Odysseus for the honor
of his son
-Homer makes clear that he and the suitors who follow him are foolish and stupid and he won’t
make it back alive
-the parents are just like the suitors:
-they don’t think about consequences
-they aren’t pious and don’t care that the gods are on Odysseus’s side, not theirs
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-they’re very fickle and change opinions
31) Eurycleia
-the very loyal and ancient nurse
-Laertes, Odysseus’s father, bought her but never shared her bed because he was afraid of the
queen’s anger.
-Now she takes care of and protects Telemachus and loves him to death.
-when she realizes Telemachus is leaving for a journey, she is worried for him and for the kingdom
that he is the only heir of
-asked by Telemachus to guard the storehouse of his father’s goods in the palace
-she recognizes Odysseus when she first sees him because she says that beggar-Odysseus looks
exactly like the real Odysseus
-she sees his scar and she knows it’s him!!
-she was loyal like Eumaeus
-she was his wet nurse and breastfed him
-she still sees him as her “boy”
-she’s not scared by Odysseus’s threats and says that there’s no way she’ll tell, she can keep a secret
-says she’ll even help him scout out the loyal women
-she orders the servants around the house to make the house perfect for the feast
-However, she really just wants to dress up the palace for her master
-says “Yes, yes! You are Odysseus!”
32) Eurýlochus
- Odysseus’s second in command.
-He’s supposed to support him and offer him advice.
-He is with the group of men that Circe turns into pigs.
-He doesn’t go in with the men because he notices a trap. He doesn’t tell the crew though- he
always looks out for himself, not the crew
-He begs Odysseus to not make him go back to save his men and tells Odysseus not to go rescue his
men. He wants to get out of here and desert them. He looks out for himself, not his men, and isn’t
thinking like a leader.
-When Odysseus comes back and tells the men to come with him to Circe’s palace, Eurylochus tried
to get the crew to go against Odysseus and undermines him. He blames Odysseus for what
happened with the Cyclops. He encourages a mutiny.
-Later, he has “mutiny on the mind” and convinces Odysseus to go to the island of the sungod. He
undermines Odysseus and says they’re not like him. He appeals to their desires, temptations, and
hunger, then gives them a plan on how to easily satisfy them.
-He then can’t postpone satisfying his desires so he convinces them to eat the cattle of the sungod.
33) Eurymachus
-suitor #2
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-He’s sharp and good with words. He recognizes that the guest who was Athena made a difference
with Telemachus.
-He calls the Ithacan elder Halitherses “old codger” when the elder forecasts the suitors will die in
the hands of Odysseus. He belittles Halitherses and uses language that implies there is no truth in
his words, it’s just crazy babble.
-he sweet-talks Penelope to try to calm her down
-he’s duplicitous and two-faced
-his over the top language shows that he doesn’t believe what he’s saying
-when he can tell that the suitors are upsetting her, he distinguishes himself from them by trying to
praise her and comfort her
-he double-talks though  duplicitous
-tells beggar-Odysseus that he would have given him a job at his estate if he actually wanted to work
-ironic: Eurymachus doesn’t work himself
- beggar-Odysseus insults him and he throws a stool at him. beggar-Odysseus ducks and it knocks
over a cup.
-wine spilling = blood spilling
-When he can’t string the bow, he overcompensates and undermines and belittles the whole act
-he makes excuses
-he says that it’s not about Penelope, there are lots of other women left (ironic- it’s all about her)
-He says it’s more of a blow that they won’t earn any kleos- they’re not as much of a man as
Odysseus
-When beggar-Odysseus wants to string the bow, he tries to convince Penelope not to let him
-He and the other suitors are concerned with public opinion and are afraid that the public will think
even less of them
-they’re obsessed with status, self love, and public opinion
-attempts to persuade Odysseus to spare him and the other suitors by placing the blame on
Antinous
-When the suitors realize Odysseus is home, he tries to sweet-talk his way out of his fate
1. We’re not responsible
-takes no accountability
2. He blames Antinous, the leader
3. He makes excuses
4. We’ll just tax the people to pay you back your wealth
-typical arrogant nobleman attitudes towards commoners
-Odysseus shoots him with an arrow and it lodges in his liver
-the liver was the seat of passion and desire
-he was sleeping with Melantho in addition to courting Penelope
-slow, painful death
34) Halithérses
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-prophesizes that the suitors will die in the hands of Odysseus-he is alive and will come home in
disguise
-insulted by Eurymachus
-At the end of the story, he tells the suitors’ fathers to let things rest and not fight Odysseus because
the fathers brought this on themselves. He says it was their fault for not stopping their sons.
