Prentice-Hall Edition
from The Odyssey by Homer
Name ________________________
Period ________
Part I “The Adventures of Odysseus”
1. In the opening verses, called the _____________, Homer invokes (calls upon) the Muse of
epic poetry named___________.
2. Who are the Muses? (side note, p. 981)
3. Paraphrase lines 10-15 that tell what happens to Odysseus’s men.
4. In lines 16-17, Calliope is asked to do what?
“Sailing from Troy” (pages 983-984)
1. _____ years after the Trojan War, Odysseus departs from the goddess _______’s island.
He then arrives in ____________ where the ruler ___________ offers Odysseus a ship and
asks Odysseus to tell about his adventures.
2. Who is Laertes?
3. ________ is an island off the west coast of Greece and is Odysseus’s _____________.
Describe its features.
4. The goddess ______________ and the enchantress _______ both have detained
Odysseus because both desire him.
5. Odysseus does NOT give in to the charms of Circe. Why?
6. Ismarus is a strongpoint on the coast of _______. Paraphrase chronologically what happens
there.
a.
b.
c.
d.
1
7. Why are Odysseus and his men defeated by the Cicones?
a.
b.
c.
“The Lotus Eaters” (pages 984-985)
1. _______ causes a storm against Odysseus and his men so that they lay offshore for
________ days and nights (ll. 70-77).
2. Odysseus and his men almost make it safely home at this point. What happens to prevent
this?
3. For nine days, Odysseus and his men drift on the sea before high winds. On the tenth day,
they come to the land of the _____________ who live upon the ______________.
4. What happens to anyone who eats this plant?
5. If Odysseus’s men eat the lotus, what are the consequences?
6. How does Odysseus keep his men from making that fatal mistake?
7. What do we learn about Odysseus as an epic hero and his leadership from this adventure?
8. How do Odysseus’s actions contrast to his men’s?
“The Cyclops” (pages 986-999)
1. In the land of the _________, there is no law or justice. Each of these ______________
dwells in his own mountain cave. His attitude might be described as ________________ to
what the others do.
2. Explain what this description infers about the Cyclopes: “leaving the fruitage of the earth in
mystery to the immortal gods.”
3. Reread lines 127-133. Summarize the description of the Cyclopes. (Don’t ignore the
metaphor.)
4. Odysseus and _________ of his men go ashore in hopes of receiving food and hospitality.
2
5. In case Odysseus and his men encounter a Cyclops, he takes with him a peace offering and
a necessity. What are they?
a.
b.
6. Homer uses the epic convention of digression in which he strays from the main story line by
telling the details of a secondary story. He digresses from the story of the Cyclops when he
tells the story of _________ and his gifts of “seven shining golden talents, a solid silver wine
bowl, and twelve two-handled jars of brandy, pure and fiery.”
7. What does this digression tell us about Odysseus?
8. When Odysseus and his men approach the Cyclops’s cave:
a. He is gone doing what?
b. What do Odysseus’s men suggest they do?
c. Why does Odysseus refuse his men’s request?
9. Known as a prodigious man of great strength, the Cyclops returns to his cave to do his
chores. He seals off the cave with a slab of solid _______, hemming in Odysseus and his
men.
10. Reread lines 185-188. What is the point being made in this hyperbole?
11. How does the Cyclops welcome Odysseus and his men? (actions and speech)
12. Odysseus reminds the Cyclops that the custom is to ___________ strangers.
13. The Cyclops calls ____________ a “ninny,” a person who is a fool.
14. The Cyclops reveals his unfavorable opinion of Zeus. Give three examples to show this
opinion.
a.
b.
c.
3
15. How does Odysseus respond to the Cyclops’s question about his ship?
16. Why do you think he responds this way?
17. The Cyclops begins his cannibalistic ritual by eating a brace of Odysseus’s men for his
evening meal. How many is a brace?
18. Odysseus chooses not to kill the Cyclops at this time. Why not?
19. The Cyclops continues his ritual by eating _____ more of the men.
20. Odysseus prays for help from _________, the goddess of wisdom, warfare, and skills.
21. Odysseus’s plan is to make a _______ from a six foot section of an _________ tree. The
men will hew the wood so it has a pointed end and toughen it in the ___________. When
the Cyclops falls asleep, Odysseus and his men will ram the stake into the Cyclops’s
one_____. The blinded Cyclops will not then see the men escape.
