The Odyssey Study Guide
Epic Poem Literary Terms
Anecdote - a brief story about am interesting, amusing, or strange event
Epic - a long narrative poem about the deeds of gods or heroes
Epic simile - an elaborate comparison of unlike subjects
Epithet - a descriptive word or phrase added to or substituted for the name of somebody or something,
highlighting a feature or quality
Foreshadowing - the use of clues that suggest events that have yet to occur
Homeric Simile – extended comparisons that compare heroic or epic events and images from nature to simple,
everyday events that the audience would recognize immediately
Moral - a lesson taught by a literary work
Myth - a fictional tale that explains a belief, a ritual, the actions of gods or the causes of natural phenomena;
myths are essentially religious
Odyssey – a journey or trip; a long series of travels and adventures
Rhapsodes - an ancient Greek poet who recited epic poetry professionally; historians and entertainers
People and Places of the Odyssey
People
Aeolus - A mortal whom Zeus has appointed keeper of the winds.
Agamemnon - The king of Mycenae and leader of the Achaean expedition to Troy.
Alcinous - The king of the Phaeacians, husband of Arete and father of Nausicaa, he is a generous, kind, and
good-humored ruler and father.
Antinous - The leader of the suitors and the first slain by Odysseus. He is a cruel, greedy, and hypocritical
villain, always attempting to justify his evil behavior by distorting the motives or acts of others.
Anticleia - The mother of Odysseus. She encounters him in Hades while he is there.
Argos - The old hunting dog of Odysseus who recognizes his master and dies.
Athena - Daughter of Zeus, goddess of wisdom and patroness of the arts and crafts, also known as Pallas.
Odysseus is her favorite and protégé.
Calypso - The sea nymph who keeps Odysseus captive for nine years and who, in hope of making him her
husband, offers him immortality.
Circe - The enchantress who transforms the crew of Odysseus into swine and who, when she finds that she
cannot conquer Odysseus, takes him as a lover and helps him with advice and supplies on his voyage home.
Eumaeus - The chief swineherd of Odysseus, who remains faithful to his master during his long absence and
who plays an active part in assisting Odysseus to regain his kingdom.
Eupeithes - The father of Antinous. He manifests the same rashness and disloyalty that is exhibited by his son
when he leads a band of Ithacans to attack Odysseus but is quick to recognize his error and apologize.
Eurycleia - The faithful and devoted old nurse of Odysseus, recognizes him by the scar on his leg.
Eurylochus - One of Odysseus' officers; he is an unimaginative and sober person, who wisely avoids entering
Circe's palace in Book X, but who also abets the sailors when they slaughter the cattle of Helios.
Eurymachus - The second most important suitor; he is as evil as Antinous, but far more soft and cowardly.
Helen - The wife of Menelaus, king of Sparta. She was the cause of the Trojan War.
Helios - The god of the sun. His cattle are eaten by Odysseus' crew.
Hermes - Son of Zeus, the ambassador of the gods, conductor of the dead souls to Hades, and patron of travelers,
merchants, and thieves.
Laertes - The old father of Odysseus, who lives in isolation from the demands of public life, on a small farm in
the back hills of Ithaca. He remains alert and agile, despite his age.
Menelaus - King of Sparta, husband of Helen, and brother of Agamemnon. Like Odysseus, he too has a series of
misadventures on his return home from Troy.
Odysseus - King of Ithaca, husband of Penelope, father of Telemachus, son of Laertes. He is the first of the
Greek epic heroes to be renowned for his brain as well as his muscle.
Penelope - The wife of Odysseus. She is serious and industrious, a perfect wife and mother in many aspects.
Philoetius - The chief cowherd of Odysseus; he is brave and loyal and, despite his age, stands besides his master
during the battle with the suitors.
Polyphemus - A one-eyed Cyclops who held Odysseus and his men captive in his cave until he was made drunk
and blinded by Odysseus.