35) Helen
-very independent
-tells the story of how she saved Odysseus and was the hero
-drugs Telemachus and guests so they forget their pains
36) Hephaestus
-divine smith
-cuckolded husband of Aphrodite
-weaved an invisible net to capture his wife Aphrodite and Apollo
37) Hermionê
-daughter of Menelaus and Sparta
38) Homer
-bard of the Odysseus
39) Ino
-nymph also known as Leucothea
-tells Odysseus to strip of Calypso’s cloths and gives a magic scarf to Odysseus to ensure his safe
landfall on Scheria
40) Irus/(Arnaeus)
-Ithacan beggar outdone by Odysseus in a wrestling match
-the tramp, beggar
-he’s fat, soft, dirty, and like the suitor’s pet
-he verbally attacks beggar-Odysseus even though they are of the same status
-he wants to fight beggar-Odysseus
-when beggar-Odysseus reveals his muscles, he is terrified and doesn’t want to fight him
-Then Antinous threatens to send him to an awful king if he loses
-beggar-Odysseus beats him and tells him to stop playing the role of the “beggar king”
-his 2 main wrongdoings:
1. He’s breaking codes of Xenia
2. He’s assuming roles that he isn’t – he is elevating himself
-In reality, he’s the same rank as Odysseus – he’s overstepping the hierarchy that he was
born into
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41) Laestrygonians
-gigantic rock-hurling cannibals
-they attack Odysseus’s men
-the men run into the king’s daughter who takes them to her father who eats them (the opposite of
Nausicaa)
42) Lotus
-the honey-sweet fruit that makes men lose all desire to go home
43) Lotus-eaters
-legendary people whom Odysseus visited, they live on a plant whose fruit induces stupor and
forgetfulness
44) Medon
-the loyal herald
-he tells Penelope of the suitor’s plans to ambush Telemachus
-hides under a chair in the banquet hall during the slaughter
-Telemachus saves his life after the slaughter by telling Odysseus not to kill him because he’s been
loyal and is innocent
-When the suitors’ fathers want to get revenge, he tells them the Odysseus had the help of the gods
and they are on his side, so they better watch out if they decide to choose this dangerous course
45) Melanthius
-the goat herder
-FOIL to Eumaeus
-their one point of similarity= they’re both herders and are of the same social rank
-he’s trying to elevate himself above his predetermined rank
-he comes down on Eumaeus even though they’re in the same social rank
-he sits with the suitors and thinks he’s as good as them
-he suffers from the sin of pride
-he acts as if he owns the place
-he’s not pious
-he’s not loyal and not doing his master’s job
-he’s breaking laws of hospitality and Xenia by mocking beggar-Odysseus and Eumaeus
-he was supposed to grease the bow for the suitors, which is cheating in a sense
-During the battle, he climbs through the vent system and gets weapons for the suitors
-this worries Odysseus
-Dies ignominiously, trussed up from the rafters and tortured
46) Melantho
-treacherous maidservant who sleeps with one of the suitors
-Melanthius’s sister
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-Eurymachus’s lover
-she’s a servant of Penelope
-Penelope took care of her as a young kid and she was like a daughter to her
-she owed Penelope her loyalty
-However, she does the opposite:
-taunts beggar-Odysseus
-literally sleeps with the enemy
-in book 2, someone told the suitors about Penelope’s loom and it was probably her who
told  ultimate betrayal
47) Meneláus
-Red-haired (epithet)
-Brave king of Sparta
-Atrides
-follows Xenia and is offended when one of his people violate xenia
-notices Telemachus and Pisistratus are nobility when he first sees them, but doesn’t say anything
he just prompts them
-piety: denies that his palace is like Mount Olympus
-was very close to Odysseus
48) Mentes
-Athena disguises as him
49) Mentor
-person whose disguise Athena takes when she escorts Telemachus to Pylos
50) Moly
-magic herb that helps Odysseus resist Circe’s spells
-Hermes gives this to Odysseus
51) Nausicaa
-Phaeacian princess who meets Odysseus by the river where she washes her linens
-pure, innocent
-she’s like Artemis, one of the virgin gods, like a nymph
- she wants to get married- tries to show Odysseus that she’s a good catch:
-she’s not a loose girl, but she is available
-She indirectly says that he’s tall and handsome, he’d make a good husband, they’d be good
together, she has plenty of guys who are interested in her so she’s not desperate, she’s a good
girl who honors her parents
-She tells Odysseus not to forget her because she was instrumental in saving his life. She says that
she was important in his life once, so she wants him to remember her
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52) Nestor
-wise king of Pylos
-the noble charioteer (epithet)
-gracious host with an overbearing spirit
-older, wiser, talkative
-he’s had a blessed, splendid life: he made it home from Troy safely and is surrounded by his sons.
