Odyssey Revision
Draw an arrow to match the Book number to the book title:
NUMBER
TITLE
1
The Battle in the Hall
5
Eurycleia recognises Odysseus
6
The Cyclops
9
Odysseus and Penelope
19
Nausicaa
20
Prelude to the Crisis
21
Athene visits Telemachus
22
The Great Bow
23
Calypso
ODYSSEY REVISION – Fill in the gaps
Read the following book summaries and fill in the gaps using the box of words provided below each summary.
Book One
After the _______ War, most of the surviving heroes of that long campaign reached home safely; but Odysseus, king
of ________, pursued by the implacable hatred of the god __________, is still held captive by the sea - _______,
Calypso.
At a meeting of the Olympian Gods, the goddess __________ raises the question of Odysseus’ plight and is reassured
by _______ that the unfortunate hero is destined to reach home. Athene suggests that the messenger god,
________, be sent to the island of __________, to order Calypso to set Odysseus free. She herself goes to Ithaca,
where Odysseus’s son ____________, is faced with a considerable problem: the men of Ithaca and beyond, believing
Odysseus dead, are paying court to Penelope, the hero’s beautiful and faithful _______. Relentlessly they pressure
her to choose one of them and they fill the house with uproar, gorging themselves on the __________ of the estate.
Telemachus, on the verge of manhood, is unsure of himself and of his position in the midst of this menacing group.
Athene, ____________ as a mortal, advises him to go to Pylos and Sparta in search of news of his ____________.
Trojan, Athene, Telemachus,
Ithaca, Zeus,
wife,
produce,
disguised,
Ogygia
Poseidon,
Father
Hermes
Nymph
Book Five
Hermes, ___________ of the gods, is sent by Zeus to order ________ to set Odysseus free. Odysseus builds a
________ and sets sail for Ithaca but Poseidon ___________ his craft and Odyssues is forced to swim for two
__________ and two _________ before struggling ashore in the lands of the _______________.
Calypso,
Book
Six
days,
raft,
Phaeacians,
messenger,
nights,
wrecks
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Athene prompts ______________, daughter of Alcinous, ________ of the Phaeacians, to take a load of
_____________ to the river pools. She and her maids wake up _____________ who has been __________ in a
nearby thicket. He emerges and appeals to her to give him ___________ and _____________ to the city. Alcinous’s
daughter who is much ____________ to the stranger, bids him to follow her to the city, but to keep his ___________
once they get there, for fear of causing gossip. He is to make his way to her father’s house and to appeal directly to
her __________, Arete.
King,
washing,
directions,
clothing,
distance.
attracted,
mother, Nausicaa, sleeping,
Odysseus,
Book Nine
Odysseus reveals his _________ to the Phaeacians and describes his voyage home from __________. Reaching the
land of the __________-_________, he had to rescue those of his crew who had eaten the _________. Then they
came to the land of the _____________, a fierce and uncivilised people.
Odysseus takes one of his ships and sails over to visit the cave of the giant ________________, (his name meaning
‘_________ __________’) son of _____________, who keeps flocks of goats and ____________. The giant imprisons
the crew and devours ______ of them at each meal. Odysseus works out a scheme to _________ the giant and free
his men. They escape and rejoin the party.
Lotus-Eaters,
Troy,
fruit,
Identity, Polyphemus,
Cyclopes,
sheep,
Poseidon,
most famous blind,
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Book Nineteen
Odysseus (disguised as a beggar), pressed by ___________, spins a long tale in which he gives her genuine
information of her ___________. She tells him of her decision to _______________ the ___________ who succeeds
in _______________ Odysseus’s bow and shooting an arrow through twelve ______________.
_______________, and old serving-woman, ___________ Odysseus by a __________ on his leg. Odysseus warns her
not to give his identity away.
Axeheads,
marry,
recognises
stringing,
Penelope,
Suitor,
Eurycleia scar,
husband,
Book Twenty
The cowherd, ______________, arrives at the palace and indicates his _____________ to his absent master,
____________. The Suitors, _________ yet again in the hall, insulting the __________ (Odysseus in disguise) and
_______________.
Odysseus,
loyalty, Telemachus,
beggar, feast,
Philoetius
Book Twenty-One
During the feast Penelope produces Odysseus’s great _______ and _____________ the suitors to try and string it
and fire an ___________ through _____________ axeheads.
