Name_______________________
Introductory Notes (Read pages 224-227 in textbook)
The Odyssey, like the Iliad, is a long narrative poem, also known as an
epic poem (Greek epos = verse). It was composed to be recited to the
accompaniment of a lyre to a listening audience, not written to be read
out or by them.
1) The Iliad (part 1 of the sequel) and ____________________
(part 2) were composed sometime between
___________________________________. Although written
down during this time, the stories of the Iliad and the Odyssey are set in the Mycenaean Bronze Age (c.
1600-1100 BC).
2) Those who connect the ________________________ to a real historical event usually date the stories to
the 12th or 11th centuries B.C.
3) Homer’s name means _____________________ indicating he may
__________________________________________________________________.
4) Homer’s blindness, according to Greek culture, may have been metaphorical for
______________________________________________.
5) Rhapsodes (professional bards) are like the griots of African oral tradition. Both served as
both_______________________________________________________________________________.
6) The _____________ and the ___________________ were considered the “Bibles” of Greek civilization
because ____________________________________________________________________________.
The Legend of the Trojan War: A war between the _________________ and the ___________________.
7) The impetus of the Trojan War was a ____________________________ according to oral tradition.
8) Uninvited to the wedding of ____________ and ____________, Eris, the goddess of _____________ ,
created the ___________________________ with the inscription, ______________________________.
9) Three goddesses competed for this apple with ____________, Prince of _________, as the judge:
a. _________________ offered _____________________________________________
b. _________________ offered _____________________________________________
c. _________________ offered _____________________________________________
10) ____________________ accepted __________________ bribe so that he could marry
___________________ wife of ____________________________ king of _________________.
11) Bound by _________________________, Agamemnon led the various Greek chieftains in an attack on
__________________________.
12) This attack led to a conflict that went on for ___________ years.
1
13) ______________________ was clever enough to conceptualize the famed __________________ which
allowed for the Greeks to recapture Helen.
14) Finally, after a ______ year siege to the city of _____________, the ___________________ won!
15) The Odyssey (part 2 of the sequel), begins with Odysseus’ near homecoming to Ithaca, Greece, to his
wife __________________________ and his now grown son, ____________________________, who
was born when Odysseus left for the Trojan war.
16) When Odysseus finally makes it back, he has been gone from his home for nearly ________ years, and
his home is overrun with ______________ from all over Greece, trying to win his wife and kingdom.
Conventions of the Homeric Epic
17) What are the five conventions of a Homeric Epic? Write a brief description of each.
a. ______________________________________________________________________________
b. ______________________________________________________________________________
c. ______________________________________________________________________________
d. ______________________________________________________________________________
e. ______________________________________________________________________________
18) What would your epithet be? _________________________________________________
a. Epithets and repetition helped the bard/rhapsode in creating poetic verses!
Some important technical terms to know…
19) xenia.
a. On page xxiv of the introduction, “xenia” is defined as ____________________________________.
b. How many suitors are taking advantage of xenia? (p.xxiii) ______________
c. "guest-friendship' - shown by exchange of gifts/goods/services between individuals from
different places; it involved the correct treatment of strangers and the duties of hospitality; a xenos
(plur. xenoi) was a 'guest-friend' but can also mean ' foreigner'," stranger'.
20) kleos
a. On page xxii, “kleos” is defined as _________________________________________________.
b. Who is trying to build Telemachus’ kleos, when all he wants is to learn is whether his father is
alive or not? _________________________
c. 'reputation'/'what people say of you' - how people will remember you after your death. A noble
kleos is the hero's consolation for dying. The Greeks' value-system put more emphasis on
successful performance and reputation in the eyes of others than on an inner consciousness of right
and wrong.