Poseidon - Younger brother of Zeus, god of the sea and earthquakes, father of Polyphemus. Because Odysseus is
a sailor and must travel home by ship, Poseidon is able to do him much harm. The god bears a grudge against
him because of his rough treatment of Polyphemus.
Scylla - A sea monster with six heads whom Odysseus and his crew must pass during their voyage.
Sirens - Two beautiful maidens who dwell in a flowery meadow on an island somewhere between that of Circe
and of Scylla. They tempt passing mariners to their deaths by their tantalizing songs.
Telemachus - The son of Odysseus and Penelope. He is just entering manhood and is very self-conscious about
his duty, and his father's reputation as a hero, which he feels he must live up to.
Tiresias - The most famous of all Greek seers. The legend was that in compensation for his blindness the gods
had given him his awesome visionary powers. His spirit is consulted by Odysseus in Hades.
Zeus - The supreme god and king of Olympus. He is officially neutral in human affairs; his duty is to carry out
the will of Destiny, but he is often sympathetic towards humans.
Places
Aeaea - The island home of the enchantress Circe.
Aeolia - A floating island home of Aeolus, king of the winds.
Capri - Island home of the Sirens.
Cicones - A Thracian tribe whose capital was raided by Odysseus and his men after leaving Troy.
Hades - The land of the dead. Also known as Tartarus or Klysium.
Ithaca - The island kingdom of Odysseus. Off the west coast of mainland Greece.
Ismarus - The capital of the Cicones, located in Thrace, to the north- east of Greece.
Laestrygonians - A tribe of cannibal barbarians who seriously defeat Odysseus and his men when the Greek
ships land in their country.
Ogygia - Island home of the nymph Calypso. Thought to be modern day Malta.
Olympus - A mountain in Greece, which is home to many of the gods and goddesses.
Phaeacians - The inhabitants of the land of Scheria.
Scheria - The island home of the Phaeacians, and the kingdom of Alcinous. Also may be referred to as Drepane.
Sparta - The kingdom of Menelaus, located on the Peloponnesian Peninsula.
Troy - A kingdom that was destroyed by the Greeks in the Trojan War. It is located on the western coast of Asia
Minor.
Thrinacia - Island home to the cattle of the sun god, Helios.
Major Themes
Appearance vs. Reality
Hospitality
Loyalty
Perseverance
Search for One’s Place in Life
Including Correct Relationships in Love and Friendship
Spiritual Growth
Vengeance
The Odyssey
Part One: The Wanderings
Invocation to the Muse (Page 751) Book 1
Opening invocation: Homer invokes the Muse, asking her to help him tell the story of Odysseus’s adventures.
Homer mentions Odysseus’s hardships, his valor, and his struggle to return home safely with his shipmates. He
reminds us that the shipmates died because of their own recklessness. He asks the Muse to begin the story at the
point where the other Greek warriors have returned from battle but Odysseus is still longing to get back to his
home and wife. Odysseus is being held captive by Calypso, who wants him to stay with her. Homer
foreshadows the trials and dangers that lie ahead for Odysseus despite the sympathy he receives from all the gods
except Poseidon.
1. What does the poet ask of the Muse?
2. What does Homer tell you about the hero and about what is going to happen to him?
The Wanderings
Calypso, The Sweet Nymph (Pages 752 – 754) Book 5
Summary: Trapped on Calypso’s island, Odysseus yearns to escape and make his way home. Our first glimpse
of the hero finds him weeping, scanning the horizon of the sea. At Athena’s behest, Zeus sends Hermes to order
the goddess to release Odysseus. Calypso reluctantly agrees to let him go. Odysseus builds a raft and sets sail,
but Poseidon raises a storm and wrecks the raft. Odysseus lands on the island of Scheria and falls asleep in a pile
of leaves.
3. In lines 41 – 45, what is Hermes’ flight compared to here?
4. What do you see, hear, feel, and smell in this famous description of Calypso’s home? (Lines 50 – 54)
5. Why has Hermes traveled to Calypso’s island? (Lines 65 – 70)
6. How does Calypso feel about Odysseus? To whom does she give credit for his release? Why do you think she
does this?