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Meanwhile, Odysseus makes sure of the loyalty of the swineherd, _____________ and the ___________, Philoetius,
and then ___________ his identity. No one has so far managed to __________ the bow. _______________ orders
his mother to leave the hall. Eumaeus, though threatened by the ___________, brings the bow to Odysseus (still
disguised as a ___________) who has asked to have a go. _____________ he strings the bow and shoots an arrow
through the axeheads.
Twelve, bow,
Reveals,
arrow,
effortlessly,
Eumaeus,
suitors, string,
cowherd,
Telemachus, beggar
challenges
Book Twenty-two
Odysseus and ________________, with the aid of Eumaeus and _______________, kill ________ of the suitors. They
spare the _________ and the herald. After the battle the twelve disloyal servant-women are ______________.
Hanged,
Philoetius,
all,
bard,
Telemachus
Book Twenty-three
______________ at first refuses to believe that the ____________ is really Odysseus. Then he describes with such
accuracy the ________ which he _________ that she is convinced and they are ______________.
Bed,
reunited,
Penelope,
made,
beggar
Character identification
Read the information in the tables below and match the character (by placing the letter assigned to the character’s
name beside the correct description) to the description. There may be several descriptions for some characters and
so you will need to match their letter to the description more than once.
DESCRIPTION
These giants are lawless and have no respect for the Gods or usual customs.
The singer/bard/poet
MATCH
This goddess helps Odysseus when he is shipwrecked and floating towards Scherie. She advises him
to abandon the raft remains, take off his clothes and swim for the shore. She gives him a veil (it will
help to protect him), which she tells him to wrap around his waist and then when on shore to throw
it back into the sea without looking.
Her loyalty to Odysseus is clear when she prays to Artemis and pleas ‘….that I may sink underneath
the hateful earth with Odysseus’ image in my heart, rather than delight in the heart of a lesser
man’.
Son of Odysseus and Penelope
He shows his desire for revenge in book 9 by blinding the Cyclops after he ate six of his men.
When she sees Odysseus after the battle she describes him as looking ‘like a lion, when he comes
from feeding on some farmer’s bullock, with blood dripping from his breast and jaws on either side,
a fearsome spectacle’.
She shows her intelligence in Book 23 by telling Odysseus that his bed has been moved out of her
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room. This is not possible but she does it to ensure that this man is in fact Odysseus, finally returned
home.
He is one of the leaders of the suitors and he pleads with Odysseus at the start of Book 22 to spare
their lives and that they will pay back all that they owe.
Patron goddess of Odysseus, and therefore Telemachus, she says to the latter ‘you are no longer a
child: you must put childish thoughts away,’
Athene disguises herself as this man when she visits Telemachus in Book One. He is from Taphos
and is an old family friend.
King of Ithaca, creator of the Trojan Horse, Homeric hero, wishes he had died a heroic death in Troy
when he is shipwrecked in Book Five.
King of Mycenae and leader of the allied forces that went to fight in Troy, mentioned in Book One
because he was killed by his unfaithful wife Clytemnestra and her lover Aegisthus.
Wife of Odysseus
This giant is a caring shepherd with superhuman strength but he is also a killer/eater of men and a
host who does not acknowledge the expectations of guest friendship.
Known as the ‘goddess of the flashing eyes’, she appeals to Zeus that Odysseus is being unfairly
treated,
This maid betrays Penelope as she helps the Suitors and abuses Odysseus when he is disguised as a
beggar.
He is the first to attempt to string the bow in book 21. On his fourth attempt he nearly achieves it,
indicating that he is developing greater strength and bravery.
Helps Odysseus in Book 5 by summoning a strong north wind to flatten some of the waves, giving
him the idea of holding onto a rock near the shore to prevent him being washed back out to sea,
and helping him to sleep once on shore.
This character shows both her misery and loyalty in Book 19 when she says ‘..the powers above
have heaped so many troubles on my head..’, ‘..I eat my hear out in longing for Odysseus..’