-he’s very pious and is always showing piety towards the Gods.
-very talkative: rambles a bit
-gives Telemachus advice: don’t stay away from home for too long, otherwise the suitors will eat
away your patrimony
53) Ogýgia
-Island home of Calypso
-fragrant, appealing, pungent, hospitable to animals especially birds
-Even Hermes, whose a god, is enthralled and entranced with it
54) Olympus
-mountain of the gods
-where the gods hold their assemblies
55) Orestês
-Renowned (epithet)
-avenges the death of his father Agamemnon
-kills Aegisthus and his mother Clytemnestra
-the model of a good son for Telemachus
56) Penelope
-Queen of cunning, circumspect (epithets)
-sharp, good with her hands, full of intrigue, manipulative, cunning (homophrasus: the whole family
is sharp and cunning)
-first impression: is “wary and reserved” and “not alone”, she’s accompanied by her ladies who
are her support. She has a veil over her face, cutting herself off from the rest of the world, and is
crying, both signs of uninterest in the suitors.
-she feels desperate and powerless
-she faces the suitors and calls Antinous out- says that Odysseus helped his father once and this
is how you thank him
-She doesn’t believe Theoclymenus’s prophecy that states Odysseus is here and now
-she’s just as cautious, wary, and suspicious as Odysseus
-She gets really mad when Antinous throws a stool at beggar-Odysseus
-she tells them off
-she’s becoming more vocal as she becomes more and more frustrated, desperate, and
upset
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-Athena makes her pretty and she comes down to the suitors
-she’s never alone-always flanked by her women, her support system
-veil across her cheeks as a barrier
-she scolds Telemachus and says that she thought he had better sense, like when he was a boy.
He responds by taking the reigns and saying that he’s not a boy anymore. She’s impressed by
this.
-she tricks them into giving her gifts to rebuild Odysseus’s wealth
-she seduces them with her words  idea that language can seduce
-She’s always next to a column
-she’s the one who’s holding the house together with her loyalty
-she also needs the support
-When she interviews beggar-Odysseus, she first asks him about his background info
-he totally avoids it because he knows he can’t lie to her
-he flatters her and praises her to try and avoid it
-her side of the loom story = she’s the victim
-she’s desperate
-she was betrayed by one of her own maids, and now she can’t trust anyone
-she’s alone, trying to hold the palace together by herself
-she tests beggar-Odysseus by asking him to describe what clothes Odysseus wore
-he goes through every single detail:
1. it’s vivid in his mind- he remembers everything – love
-he describes the clothes that she gave him
2. He’s putting her to the test to see her reaction
3. She breaks down, which puts him to the test to see if his self-control is strong enough
-Her last question for beggar-Odysseus= asks him to interpret her dream
-it’s about a majestic eagle that killed her little fat geese, then the eagle took the voice of
Odysseus and told her that he will kill the suitors
-either:
1. She’s desperate and knows she has to choose
2. She knows what’s going on and has figured out that he’s Odysseus and tests him
-she plans to host the feast of Apollo and the archery contest
- beggar-Odysseus urges her on to do it
-She prays to Artemis to kill her
-Artemis is a virgin god – which makes sense because Penelope doesn’t want to betray her
husband, she would rather die
-She wants to die with the image of Odysseus in her head
-She wants beggar-Odysseus to have a shot at it—it’s a win-win situation for her
-if he strings it, she won’t have to marry him even though he’s the winner because he
specifically said he only wants a cloak and a shirt, nothing more
-if he doesn’t, there’s no loss or gain
-When Eurycleia comes and tells her that Odysseus is home and has killed the suitors, she first thinks
that she’s mocking her
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-then she gets excited and joyful and asks Eurycleia for the full story
-but when Eurycleia says that she wasn’t there to witness the fight, she clams up again and
doesn’t believe her
-She thinks that Odysseus must be an imposter, a god (just like Telemachus)
-She tries to convince herself that it’s not Odysseus because she doesn’t want to be
disappointed
-despite Eurycleia’s desperate efforts to convince her, she still doesn’t believe her
-When she leaves her room to see who Eurycleia’s talking about, she’s conflicted
-she’s guarded- she sits in a corner and watches him
-Telemachus scolds her for not rushing up to him and welcoming him
-She wants to test Odysseus and tells Telemachus that they have their own secret signs
-Odysseus gets rid of Telemachus by telling him to get a wedding feast ready to fool everyone
-Odysseus himself is the one true suitor who won her heart in the first place
-Odysseus says to Penelope: Strange woman, why are you so hard-hearted? Nurse, make me a bed
and I’ll sleep alone.