22. After bringing his _________ inside the cave that evening, the Cyclops continues to eat
_____ more of the men for dinner, bringing the total number of Odysseus’s dead men to
______.
23. Odysseus offers the Cyclops his strong wine for what reason?
24. Odysseus continues with his plan by telling the Cyclops that his name is _____________.
The Cyclops reveals his plan to eat __________ once he has eaten the other men.
25. Once drunk (“fuddle and flush”) with the potent wine, the Cyclops falls fast asleep.
Odysseus and his men ram the stake into his eye and dismember it brutally. The Cyclops,
whose real name is ___________, yells loudly. When the other Cyclopes come to his
rescue and ask him who has caused him this pain, Polyphemus replies,
“________________’s tricked me.” Hearing his reply, his fellow Cyclopes turn and leave
him, offering no help.
26. Unfortunately, the slab of rock is still in place so Odysseus must come up with a further plan
of escape. Describe his plan in lines 377-387.
27. Once the men are safely out of the cave, Odysseus drops and ________ his men.
28. Odysseus cannot keep his mouth shut and calls Polyphemus a “cannibal, eater of guests”
which angers him. What does Polyphemus do to retaliate?
4
29. Odysseus, needing the last word to show that he has defeated the monster, reveals what
about himself?
30. Reread line 470 and the phrase “small, pitiful, and twiggy.”
a. Speaker is _________
b. In reference to _______
c. How is this an example of irony?
31. At this point, a _________ is thrown at Odysseus and his men; this brings Odysseus and
his men to safety instead of harming them.
32. Once safe, the men unload ______________________________ in order to “__________
and ______________ alike.”
a. What does Odysseus do as an offering to Zeus?
b. What is Zeus’s response?
33. Give an example of foreshadowing found in lines 513-514.
34. Explain the final line of this selection: “So we moved out, sad…having our precious lives,
but not our friends.”
“The Land of the Dead” (pages 999-1004)
Background on Tiresias: Tiresias is the old blind prophet and holy man of Thebes who perished when
Thebes fell. He is blinded when, as a youth, he saw Minerva bathing. She became angry and deprived
him of sight, but afterwards relenting, gave him in compensation the knowledge of future events.
[Questions 1-5 are taken from the italicized summary that precedes the text.]
1. Odysseus and his men sail to __________ where Aeolus, king of the _______, sends
Odysseus on his way with a gift – a _______ containing all the winds except the favorable
____________ wind.
2. Just before they arrive home, Odysseus’s men open the bag and let loose a ________ that
drives them back to Aeolia where Aeolus casts them out.
3. Odysseus and his men sail for ______ days and arrive in the land of the Laestrygonians, a
race of _______________ who destroy all of Odysseus’s _________ except the one on
which he is sailing.
5
4. Odysseus and his men escape and reach ______________, the island ruled by the
sorceress – the goddess _________ who transforms _____________ of the men into
_______.
5. Before Odysseus leaves the island a ________ later, Circe informs him that in order to
arrive __________, he must first travel to the land of the _______, called _____, and
consult ____________, the blind _________.
6. After Odysseus and his men set sail, Circe, the “singing nymph with sun bright hair,” (called
an _______________) sends the __________.
7. The ship nears “the realm and region of the Men of Winter,” which refers to ____________
which is hidden in mist and cloud.
8. Explain the meaning of this line about Hades:
“Never the flaming eye of Helios lights on those men …”
9. After Odysseus and his men land, they make a _____________ by pouring _____________
(see side note) to the dead. Describe this.
10. Odysseus pledges to slaughter his best _________ for the dead when he arrives home. He
also swears to sacrifice a _________ lamb for Tiresias.
a. Why does he “pledge these rites” (l. 561)?
b. Define assuage:
11. The ________ gather around the sacrifice after coming from ___________, a dark region
under the earth through which the dead pass before entering ________.
12. Describe the types of souls who gather.
a.
b.
c.
d.