7. What surprises Calypso? What warning does she tell Odysseus? (Lines 100 – 110)
8. Why does Calypso distinguish humans from gods? (Line 110)
9. How does Odysseus flatter his wife but not offend Calypso? (Lines 112 – 115)
10. What is being compared in lines 120 – 123?
“I am Laertes’ Son…” (Pages 756 – 758) Book 9
Summary: At King Alcinous’s feast, Odysseus replies to the king, who has asked him to identify himself.
Odysseus begins by stating where he is from. He then describes being detained by Calypso and Circe and speaks
of the many years he has spent on his journey home from Troy. He tells of the Cicones and of a storm raised by
Zeus that caused Odysseus’s ships to drift for nine days.
11. What impression of Odysseus do you get from his description of himself? (Lines 125 – 130)
12. What does Odysseus consider to be the dearest place on earth? Why? (Lines 133 – 138)
13. What central idea of the poem does Odysseus express in this passage? (Lines 142 – 146)
14. What happens on the coast of the Cicones? How did Odysseus lose a good portion of his crew? (Lines 152 170) Describe the conflict.
15. Is the crew’s behavior a reflection of Odysseus’s leadership? Explain your thinking.
16. What does “six benches were left empty in every ship” mean?
17. After Odysseus and his crew leave the Cicones, how long are they detained from their voyage home? Why?
“The Lotus Eaters” (Page 758) Book 9
Summary: After losing many men in the battle with the Cicones on Ismarus and being driven off course by a
fierce storm, Odysseus and his crew arrive at the land of the Lotus Eaters. A few sailors partake of the lotus,
which causes them to forget their homeland. Odysseus has to drag them to the ships and tie them down to the
rowing benches.
18. What happens to the three men who eat the lotus plants?
19. How does Odysseus solve this problem? What does this tell you about his character?
“The Cyclops” (Pages 760 – 770) Book 9
Summary: The Cyclops Polyphemus imprisons Odysseus and his followers in his cave. The men watch, horror-struck
and helpless, as the monster consumes two of their number each morning and night. Odysseus conceives of a plan of
escape. With his companions, he fashions a sharp wooden stake, which he heats in the fire and thrusts into the Cyclops’ eye
while the monster is sleeping, blinding him. Odysseus and his men make their escape from the cave by clinging to the
underbellies of the Cyclops’s rams. As they sail away, Odysseus cannot resist taunting the monster, who curses his former
captive and implores his father, Poseidon, the sea god, to keep the hero wandering on the seas for many years.
“The Cyclops” (Pages 760 – 770) Book 9
20. Why do you think Odysseus and his men make an offering to the gods? (Line 219)
21. How does Homer make it clear that Odysseus faces a formidable opponent in the Cyclops? (Lines 228 – 234)
22. Hospitality was important to the ancient Greeks. It was a sacred bond between the host and the guest. Why
does Odysseus consider the Cyclops unwelcoming and barbarians? How does Polyphemus respond to
Odysseus’s request for hospitality? Why does Polyphemus act this way?
23. Why does Homer include such gruesome details about the men’s demise in the cave? What words does he
use to help the reader visualize the gruesome scene?
24. Why doesn’t Odysseus kill the Cyclops at this moment? What factors must Odysseus consider in devising a
successful plan of escape? (Lines 289 – 295)
25. What steps does Odysseus take in order to escape the Cyclops?
26. What is ironic about the Cyclops’s saying he will eat Nohbody last?
27. What is the blinding of the Cyclops compared to? (Lines 385 – 390)
28. What is ironic about lines 400 – 409?
29. What steps does Odysseus take to prepare for their escape? (Lines 422 – 432)
30. What figure of speech is in line 433 – 434?
31. What is ironic about the statement “Nohbody will not get out alive, I swear.” (Line 454)
32. How does Polyphemus’s prayer to Poseidon (Lines 527 - 538) suggest the other trials that Odysseus will
have to face on his journey home?