-She tells Odysseus that she’s still not convinced it’s him. She says she’s not as hard-hearted as he
thinks, but she needs to make sure it’s him first.
-she calls him strange man in response
-She tests him and plays him back- she tells Eurycleia to go ahead and take the bed out for him
-Odysseus gets angry
(see below)
-She finally believes him due to 2 signs:
1. He remembers every single detail about the bed, something that only the 2 of them knew
about
2. He’s personally insulted and flares
-a god wouldn’t have cared so much or been so personally involved
57) Perséphonê
-goddess of the underworld
-daughter of Demeter, wife of Hades
58) Philoetius
-loyal cowherd and retainer to Odysseus
-he notices beggar-Odysseus’s body is like a king
-he remembers Odysseus because:
1. Beggar-Odysseus reminds him of him
2. He is equivalent to him: Odysseus would have probably been a beggar of about his age,
wandering through foreign lands
3. Odysseus is always on his mind
-he’s very loyal, like Eumaeus
-he and Eumaeus cry when they see Odysseus’s bow
-Odysseus asks him to fight with him  enormous honor
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59) Pisístratus
-Nector’s youngest son who accompanies Telemachus to Sparta
60) Polyphemus
-Cyclops son of Poseidon
-He eats Odysseus’ men
-Odysseus tricks him and blinds him (says his name is Nobody)
-tells his father Poseidon what happened
61) Pontónous
-herald of Alcinous
62) Poseidon
-Earth-Shaker (epithet)
-the god of the sea who is angry at Odysseus because he blinded his son who is a Cyclops
-He is not letting Odysseus return home.
-angry at the Phaeacians for helping Odysseus and presenting him with so many gifts
-he tells Zeus that he wants to crush the Phaeacian ship returning home and then pile a huge
mountain around their port
63) Schería
-Island of the Phaeacians
Phaeacian’s palace: everything is PERFECT-like no other place
-radiant, bronze, golden, circling frieze glazed, molded of gold
-immortal gold and silver dogs- almost surreal
Phaeacian’s orchard: PERFECT
-always have fruit and water
-magnificent, luxuriant, glowing, succulent, swelling, harvest all year round, ripeness, teeming,
beds of greens, glistening fresh,
-two springs that bubble- one is for agriculture and the other flows right through town
-everything is plentiful, abundant, and nothing dies, it’s always in its prime
64) Scylla
-multi-headed monster with 12 legs and 6 heads
65) Sirens
-enchantresses that drive sailors to ruin
-They lure you with a song then destroy you.
-Odysseus has his men put earwax in their ears, but he wants to listen to it, so he has his crew bind
him to the mast.
-The sirens song harks on the past= nostos
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-looking back  you waste your life and you can’t see the dangers ahead
66) Sísyphus
-his name is associated with the futility of man’s toil and labor
-he’s perpetually condemned to roll a boulder uphill
67) Styx
-the river in the underworld, by which the gods swear their binding oaths
68) Telémachus
-his name means “fighter at a distance”
-Odysseus’s son
-At the beginning of the Odyssey, he is very passive and insecure. He is a good person and follows
the rules of Xenia, but as a result, he is stuck with the suitors. He is a little self-absorbed: he’s
worried about his dad, but mostly himself. He sits around moping and mourning. He is also childish
and spends his days hoping, wishing, and daydreaming.
-He is inspired by Athena and becomes braver and more confident, and finally takes action
against the suitors. He is growing up, which you can see when he takes care of his mother.
-doesn’t cower from the suitors during the assembly and is firm in his resolve
-still is young and innocent and hasn’t left the small Island of Ithaca before: is in awe of
Menelaus’s palace and the suitors can’t believe he left
-rejects Nestor’s generous gift of horses because he has no use for them in mountainous Ithaca
-asks to spare the lives of the bard and herald
-He’s so willing to leave Sparta to go home that:
-He wants to leave in the middle of the night
-He asks Pisastraus if he’ll go to Nestor along and let him continue on because Nestor talks
so much
-Odysseus puts him to the test to see what kind of a man he is
-He responds by answering his questions
-He is sure of his legacy now and is confident enough to say he’s Odysseus’s son- he’s been
changed by his journey
-proves that he has it in him to fight with Odysseus  he passes the test
-When Odysseus reveals himself, he doesn’t believe him and thinks he must be some kind of god
-he resists the advantages of his own father
-he treats Odysseus with the same skepticism that Odysseus treats everyone else with
-homophrosity with Odysseus
-He puts himself at equal level with Odysseus when he asks Odysseus to reconsider his plan
-it illustrates that he isn’t idolizing Odysseus anymore
-he stands up for his beliefs and holds his own
-he’s becoming more and more like Odysseus
-When he comes home, his mom asks him all about his journey because she wants to know if he
heard any news about Odysseus. He says he’ll tell her later and makes excuses.