2
List of important characters
Aeolus
god of the winds
Agamemnon
Alcinous
King of Mycenae, leader of the Achaean army
Killed by Aegisthus (Clytaemnestra’s lover) upon his return
King of Phaeacia, father of Nausicaa
Anticleia
Odysseus's mother who died while he was away from Ithaca, wife of Laertes
Antinous
Arete
Argos
"Ringleader" of Penelope's suitors, accused of being the harshest suitor
King Alcinous' wife, Nausicaa’s mother, known for her kindness and beauty
Odysseus's old hunting dog
Athene
goddess of wisdom and warfare, Odysseus’ patron goddess
Calypso
demi-goddess/witch/nymph who wanted Odysseus as her husband, lives on the island of Ogygia
Charybdis
a monstrous whirlpool, opposite the cave of sea monster, Scylla
Circe
Clytaemnestra
"Terrible goddess with lovely hair, who spoke in the language of men" (115); daughter of Helios, animal
taming witch
Agamemnon’s wife, Aegisthus’ lover
Demodocus
Blind minstrel
Eumaeus
Swineherd; a faithful servant of Odysseus
Eurycleia
Eurymachus
Faithful old servant of Odysseus and his family; Odysseus and Telemachus’ nurse, was bought by
Laertes
One of Penelope's leading suitors
Hermes
messenger god , son of Zeus
Hyperion
sun god
Irus
Beggar in Odysseus’ home
Laertes
Odysseus's father; lives in seclusion in the country
Melanthius
treacherous goatherd
Menelaus
Brother of Agamemnon, husband of Helen, King of Sparta
Nausicaa
Daughter of King Alcinous; "tall and divinely beautiful"
Nestor
King of Pylos, the oldest Achaean commander in the Iliad
Odysseus
Orestes
Penelope
Protagonist, wise, cunning warrior, Achaean commander, king of Ithaca – Greece, husband of Penelope,
father of Telemachus, led Greeks to victory with Trojan horse
Agamemnon and Clytaemnestra’s son, who avenges the murder of his father
Odysseus’ wife, Telemachus’ mother
Philoetius
Poseidon
Polyphemus
Faithful herdsman of Odysseus’ flocks
god of the sea
Cyclops, son of Poseidon
Scylla
Sirens
six-headed monster, opposite Charybdis
sea-creatures that sing irresistible songs that lure sailors to their doom
Telemachus
Odysseus and Penelope’s son
Theoclymenus Prophet who returns to Ithaca with Telemachus
Teiresias
Blind Theban prophet
3
**Please also note the page number or line number that supports your answer.
Space is limited on this study guide. Feel free to write your responses on a separate sheet of paper!
BOOK I: WHAT WENT ON IN THE HOUSE OF ODYSSEUS
1. Where is Odysseus?
2. What or whom is Athena disguised as?
3. Why do Telemachus and his mother need Odysseus?
4. Why does Odysseus’s wife have suitors?
5. What does Athena advise Telemachus to do?
VOCABULARY: Define the following words.
- malice (3)
- implacable (5)
- insolent (6)
- audacity (12)
- prudent (13)
- sea-girt (13)
BOOK II: HOW THE COUNCIL MET IN THE MARKET-PLACE OF ITHACA; AND WHAT CAME OF IT
1. Describe the trick that Penelope plays on her suitors.
2. What specifically does Athena do to help Telemachus in this book?
VOCABULARY: Define the following words.
- auspicious (16)
- venerable (16)
- shroud (17)
BOOK III: WHAT HAPPENED IN SANDY PYLOS
1. What is Nestor’s opinion of Odysseus?
2. Describe Nestor’s reaction when he realizes that Telemachus’ companion is Athena.
VOCABULARY: Define the following words.
- diffidence (27)
- libations (36)
- heifer (37)
BOOK IV: WHAT HAPPENED IN LACEDAEMON
1. What clues cue Menelaus and Helen that Telemachus is Odysseus’s son?
2. What is Menelaus’ opinion of Odysseus?
3. Describe Antinous’ plan to destroy Telemachus.
VOCABULARY: Define the following words.
- illustrious (41)
BOOK V: HERMES IS SENT TO CALYPSO’S ISLAND; ODYSSEUS MAKES A RAFT AND IS CARRIED TO THE
COAST OF SCHERIE
1. Who is Hermes, and what is his mission?
4
2. What can Hermes do with his wand?
3. Who is holding Odysseus captive?
4. What is Calypso’s reaction to having to let Odysseus go?
5. What is the main problem Odysseus faces while traveling by sea?
6. What happens to Odysseus at the end of Book 5?
VOCABULARY: Find your own word & definition to add to our vocabulary list! (Note page #.)
-
BOOK VI: HOW ODYSSEUS APPEALED TO NAUSICAA, AND SHE BROUGHT HIM TO HER FATHER’S HOUSE
1. What “subliminal” message does Athena give to Nausicaa while she lies sleeping?
2. Who is the only person who doesn’t run away from the terrifying Odysseus? Why doesn’t she run away?
3. Is it pure luck that Nausicaa helps Odysseus? Explain.
4. What does the fact that Odysseus won’t bathe in front of the girls tell us about the kind of person he is?
5. Does Nausicaa believe her parents will help Odysseus? Explain.
6. Why won’t Nausicaa let Odysseus ride in her cart?
7. What instructions does she give Odysseus?
VOCABULARY: Find your own word & definition to add to our vocabulary list! (Note page #.)
-
BOOK VII: WHAT HAPPENED TO ODYSSEUS IN THE PALACE OF ALCINOUS
1. What craft are the Phaeacians best known for?
2. How is Odysseus treated as a guest?
VOCABULARY: Find your own word & definition to add to our vocabulary list! (Note page #.)