33. Twice in this episode, Odysseus brings misfortune on himself and his crew by ignoring good advice.
Identify both instances and explain why Odysseus acts as he does. What do we learn about Odysseus from
the episode with the Cyclops?
“The Enchantress Circe” (Pages 773 – 775) Book 10
Summary: Odysseus and his men reach the island of the witch Circe. The sailors are beguiled by the sorceress,
who turns them into swine and shuts them in a pigsty.
34. What does the crew’s opening of the bull’s-hide bag suggest about their relationship with Odysseus?
35. What comparison does Odysseus make to emphasize the strange gentleness of the wild beasts’ behavior?
(lines 543 – 546)
36. Circe, like Calypso, is first seen at her loom, singing and weaving. What inference could you make about
women in ancient Greece from this fact?
37. During what other story did Odysseus’s men eat something that made them lose their desire for home?
38. What happened to Odysseus’s men? Why? How does Circe violate the law of hospitality?
39. Do you think that Eurylochus will be able to rescue his friends? Why or why not?
“The Land of the Dead” (Pages 775 – 777) Book 11
Summary: In the underworld, Odysseus is addressed by the seer Teiresias, who warns him to stay away from
the cattle of Helios, the sun god. Teiresias tells Odysseus that when he finally arrives home, he will find his
household in disarray. Teiresias also tells Odysseus that after slaying his wife’s suitors, he must make sacrifices
to Poseidon.
40. What other role has Hermes played in the Odyssey?
41. Whom is Odysseus referring to when he uses the term sovereign Death?
42. Which god is Teiresias referring to?
43. What prophecy does Odysseus receive?
“The Sirens; Scylla and Charybdis” (Pages 778 – 783) Book 12
Summary: Odysseus returns to Circe’s island. The witch tells him how to avoid the dangers of the Sirens and Scylla and Charybdis.
He has himself tied to the mast so that he can hear the Sirens’ singing without succumbing to it. Odysseus plugs his men’s ears with
beeswax to keep them from hearing the Sirens’ bewitching voices. Odysseus and his crew escape this danger, but they lose six men to
Scylla when they pass through the straits of Scylla and Charybdis.
44. What are the Sirens, Scylla, and Charybdis?
45. What are the dangers of the Sirens? How does Odysseus know about them?
46. How does Odysseus manage to get his men safely past the Sirens while he alone hears their song?
47. What do the Sirens symbolize? How do they tempt Odysseus?
48. What are Scylla and Charybdis?
49. Toward which danger does Odysseus choose to steer? Why?
50. What things are being compared in the Homeric simile in lines 821 – 826?
51. What does Odysseus tell (or not tell) his men about the dangers? Why? How does Odysseus react to the
consequences of his choices?
“The Cattle of the Sun God” (Pages 784 – 786) Book 12
Summary: Odysseus warns his men not to touch the sun god’s cattle. Storms rage for a month and their food supply is
exhausted. One sailor, Eurylochus, convinces the others that eating the cattle is preferable to starvation. Odysseus wakes
up to discover that his men have feasted on the cattle. He curses the gods for letting him sleep during the feast so that he
could not restrain his men.
52. Why does Odysseus want to avoid the island of Thrinacia?
53. What order does Odysseus give to his men? Why do they disobey?
54. What ritual of sacrifice do the men perform to the gods? Why doesn’t it work?
55. Odysseus takes credit when everything goes well. Now, when a tragedy occurs, he blames the gods for
making him fall asleep. What does this reveal about his character?