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-He doesn’t want to have to lie to her or give himself away. He knows his mom could tell
he’s lying.
-He tells Piraeus not to get the gifts until after their fight
-he’s worried about them pulling of their slaughter of the suitors, so he’s safeguarding the
gifts
-When he tells him mom about his journey, he never mentions Eumaeus. He said that he left
Menelaus’s palace and came straight home, leaving out the pig farm.
-He gets very testy when he and his father return to the palace
-he knows his father is watching
-tensions are building
-goes off on Antinous very sarcastically and also scolds him for being mean to the beggar. He
said he would never disobey Xenia.
-he feels the presence of Athena  he’s pious and knows the gods are behind him
-When he stands up against the suitors, he doesn’t cry, unlike book 2
-he’s confident and stands by what he’s saying
-shows how much he has matured, grown, and developed
-He wants to get the contest started and get the ball rolling because all the suitors are stalling
-He’s eager to get things started so he tries to string the bow 3 times
-On the 4th time he would have gotten it, but his father signaled him to stop
1. He wants them to underestimate Telemachus
2. He would have shown the suitors how to string it and would have been giving away
information
-So he says that he must be a weakling and then to the suitors says come on “my betters, so much
stronger than I am” start the contest and try the bow.
-he’s egging them on because he wants them to start
-this is completely inconsistent with what he’s been saying the entire book- he would never
have called them his “betters”
-they’re too oblivious and ignorant to pick up on this inconsistency
-He sends his mom away right before Odysseus strings the bow
-He’s protecting her – he sends her away because of the upcoming fight
-When his father strings the bow, he goes and stands next to him
-they’re equals now
1. Odysseus wants him by his side
2. He’s all grown up
-He takes full accountability for leaving the door to the weapon room open
-he’s accepting responsibility and blame for a serious mistake
-he’s very respectable
-After his mom descends the stairs and sits facing Odysseus, he scolds her for not rushing up to him
and welcoming him. He can’t believe that she doesn’t believe it’s him.
-Odysseus proudly tells him that he’s going to be his father’s son. He proudly responds that he will
be the son that he expects him to be.
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69) Theoclymenus
-seer who takes passage with Telemachus to Ithaca
-the fugitive
-when he needs shelter, Telemachus sends him to his friend Piraeus’s house where he’ll be safe,
because he can’t give him shelter in his own house due to the suitors
-makes a prophecy to Telemachus= hawk flew by with a dove and he ripped its feathers out
-says it means he’ll rule forever
-Telemachus doesn’t really believe him
-he makes another prophecy = Odysseus is on native soil here and now, sowing seeds of ruin for the
suitors
-makes it to Penelope
-she doesn’t believe him
-He has an apocalyptic vision of the suitors’ fate—he sees them shrouded in darkness, their ghosts,
and the battle-aftermath
-tells it to the suitors
-They’re completely disrespectful.
-They don’t realize that he’s having a vision and is talking metaphorically. They call him crazy
because they think he’s seeing darkness during the light of day.
-Then, he translates his vision directly to them. He clearly states that your end is here, there’s no
escaping it. They continue to heckle and mock him.
-Then he leaves the palace to get out of there before the battle starts.
70) Tirêsias
-Blind seer of Thebes who foretells that Odysseus will return to Ithaca alone
-the ghost prophet in the underworld who tells Odysseus everything-why he has such a hard journey
-everything that will come
-warns him that he’ll have to curb his crew and his own wild desires and gain self-control
-tells him that when he gets home, it’s not going to be easy and he’ll have to kill the suitors
-then he’ll have to travel far inland until he finds people who think his oar is a wheat thrasher.
Then he’ll have to bury it, stop sailing and go back to his island forever.
-he’ll end his life peacefully with his family.
**He doesn’t earn his kleos by dying in a ridiculous battle. He is remembered by his words and
his life. He’s rewriting a new order of kleos
71) Zeus
-father of men and gods
-calls the gods’ assemblies
-he’s like a typical parent
-tells Poseidon to do whatever his heart desires with the Phaeacians after they escort Odysseus, but
if he were in his shoes, he would crash the Phaeacians’s ship right in front of them
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-tells Athena to do whatever her heart desires to the attacking fathers of the suitors and
Odysseus, but he thinks that reconciliation is the key
72) Odysseus
-Man born for pain, man of twists and turns (epithet)
-brutally clamps a soldier’s mouth to silence him
-1st view of Odysseus=he’s looking homeward, out over the barren sea. He resisted a temptation
that even a god, Hermes, was entranced with. He even rejected Calypso’s offer of immortality  He
has strong will, good character, and self control and isn’t unfaithful.
