Book V Questions
1.Who is Hermes, and what is his mission?
**He is sent to calypso island with orders that she release odysseus.
2.What can Hermes do with his wand?
**Hermes "seals men's eyes in sleep or wakes them just as he pleases" or "mazes the eyes of
those mortals whose eyes he would maze, or wakes again the sleepers"
3.Who is holding Odysseus captive?
**Poseidon
4.What is Calypso’s reaction to having to let Odysseus go?
**Calypso's reaction is that she is mad that she has to let him go, but obeys Zeus in the end.
5.What is the main problem Odysseus faces while traveling by sea?
**His main problem is that he has made Poseidon his enemy which is very bad for a seafarer.
6.What happens to Odysseus at the end of Book V?
**At the end of book 5 a storm washes him up on the shores of Phaeacia where he hides in the
woods, naked, and goes to sleep.
BOOK V: HERMES IS SENT TO CALYPSO’S ISLAND; ODYSSEUS MAKES A RAFT AND IS
CARRIED TO THE COAST OF SCHERIA
Athena again pleads to Zeus for Odysseus’ release. Zeus sends Hermes to Calypso with orders that she
release Odysseus. Calypso grudgingly complies. Odysseus is given much trouble by Poseidon, but with
the help of Leucothea and Athena, he finally reaches the land of the Phaiacians, where he collapses,
exhausted.