This goddess distracts Penelope in Book 19 when Eurycleia tries to tell Penelope that the beggar is
in fact Odysseus. This helps to keep Odysseus’s plan to take revenge on the suitors in tact.
The sea-nymph with the lovely locks and a beautiful voice. She angrily says to Hermes ‘you are hardhearted, you gods, and unmatched for jealousy’ when he informs her that she must release
Odysseus from her island, Ogygia.
This god, (the gatherer of the clouds) sends a clap of thunder outside of the palace in response to
the plea of Odysseus for an omen to indicate that the battle against the suitors would go favourably
(Book 20).
This goddess helps Odysseus, Telemachus and the shepherds in Book 22 by making the spears of the
suitors miss them and appearing in the hall to scar the suitors.
The loyal swineherd, he passes the bows and arrows to the suitors at the beginning of Book 21 and
then later delivers the bow and quiver to Odysseus. He is also responsible for telling the women to
lock their doors and not come out.
Father of Polyphemus, who was blinded by Odysseus. He sends a storm against Odysseus as he tries
to sail home from Ogygia. He is angry as the gods have decided to release him from the island with
consulting him.
King of the Phaeacians, who live on the island of Scherie.
Described as the ‘Giant-Slayer’ he delivers messages for the gods.
The loyal cowherd. His task in Book 21 is to bolt the courtyard door so that nobody can get in or out
and find out about the slaughter that is about to happen.
Like a ‘tall and beautiful goddess’ she is compared to Artemis by Odysseus when he first sees her on
the island of Scherie.
He is one of the leaders of the suitors and one of the worst at abusing Telemachus and rushing
Penelope in her decision to remarry. He is the first to be shot at the start of Book 22. Odysseus
shoots him straight through the neck.
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Despite her anger and sadness at Odysseus having to leave she provides him with tools, cloth for a
sail, food and drink, wind to assist him and advice to keep Orion on his left as he sails for home.
He shows his ‘master schemer’ abilities in Book 9 as he lies about the location of other ships (to
save his men’s’ lives), gets the Cyclops drunk, sharpens an olive wood staff, blinds the Cyclops and
ties his men under sheep to allow their escape. On top of this he has tricked the Cyclops to believe
that ‘Nobody’ has blinded him.
This old maid bathes Odysseus’s feet (when he is disguised as a beggar) as ordered to by Penelope.
She recognises a scar on his thigh, which he received when he was hunting a boar in his younger
years.
She shows her intelligence by organising the challenge for the suitors to string Odysseus’s bow. She
promises to marry whoever wins but also knows that it is a near impossible task, unless one of the
suitors possesses the same strength as her husband.
His thirst for glory is obvious when he shouts out his real name to Polyphemus so that everyone
would know that it was he who blinded the most famous Cyclops. In doing so he put his crew at risk
as Polyphemus hurled rocks at the ship as they sailed away.
He becomes assertive in Book 20 saying things like ‘I have learnt to use my brains by now….’ He is
maturing and becoming braver and tells the suitors that he is sick of their disgraceful behaviour.
She is described as ‘looking like Artemis or golden Aphrodite’ in Book 19.
The disloyal goatherd, he provides the suitors with weapons during the battle in the hall in Book 22.
This goddess helps Odysseus in Book 6 by appearing in a dream to Nausicaa and giving her the idea
to wash her clothes in the river the next day. This is where Odysseus meets Nausicaa and is
eventually helped by her. Odysseus is helped further by this goddess as she makes him appear even
more handsome than usual so that Nausicaa is even more inclined to help him.