-
BOOK VIII: HOW THEY HELD GAMES AND SPORTS IN PHAEACIA
1. Describe the activities that King Alcinous arranges to entertain Odysseus.
2. Who is Demodocus?
3. How is King Alcinous helping Odysseus to get home?
4. What is Odysseus’s reaction whenever Demodocus sings about the Trojan War?
VOCABULARY: Find your own word & definition to add to our vocabulary list! (Note page #.)
-
BOOK IX: HOW ODYSSEUS VISITED THE LOTUS-EATERS AND THE CYCLOPS
1. What was the effect of the Lotus plant?
5
2. How heavy is the door of the Cyclops’ cave?
3. What is the first villainous thing the Cyclops does?
4. Why doesn’t Odysseus kill the Cyclops when he has the chance?
5. What does Odysseus give the Cyclops as a gift?
6. What gift does the Cyclops give in return?
7. What does Odysseus tell the Cyclops that his name is?
8. How do Odysseus and his men sneak out of the Cyclops’ cave?
9. What foolish thing does Odysseus do?
10. What did a soothsayer once predict would happen to the Cyclops?
11. What does the Cyclops ask his father Poseidon to do for him?
VOCABULARY: Find your own word & definition to add to our vocabulary list! (Note page #.)
-
BOOK X: THE ISLAND OF THE WINDS; THE LAND OF THE MIDNIGHT SUN; CIRCE
1. Who is the god of wind?
2. What favor does he do for Odysseus and his men?
3. What stupid mistake do some of the men make on the ship?
4. How do even more men die after the bag accident?
5. What does Circe do to some of Odysseus’s men?
6. How does Odysseus get her to release his men?
7. What instructions does Circe give Odysseus?
VOCABULARY: Find your own word & definition to add to our vocabulary list! (Note page #.)
BOOK XI: HOW ODYSSEUS VISITED THE KINGDOM OF THE DEAD
1. What does Odysseus do to call the souls of the dead to him?
2. Who is Teiresias and what does Odysseus want from him?
3. What does Teiresias predict for Odysseus?
4. What should Odysseus do to the suitors at his house?
5. What does Teiresias say Odysseus should do after dealing with the suitors?
6. What is the name of Odysseus’s mother and how did she die?
7. Why can’t Odysseus hug his dead mother?
VOCABULARY: Find your own word & definition to add to our vocabulary list! (Note page #.)
-
6
BOOK XII: THE SINGING SIRENS, AND THE TERRORS OF SCYLLA AND CHARYBDIS
1. Why should Odysseus be wary of the Sirens?
2. What should he and his men do to keep safe from the Sirens?
3. Describe Scylla.
4. What will Charybdis do if Odysseus’ ship gets too close?
5. What does Odysseus keep secret from his men?
6. Describe the circumstances of Odysseus’s shipmates’ deaths. Is it Odysseus’s fault?
VOCABULARY: Find your own word & definition to add to our vocabulary list! (Note page #.)
-
BOOK XIII: HOW ODYSSEUS CAME TO ITHACA
1. Describe Odysseus’s journey home from Phaeacia.
2. What does Poseidon initially want to do to the Phaeacian ship?
3. What decision does Alcinovs make because of the wrath of Poseidon?
4. Why and for how long does Athena want Odysseus to be in disguise?
5. What does Athena instruct Odysseus to do now that he has returned to Ithaca?
6. Whom does Athena instruct Odysseus to visit first?
VOCABULARY: Find your own word & definition to add to our vocabulary list! (Note page #.)
-
BOOK XIV: ODYSSEUS AND THE SWINEHERD
1. What is the name of the swineherd?
2. What does Odysseus tell the swineherd about himself?
3. Describe Odysseus’s disguise.
VOCABULARY: Find your own word & definition to add to our vocabulary list! (Note page #.)
-
BOOK XV: HOW TELEMACHUS SAILED BACK TO ITHACA
1. How has Eumaeus proven his faithfulness in this and previous books?
2. Who do you think will be the first person to know Odysseus for who he really is?
VOCABULARY: Find your own word & definition to add to our vocabulary list! (Note page #.)
-
BOOK XVI: HOW TELEMACHUS MET HIS FATHER
1. What does Telemachus call Eumaeus? Why?
2. Describe Athena’s changes to Odysseus’s appearance.
7
3. Who does Telemachus think Odysseus is when Athena removes his disguise?
4. What do Odysseus and Telemachus plan to do?
5. Describe Penelope’s confrontation with Antinous.
VOCABULARY: Find your own word & definition to add to our vocabulary list! (Note page #.)