-When Calypso tells him that he can leave, he is cautious and skeptical and thinks she’s plotting
something else  he’s got a will of iron
-is able to leave Calypso by flattering her  knows how to get out of predicaments with words 
sharp witty, good thinker
-builds his own raft = strong
-always weights 2 courses  able to see ahead to the consequences
-After meeting Ino, he still doesn’t know if he should trust her  he’s always suspicious and wary
and always thinks of his own plans. He has balanced his reason with passion, which was greatly
valued by the Greeks.
-When he meets Nausicaa, he wins her with his language. He flatters her and says she is like a god,
Artemis, and is beautiful and says she must have a family that protects her, suggesting that he’s
friendly. He brings up that he has commanded an army and says he would grab her by the knees but
he’s too awestruck by her. However, he’s basically doing it with his words.
-He compliments Nausicaa and defends her when Alcinous says she should have escorted you home
-He insults Broadsea right back after Broadsea insulted him  he’s sharp, witty, quick-tongued,
clever
-When Nausicaa tells him to remember her, he knows she’s innocent and deals with her gently and
tenderly. He makes his point that he wants to go home, but also compliments her and says he’ll
never forget her.
-He has a challenge to tell the Phaeacians about all the suffering he’s been through. He tells stories
to convey his pain to the Phaeacians who have never experienced pain before. In a way, we are like
the Phaeacians.
-sees through the Cyclop’s trap when he wants to know if he has a ship. The Cyclops wants to
destroy it and it the people  he’s cunning
-he loses his self-control and wants his kleos-he slips for a moment and taunts Polyphemus. He even
gives him his name. he has to then spend a long time earning and getting self-control. Polyphemus
tells his father Poseidon, who punished Odysseus.
-He puts the loyalty of his men above his own safety and thinks its his duty and responsibility to
save them from Circe.
-He stays with Circe willingly-she’s his Lotus-eater and his men have to urge him to leave because he
got off track and forgot his goal of home
-He doesn’t stay with Calypso willingly because he already went through the same thing with Circe,
now he just wants to go home
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-He wants to save his men from Scylla and Charybdis, realizes he can’t, and doesn’t tell his crew
about them.
-When he first wakes up after the Phaeacians dropped him off in Ithaca, he thinks they’ve tricked him
and have dropped him off in a foreign land  always suspicious
-when Athena (disguised as the shepherd boy) tells him that he’s in Ithaca, he is still way and reserved
and has lots of self control
-Instead of asking for a cloak from Eumaeus, he uses a story to hint at him.
-He goes through the whole long story about how he managed to get a cloak back in Troy. Eumaeus
sees his point and rewards him with his best blanket.
-When he firsts sees Telemachus at Eumaeus’s, he puts him to the test to see what kind of man he is
-verbatim of what Nestor asked him about why he lets the suitors run all over his palace
-However, he mentions Telemachus’s “brothers” which Nestor didn’t mention – he wants to find out
if Penelope has gotten married or had other kids
-he passes the test
-He convinces Telemachus that he’s Odysseus by:
1. his tone- he talks like a parent
-corrects and scolds him
-does what a father does
2. gives him evidence
-says it was Athena who helped him
-He guides Telemachus and gives him specific instructions
-he tells him to go home and mix with the suitors
-he will have to endure his father’s suffering
-strip the enemy of any way to retaliate by taking away all their weapons and putting them in the
store room. Save 2 for us.
-tell them a story to put them off: you don’t want the weapons to get all sooty and dirty, and it’s
dangerous to have all those sharp objects around you when you’re drinking
-Do NOT tell anyone, not even the people closest to you
-When Melanthius kicks him, he is ready to take action and he weighs 2 options of how to attack him.