CHARACTERS
A. Odysseus
B. Ino (Leucothe)
C. Melanthius
D. Hermes
E. Zeus
F. Polyphemus
G. Melantho
H. Telemachus
I. Agamemnon
J. Antinous
K. Penelope
L. Eumaues
M. Nausicaa
N. Poseidon
O. Athene
P. Eurymachus
Q. Philoetius
R. Phemius
S. Eurycleia
T. Mentes
U. Calypso
V. Alcinous
W. Cyclops
Heroic characteristics displayed by Odysseus in The Odyssey
Odysseus is:
 Brave / courageous / bold / defiant in the face of danger e.g. he fights the suitors knowing that there are
many of them and only a handful on his side OR he bravely listens to the song of the Sirens OR he travels
into Hades in order to find out how to get back home etc
 Cunning / smart / intelligent / a master strategist / brilliant planner e.g. outsmarts Polyphemus when he lies
to him about his identity, gets him drunk and then blinds him OR he plans how he will attack the suitors
down to the last detail i.e. locks weapons in store room OR after killing the suitors he buys time by
pretending they are having a wedding feast
 Physically strong e.g. he is able to string the bow even though he hasn’t used it for 20 years – none of the
suitors could do it etc
 Resourceful / skilled e.g. builds the raft single-handedly using resources given to him by Calypso OR uses the
pole to blind Polyphemus
 Self-controlled / cautious / intuitive eg does not reveal his identity (not even to Eurycleia) when he gets to
the palace (even though he was very keen to get home) until he has fulfilled his plan OR does not tell
Polyphemus his true name etc
 Thirsty for glory e.g. refuses immortality in order to live a heroic life OR when he is caught in storm in Book
5, he wishes he had died a glorious death in Troy
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
Revengeful / anxious to regain his honour eg punishes suitors severly - kills Antinous first by shooting him in
the throat OR punishes the disobedient maids and Philoetious in a vicious manner (must describe how)
Discuss Homer’s concept of the gods and the part they play in people’s lives. Provide at
least FOUR characteristics with examples to illustrate your answer.
Homeric gods:
 They are anthropomorphic eg Athena assumes the form of Mentes when she visits Telemachus in Book I
 Portray human characteristics eg Hermes gets tired when he visits Calypso and complains that there are no
humans on the way to her island to make offerings to the gods and make their trip more comfortable
 They have superhuman abilities eg Athena is able to transform herself into a chieftain called Mentes, Hermes is
able to fly to Calypso’s island, Poseidon can cause a storm
 Competitive / in conflict with each other / interfere in each other’s sphere of control eg Athena and Zeus are
prepared to go against Poseidon in order to help Odysseus get home OR Athena speaks unkindly to Zeus about
Calypso saying she kept Odysseus in ‘her clutches’
 Zeus is omnipotent / gods live in a hierarchical society eg in this passage, hermes says he is only visiting Calypso
because Zeus ordered him to OR “when Zeus makes up his mind…it is impossible for any other god to thwart him
or evade his will” OR “now Zeus bids you send him off without delay”
The gods play an important part in people’s lives. They control the lives of humans. They intervene in positive or
negative ways
Positive intervention:
 Zeus intervenes to ensure Odysseus returns home and fulfills his destiny
 Athena is always intervening to help Odysseus and his family eg when she visits Nausicaa in her sleep and
inspires her to go to the river to do the washing
Athena often makes Odysseus look more handsome so people will like him even more, help him eg when he
meets Nausicaa – looks really handsome after his bath
Negative intervention:
 Hyperion kills Odysseus men when they disobey his command and eat his holy cows
 Poseidon prevents Odysseus from returning home and causes him to be shipwrecked after he has blinded his
son Polyphemus
THE CHARACTER OF PENELOPE IN The Odyssey
For each characteristic, give TWO examples. Give the book for each example.
Characteristic
Example
Example
Loving / loyal
Woman of high morals /
abides by customs of the
day
Bold / brave
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Authoritative
Other?
Compare the character of Penelope to that of Calypso:
a) What does each woman have to offer Odysseus?
Penelope offers:
Calypso offers:
b) Why does Odysseus choose Penelope?
Homer writes about the themes of revenge and restoration of power and honour.
(i)
What was the ancient Greek view on revenge?
Revenge was expected. Odysseus becomes ruthlessly revengeful in order to regain his and his family’s lost
honour. The greater the dishonour, the greater the punishment.
(ii)
How does Odysseus punish Polyphemus? Are his actions ruthless or justified and why?
(iii)
How does Odysseus punish the disobedient slaves? Are his actions ruthless or justified and why?
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