-
BOOK XVII: HOW ODYSSEUS RETURNED TO HIS OWN HOME
1. What does Theoclymenus prophesy to Penelope?
2. How does Odysseus test the suitors?
3. Who recognizes Odysseus right away? How does he recognize him?
4. Describe Melanthios.
5. Who makes Odysseus extremely angry?
6. Why does Odysseus want to test his servants and his wife before revealing his identity?
VOCABULARY: Find your own word & definition to add to our vocabulary list! (Note page #.)
-
BOOK XVIII: HOW ODYSSEUS FOUGHT THE STURDY BEGGAR
1. Why does Odysseus get in a fight with Irus? Who wins?
2. What trick does Penelope play on the suitors in this book?
3. Which three characters anger Odysseus in this book?
VOCABULARY: Find your own word & definition to add to our vocabulary list! (Note page #.)
-
BOOK XIX: HOW THE OLD NURSE KNEW HER MASTER
1. What does Odysseus the beggar tell Penelope about Odysseus?
2. How does Eurycleia recognize Odysseus?
3. How did Odysseus get the scar on his leg?
4. Describe Penelope’s challenge for the suitors.
VOCABULARY: Find your own word & definition to add to our vocabulary list! (Note page #.)
-
BOOK XX: HOW GOD SENT OMENS OF THE WRATH TO COME
1. Name two people who are cruel to Odysseus the beggar.
2. Who proves himself to be a kind and faithful servant?
3. What do you think Odysseus is going to do to the suitors?
VOCABULARY: Find your own word & definition to add to our vocabulary list! (Note page #.)
-
8
BOOK XXI: THE CONTEST WITH THE GREAT BOW
1. Whom does Odysseus trust to help him defeat the suitors?
2. Why don’t the men want Odysseus to try to string the bow?
3. How does Odysseus prove his true identity?
VOCABULARY: Find your own word & definition to add to our vocabulary list! (Note page #.)
-
BOOK XXII: THE BATTLE IN THE HALL
1. What did Odysseus prove about his abilities when he shot the arrow through the twelve axes? Why is that
important now?
2. Whom does Odysseus kill first and why?
3. How does Eurymachus plead his case with Odysseus?
4. Whom does Telemachus catch raiding the storeroom of weapons and what do they do with him?
6. Which two servants are spared?
7. How does Odysseus identify the unfaithful maids?
8. What does Odysseus do to the unfaithful maids?
9. What is done to Melanthios?
VOCABULARY: Find your own word & definition to add to our vocabulary list! (Note page #.)
-
BOOK XXIII: HOW ODYSSEUS FOUND HIS WIFE AGAIN
1. How does Penelope test Odysseus?
2. Why does she test him?
3. Describe the one last task that Tieresias told Odysseus to complete. What will be his reward for this task?
4. After Odysseus tells Penelope about all his adventures, he sets off again. What does he go to do? What does he
tell Penelope to do?
VOCABULARY: Find your own word & definition to add to our vocabulary list! (Note page #.)
-
BOOK XXIV: HOW ODYSSEUS FOUND HIS OLD FATHER AND HOW THE STORY ENDED
1. How does Odysseus prove that he is really Laertes’ son?
2. What is Laertes afraid of?
3. Who comes to battle Odysseus? Whom are they led by?
4. Whom does Odysseus kill?
5. Who stops the battle?
VOCABULARY: Find your own word & definition to add to our vocabulary list! (Note page #.)
-
9
THE HERO’S QUEST
I. The Call to Adventure, in search of something of great value
a. Retrieve an object
b. rescue someone
c. find a lost city, home, freedom, etc.
II. Can be tempted off the true path – usually for a woman, an easier lifestyle
III. Entering the Unknown – Heroes enter a world they have never experienced before and must adapt
to new rules. Usually this unknown is filled with supernatural creatures, breathtaking sights,
and the constant threat of death.
IV. Supernatural Aid
a. Magical Talismans (e.g. Dorothy’s red shoes)
b. Allies and helpers (e.g. Gandalf)
V. Tests and the Supreme Ordeal – the hero goes through a series of tests (fighting monsters, solving
riddles, facing forces of nature), until he reaches the supreme ordeal, the final showdown.
VI. Reward and the Journey Home – the hero returns home, grown in spirit and strength, and proves
himself worthy of marriage, kingship, etc.
The Hero
I. Usually of remarkable birth (god, royal)
II. Born under remarkable circumstances, can have godlike qualities
III. Sometimes unaware of his origin, separated from family
IV. Shows early signs of supernatural powers, extraordinary strength
V. Displays valuable character traits
VI. Goes on a quest or journey for something valuable (may also enter the underworld)
VII. Has a character flaw (hamartia) – usually pride (hubris)
VIII. But also sacrificial – sometimes sacrificing his life
10