However, he keeps his temper in check and uses self-control
-When he gets to the palace, he watches and observes the Great Hall
-atmosphere = tense; the palace is violent, messy
-He tests the suitors by begging for scraps. They need to be hospitable and provide him with food
-He wants to meet Penelope at night when she asks. She wants to interview beggar-Odysseus, like she
interviews all her guests
-he doesn’t want her to recognize him
-he wants to make clear that he wants a private conversation
-Odysseus knows what Penelope is up to when she tricks the suitors into giving her gifts
-Homophrosity- likeness of mind between the whole family
-the Greeks valued reason, logic, argumentation
-As beggar-Odysseus, when he stokes the fire, he is also stoking his anger
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-He tries to give Penelope hope by telling her that Odysseus is coming home, although she doesn’t
believe him
-He slips while in disguise:
-talks about Amphinomus’ father, then covers by saying “or so I’ve heard…”
-he doesn’t pick up on it
-calls Penelope “my lady”
-He requests for an old, loyal maid instead of young maids  he forgets that and older maid would
know him
-When Eurycleia recognizes him, he grabs her throat and says he’ll kill her if she says anything
-just like in the Trojan horse when he stopped his comrade
-he’s not afraid to be brutal in a tough situation and he’s quick
-He’s a tactician  As he lays in bed, he worries about the tactics they’ll have to pull off.
1. How will only 2 men kill all the suitors?
2. After they kill them, what about the noble fathers’ retaliation?
-Athena reassures him and he falls asleep
-As Penelope dreams of Odysseus lying next to her, he daydreams of her lying next to him
-their two parallels are separated by a wall
-Odysseus is heartsick and he’s suffering because he can’t go to Penelope
-He prays to Zeus, asking for a sign to assure him that everything will go okay
-Zeus sent a bolt of thunder
-a woman that was grinding grain reports the sign- she’s the objective party
-She said that Zeus must be sending someone a sign, so please grant my prayer that today will be
the suitors’ last day
-she’s grinding the grain  he’s grinding his anger  he will grind out the suitors lives in revenge
-He asks Eumaeus and Philoetius to fight with him—an enormous honor for herders
-fighting with nobility, with their king
-he’s rewarding them for their loyalty, which they never expected to be rewarded for
-he uses his scar as evidence to convince them
-they’re strategically important too which is a huge deal for them because they’re just commoners
-When beggar Odysseus asks to try the bow, the suitors get angry
-their worried that an old commoner will beat them  make them look bad
-After he kills Antinous with his bow, he never gives his name, but makes clear that it’s him
-He gets worried when he sees the suitors with armor and weapons and realizes that someone must
have been working from the inside
-Telemachus takes full responsibility for leaving the door open, and also is sure that Melanthius is
their guy
-he orders the cow and swine herder not to kill him yet, but to hang him from the rafters to torture
him
-After the battle, he calls Eurycleia in and asks for quick report of the loyal and disloyal women
-he also tells her to hold back to happiness and not to triumph and glory of the bodies of the dead,
implying that this was not only an act of revenge for him, it was also a holy enterprise to be taken
very seriously
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-He burned sulfur and lit a fire to purge the house (see below)
-He goes to see his father, Laertes
-he weighs 2 courses: test his father or hug him?
-he decides to test him
-He breaks down when he sees his dad cry
-Laertes wants proof
1. His scar
2. The trees that his dad gave him as a child
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Poetry terms
Paraphrase- a restatement of the content of a poem designed to make its prose meaning as clear as
possible
Theme- the central idea of a literary work
Speaker- the voice of the poem akin to the narrator in a work of prose
Persona- a figure of speech which literally means “a mask”
-This generally refers to a “second self” the poet creates for the purpose of narrating a story
-It is not a character
Denotation- the basic definition of a word, often understood as the definition of a word
Connotation- the motional quality or associations of a word or phrase
Imagery- a sense experience represented through language within a literary work
Figure of speech- any way of saying something other than the ordinary way—a way of saying one thing
and meaning another
Figurative language- language employing figures of speech—can’t be taken literally
Metaphor- an implied comparison between 2 unlike things
Simile- a comparison between two unlike things expressed with the use of such words as like
Personification- a figure of speech which endows animals, ideas, abstractions, and inanimate objects
with human form, character, or sensibilities
Apostrophe- a figure of speech in which someone or some abstract quality is directly addressed as
though present
Metonymy- a figure of speech in which one word stands for a related/associated term
-for example, the White House stands for the office of the president of the U.S.