13. How does Odysseus react to this gathering?
14. He crouches, draws his ________, and awaits ____________.
15. The first soul (shade) to come to Odysseus is _____________, a former shipmate of his.
6
a. What has caused his untimely death?
b. Odysseus’s men had left Elpenor dead and ____________in __________’s hall.
c. Thus, Elpenor makes one request of Odysseus. What is it?
d. What is Odysseus’s response?
16. The next shade to approach Odysseus is ____________, his mother.
a. Why is Odysseus surprised to see her in Hades?
b. How does he react to her ghost?
17. Finally, the prince of Thebes ______________ approaches Odysseus, carrying a golden
_____________.
18. Before Tiresias speaks, he tastes the _________ in order to speak the __________.
19. Tiresias foretells that “anguish” lies ahead for Odysseus and his men on their journey home.
Define anguish:
20. Tiresias’s prophecy includes the following troubles:
a. The god who thunders on land, _____________, will cause trouble because
Odysseus has blinded his son ________________.
b. Odysseus and his men will be tempted to eat the ________________ of Helios, the
________ god.
c. If the beeves (herds) are destroyed, Odysseus’s army will be destroyed and only
_____________ will survive.
d. The “narrow strait” that will take Odysseus and his men through the troubles is
symbolically “_____________ of yourself and _______________ of his shipmates
(p. 1002, line 638).
21. Summarize Tiresias’s predictions for Odysseus once he arrives home alone through the
end of his life. (about 5 events)
7
“The Sirens” (pages 1005-1007)
1. Odysseus returns to _________’s island; there she reveals to him his course home and
gives him advice on how to avoid the dangers he will face.
a. When the sirens lure Odysseus’s men with their haunting ______, how are the men
supposed to react?
b. How is Odysseus supposed to react?
2. How are the men supposed to restrain Odysseus?
3. When Odysseus begs to be untied, what are they to do?
4. Odysseus’s plan to prevent his men from hearing the sirens’ song is to carve a cake of
_____________ into bits and roll them until soft. He then places the wax “thick on their
_________” (line 713).
5. Just as he has planned, Odysseus’s men tie him with his back to the _______ and then
continue to row past (number of) __________ sirens.
6. What is the message in the first stanza of the sirens’ song?
7. The sirens’ song makes Odysseus try to say “’_______ _____!’” to the crew, but the men
just pull the line _____________ and continue ______________ until the song fades. They
are then free to peel the wax off their ears and relax.
8. Thus, the first part of Tiresias’s prophecy comes true: Odysseus has had to
______________ himself and ___________ his men from hearing the sirens’ song.
“Scylla and Charybdis” (pages 1007-1010)
1. What do the men see and hear that terrifies them?
2. Seeing their fear, Odysseus walks up and down the ship, giving them a pep talk and trying
“to put the ___________” into them.
3. Summarize Odysseus’s pep talk to his men.
4. What leadership qualities does he display in lines 766-781?
5. Odysseus sends his men on toward _________, the monster of the _____________ rock
(line 784 and line 791).
8
6. The men row on with Scylla on their port side (left) and _____________ on their starboard
beam (right).
7. When Charybdis swallows the sea water, it causes a ______________ or large, violent
whirlpool (page 1009).
8. Suddenly, Scylla whisks ________ of Odysseus’s men from the ship.
9. Reread the Homeric simile in lines 810-820 on page 1010. Complete the comparison in
these lines.
10. ______________ dangles the _________ in the air near the (l.810-814) rocks like a
______________ dangles a _________ from a hook.(l.815-820)
11. So Scylla eats the men and reaches for _____________, but he escapes her grip.
12. The men row on leaving the __________, ______________, and __________________
behind them.
“The Cattle of the Sun God” (pages 1010-1017)
1. Just before dawn, _____________ sends a storm that causes Odysseus and his men to
drag the ship to cover in a ______ ________ or grotto.
2. Odysseus gives his men strict orders not to eat the __________, or they all will pay dearly
for it.
3. Odysseus’s men agree at first, but what happens to them to change their minds?
4. The storms continue, so Odysseus goes ashore to ______ to the gods for help, but they
answer by making him fall into a deep __________.