Synecdoche- a figure of speech in which a part stands for the whole
Extended simile- (I don’t know the difference between this and extended metaphor soooo I’m going to
ask her on Monday)
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Extended metaphor- a comparison that extends beyond a couple of lines, often carried through the
entire poem or at least through several stanzas
Symbol- a figure of speech in which something has meaning but also suggests or means something else
too
Allegory- a narrative whereby characters, settings, and even actions are symbolic and have meaning
outside the narrative
Paradox- a situation that at first seems to be entirely contradictory but upon further reflection speaks
the truth
Overstatement/ hyperbole- exaggeration for the purpose of emphasis or heightened effect
Understatement- the practice of saying less than what one means for an effect
Euphemism- the practice of substituting a less offensive word for one that may be offensive
Irony- a situation, or use of language, involving some kind of incongruity or discrepancy
Verbal irony- a figure of speech in which what is meant is the opposite of what is said
Dramatic irony- a device by which the author implies a different meaning from that intended by the
speaker in a literary work
Irony of situation- a situation in which there is an incongruity between actual circumstances and those
that would seem appropriate, or between what is expected and what actually happens
Sarcasm- bitter or cutting speech; speech intended by its speaker to give pain to the person addressed
Satire- literature that ridicules human folly or vice with the intention of bringing about reform
Honors English 10 Exam
Sound devices
Alliteration: the repetition of initial consonant sounds
Assonance: the repetition of vowel sounds
Consonance: the repetition of final consonant sounds
Feminine rhyme: when rhyme sounds involve 2 or more syllables
Ex: spitefully and delightfully
Masculine rhyme: when rhyme sounds involve only 1 syllable
Ex: retort, support
Approximate rhyme/Slant rhyme: words with any kind of sound similarity, from anything close to
fairly remote
End rhyme: when rhyming words are at the ends of lines
Internal rhyme: when rhyming words are within the line
Onomatopoeia: the use of words that mimic their meaning in their sound
Repetition: the use of a word or phrase at least twice for emphasis
Anaphora: the repetition of an opening word or phrase in a series of lines
Refrain: a repeated word, phrase, line, or group of lines at some fixed position in a poem written in
stanzaic form
Rhythm: any wavelike recurrence of motion or sound
Accent/stress: a syllable given more prominence in pronunciation than the rest
End-stopped line: a line that ends with a natural speech pause
-usually marked by punctuation
Run-on line/Enjambment: a line that has no natural speech pause at its end, allowing the sense to
flow interruptedly into the next line
-pauses, line breaks, and normal patients develop organically from the requirements of the
individual poem rather than from establish poetic forms
Casesura: a speech pause occurring within a line
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Honors English 10 Exam
Grammatical pause: a pause introduced into the reasting of a line by a mark of punctuation
Rhetorical pause: a natural pause, unmarked by punctuation
-introduced into the reading of a line by its phrasing or syntax
Free verse: nonmetrical poetry
-its basic unit of rhythm is the line
Blank verse: unrhymed iambic pentameter
Prose poem: a short composition having the intentions of poetry, but written in pose, not verse
Meter: the regular patterns of accent that underlie metrical verse
-the measurable repetition of accented and unaccented syllables in poetry
Foot: one basic unit of meter
-usually contains one accented syllable and one or two unaccented
Iamb: a metrical foot consisting of one accented syllable + one accented syllable
X
/
Trochee: a metrical foot of one accented syllable + one unaccented
/
X
Anapest: a metrical foot of 2 accented syllables + 1 accented
X
X
/
Dactyl: a metrical foot of 1 accented syllable + 2 unaccented syllables
/
X
X
Spondee: a metrical foot with 2 syllables that are equally accented
/ /
Dimeter = 2 feet
Trimeter = 3 feet
Tetrameter = 4 feet
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Honors English 10 Exam
Pentameter = 5 feet
Hexameter = 6 feet
Metrical variations
Substitution: replacing the regular foot with another one
Extra-metrical syllables: extra unaccented syllables added at the beginnings or endings of lines
Truncation/Catalexis: the omission of an unaccented syllable at either end of a line
Scansion: the process of defining the metrical form of a poem
3 Types of Poems
1) Prose
2) Free verse
-relies on lines and pauses (caesuras)
3) Metered verse
-relies on the pattern of foot, line, and stanza
Rhythm relies on:
1) Meter
2) Stresses
3) Pauses
-caesuras: pause
1) grammatical pause: punctuation tells you when to stop
2) rhetorical pause: a natural pause, no punctuation (the way we speak)
-end stopped line: stops at the end of the line, usually with punctuation
-run-on line/enjambment: keeps going to the next line
-separates:
1) subject / verb
2) article / noun
3) auxiliary / verb
4) preposition / object of the preposition
To avoid boredom, metered verse relies on variations called “metrical
variations”
1) Substitution
-replaces one foot for another
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Honors English 10 Exam
2) Extrametrical syllables
-an extra syllable added at the beginning or end of lines
3) Truncation
-cut off an unaccented syllable at the beginning or end of a line
When scanning a poem, remember:
1) Always go for the 2 or more syllable words first
2) Mostly words with the most meaning have stress
When looking at a poem:
1)
2)
3)
4)
Determine its meaning
Look for figurative language
Look at sound devices
Look at the meter
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