5. While Odysseus is asleep, ______________ makes a plea to the men.
6. He tells them that __________ (starving to death) is the worst death a man can experience.
7. He suggests they take the Lord of Noon Helios’s best __________ to make a
______________ to the gods.
8. How does Eurylochus rationalize the sacrifice even though he knows it will anger the gods?
9. A synonym for cattle is _________ (page 1012, line 886).
10. The men have to use ________ __________ to lure the cattle because they have no barley
meal.
11. Before cooking the meat, the men make offerings of ________ ________ wrapped in fat
and also make __________ of spring water to the gods.
9
12. Meanwhile, Odysseus awakes and smells the ________ burning.
13. Odysseus, knowing what has happened, cries to ________.
14. The nymph ____________ has gotten word to the Overlord of Noon, __________, that
Odysseus’s men have killed his cattle.
15. Lord Helios prays to Zeus to “’punish _________ __________!’”
16. Lord Helios vows to ________ the dead men in the ________ if Odysseus’s men do not pay
in full (line 914).
17. Zeus agrees to “throw down one ______-________ bolt and make _____________ of their
ship in the winedark _______ (lines 918-919).
18. Odysseus returns to his men and yells at each man ________ to _________, but to no
avail; the cattle are dead.
19. The gods make queer signs appear. An example is the _________ begin to _________.
20. The men set sail again, but _____ sends a storm that causes the ship’s mast to topple
which knocks the __________ overboard.
21. Next, Zeus sends a _________ that strikes the ship and “_____ the men were flung into the
sea” (line 951).
22. The ship breaks apart so Odysseus lashes the __________ and ___________ together to
form a __________ for him to straddle and float upon.
23. A gale sends Odysseus straight for ____________ who, according to Homer, lives under a
_________ tree. As Odysseus is about to be caught in the whirlpool, what does he do?
24. Odysseus hangs on, seemingly forever, hoping his makeshift _____ will reappear.
25. The raft reappears; he falls upon it, and rows with his ________ past _____________.
26. Odysseus then passes through the _________ and drifts for _________ days before
reaching _______Island, where Calypso lives. He will live with her for seven years.
27. Thus, Odysseus brings his adventures full circle as he complains to King _______________
of Phaeacia that he does not want to repeat the same story again.
10
Prentice-Hall Edition
from The Odyssey by Homer
Name ________________________
Period ________
Part II: “The Return of Odysseus”
“Twenty Years Gone, and I Am Back Again” (pages 1021-1027)
1. By ship the ____________ conduct Odysseus home to __________ after an absence of
_____ years.
2. The goddess ____________ informs Odysseus of the situation at home and disguises him
as a ____________.
3. The situation at home is:
a.
b.
c.
4. Identify the following characters:
a. Penelope
b. Telemachus
c. Eumaeus
5. Disguised as a ________, the goddess reveals what plan of action to overcome Odysseus’s
situation at home? (page 1022)
a.
b.
c.
6. What physical change does the goddess bring about in Odysseus?
7. How does Telemachus react to Odysseus’s return?
8. What is Telemachus’s concern about Odysseus’s returning home? What assurance does
Odysseus offer?
a.
b.
11
9. Give the details of the plan Odysseus reveals to Telemachus concerning gaining back his
(Odysseus’) palace. (page 1026)
a.
b.
c.
d.
e.
10. Why does Odysseus say “Let no one hear Odysseus is about”?
“Argus” (pages 1028-1029)
1.
Give three identifying factors about Argus.
a.
b.
c.
2.
How does Argus recognize Odysseus? What does Argus do?
a.
b.
3. Describe Odysseus’s reaction to Argus. Explain this reaction.
a.
b.
4. Does Eumaeus recognize Odysseus at this point?
5. What happens to Argus?
“The Suitors” (pages 1029-1031)
1. Antinous is a __________ who can be described as __________.
12
2. Quote a line(s) and page number to show Antinous’s abusive attitude toward Odysseus’s
household.
3. Odysseus insults Antinous by saying he (Antinous) is __________ and ___________.
(page 1029, lines 1215-1216)
4. How does Antinous respond to Odysseus’s insult?
5. Odysseus expresses the wish that Antinous will ________ before his __________ ______.
6. The other suitors are _______________ at Antinous’s behavior.
7. Explain why (see #6).
8. Overhearing this scene, _________ wishes Antinous would be punished by the _________.
9. Eurynome is Penelope’s __________.
10. Penelope wants to question _______________ for news about __________. (This is an
example of dramatic irony.)
11. Do Eumaeus and Penelope recognize Odysseus at this point?
“Penelope” (pages 1031-1033)
1. Quote a line(s) and page number to reveal Penelope’s respected reputation in Ithaca.
2. Why does the beggar tell Penelope it will make him __________ to talk about himself?
3. How does Penelope stall the suitors for three years?
(The burial shroud will be the final act of respect for Odysseus’s family. It will signify that part of her life
is over so she will be free to start a new part with one of the suitors. However, Laertes is not dead yet;
Odysseus will reunite with him at the very end.)
4. A __________ reveals Penelope’s scheme to the suitors, and her __________ now wish
her to marry.
5. The beggar comforts Penelope by saying that __________ will __________ within a
__________’s time.
13
“The Challenge” (pages 1035-1037)
1. Penelope must choose a husband from among the ____________.
2. In order to marry Penelope, what two things must a suitor do?
a.
b.
3. Do any of the suitors succeed in doing this?
4. ____________, still in ____________, asks for a turn. Does he succeed?
5. For what is Odysseus checking when he first takes the bow?
What is his reason for doing this?
a.
b.
6. How do the suitors react to what Odysseus is doing?
7. Explain how the following passage is an example of irony.
“And one disdainful suitor added this: ‘May his fortune grow an inch for every inch he bends it!’”
(page 1035, l. 1369)
8. Paraphrase lines 1370-1379 on page 1035. This is an example of a Homeric simile.
9. The suitors’ reaction has gone from one of disdain to one of ___________.
10. What is the “sign” that they all hear?
11. What might it mean?
12. Explain what happens in lines 1384-1392 on page 1036.
13. What does Odysseus imply in lines 1398-1400? Why is his statement ironic?
a.
b.
14. _______________, the son of ______________, is prepared to fight on his father’s side.
14
“Odysseus’s Revenge” (pages 1039-1042)
1.
____________ gets his bow and arrow ready and asks __________ for help.
2.
Odysseus kills the suitor named ____________.
3.
What is this suitor doing at the time of his death?
4.
Antinous is considered their __________ lad and the ____________ on Ithaca.
5.
How do the suitors react to his death?
6.
After Odysseus reveals himself to the suitors, ____________, a suitor, tries to convince
Odysseus that he should spare the remaining suitors since ____________ , their leader, is
now dead.
7.
Odysseus does not fall for this and the fighting begins, with _______________ as his next
victim.
8.
_______________ kills Amphinomus, the third victim, as he is about to attack Odysseus,
by __________________________.
9.
Telemachus helps his father again by gathering equipment for four people. Who are these
four characters?
a.
b.
c.
d.
10. Who is “the master of the battle” in line 1522 (page 1042)? This is an example of an
_______________.
11. _______________ is the goddess who aids Odysseus in the battle with the suitors.
12. How many suitors are alive at the end of the selection? _____
13. Explain the comparison in lines 1535-1539 (page 1042).
14. This is an example of a ____________ _____________.
15
“Penelope’s Test” (pages 1042-1046)
1. What is the purpose of Penelope’s test?
2. _______________, a housekeeper for Penelope, bathes and clothes _______________.
3. Why does Penelope find it hard to accept Odysseus as her husband?
4. Briefly explain how Penelope tests Odysseus.
5. What does he do to pass this test?
6. Specifically describe the bed Odysseus has made.
7. Penelope’s slave, _______________, guards their bedchamber door while Odysseus has
been gone, so _____ __________ ______ has ever laid eyes on the bed. Penelope has
been forever ____________ to Odysseus.
8. At the end of this section of the Odyssey, _______________ embraces Odysseus, knowing
that he is her ________________.
“The Ending” (page 1046)
1. Odysseus is reunited with his ____________ Laertes, and he has regained his
_______________ and _______________.
2. Athena, the goddess of ___________, __________________, and ____________, makes
certain there is peace between _______________ and the ____________ of the dead
suitors.
16