56. How are the men punished? What happens to Odysseus?
The Thematic Structure of Odysseus' Wanderings
Troy
war
Cicones
war
Lotus Eaters
memory
Cyclops
cannabalism, loss of civilization
Aeolus
storm, mutiny
Laestrygonians
cannabalism, monstrous female
Circe
controlling female, loss of humanity, divine warning
Hades
Circe
helpful female, divine warning
Sirens
memory
Scylla and Charybdis loss of humanity
Cattle of Helios
storm, mutiny
Scylla and Charybdis monstrous female
Calypso
controlling female, loss of humanity, divine warning
Scheria
helpful female. hyper-civilization
Ithaca
war, controlling female
Part Two: Coming Home
Part One is told in first person. Part Two is told in third person. How does the change in point of view
affect their responses to the characters and events?
Book 13: Odysseus sails home on a Phaeacian ship laden with gifts. Athena meets him and tells him that his
home is full of enemies. Athena dresses Odysseus as a beggar who must use his physical strength as well as his
intelligence.
Book 14: Odysseus, dressed as a beggar, finds his way to the home of the swineherd, Eumaeus. He has been
faithful to Odysseus. It is unusual that Homer included the servant class in his story. Eumaeus entertains
Odysseus in his home.
Book 15: Athena appears to Telemachus, Odysseus’s son. Telemachus has been away for a year trying to
discover if his father is alive. Athena tells him to return to Ithaca, warns him that the suitors have overrun his
home and plan to ambush him upon his return. Telemachus secretly returns and goes to the home of the
swineherd. The suspense becomes great, as father and son have not seen each other for twenty years.
“The Meeting of Father and Son” (Pages 791 – 794) Book 16
1. How does Odysseus quickly learn that the young man is a special person?
2. How does Telemachus show that he is a thoughtful, polite young man?
3. What details reveal Eumaeus’s hospitality?
4. What does Telemachus’s response to Odysseus’s transformation suggest about the relationship between the
ancient Greeks and their gods? (Lines 996 – 1004)
5. In line 1005, what epithet is used to describe Odysseus?
6. Why did Athena change Odysseus’s appearance? (Lines 1015 – 1020)
7. In the Homeric simile in lines 1030 – 1035, to what are Odysseus’s and Telemachus’s cries compared?
“The Beggar and the Faithful Dog” (Pages 794 – 795) Book 17
Summary: Odysseus disguises himself as a beggar once again and heads toward home. Odysseus’s old hound,
Argos, who lies abandoned outside the gates, recognizes his master’s voice. Wagging his tail, the faithful
dog greets his master and then dies.
8. Why would a great epic concern itself with an old dog?
9. How does the description of Argos make you feel?
10. In lines 1053 – 1055, what does this scene reveal about Odysseus’s character?
11. In lines 1062 – 1066, why is this scene ironic?
12. What do you think of Eumaeus’s statement about the servants?
The Epic Continues… Page 796
Book 18: Penelope appears among the suitors and reproaches Telemachus for allowing the stranger to be abused
by the suitors. Penelope has learned that the stranger may have news of Odysseus. Penelope sings
Odysseus’s praises.
Book 19: The suitors depart for the night and Odysseus and Telemachus discuss their strategy. The clever hero
goes, as appointed, to see Penelope and the idea of testing her and her maids (some of the maids were
involved with the suitors). The faithful wife receives her disguised husband that creates suspense in the
story. The beggar spins a story about his origins and how he met Odysseus. He cannot resist praising the
lost hero and Penelope begins to cry (which makes Odysseus happy). The beggar tells Penelope that
Odysseus is alive and she asks her old nurse to wash his feet that is a sign of respect and honor. The nurse
recognizes a scar on his leg and Odysseus swears her to secrecy. Penelope adds suspense by deciding on a
test for the suitors for the next day. Without realizing it, Penelope has given Odysseus a way to defeat the
men who threaten his wife and kingdom.
Book 20: Odysseus, brooding over the shameless behavior of the maidservants and the suitors, longs to destroy
his enemies but fears the revenge of their friends. Athena reassures him. Odysseus is told that the suitors
will die.
“The Test of the Great Bow” (pages 798 – 802) Book 21
Summary: Penelope has set a seemingly impossible task for her suitors – to string her husband’s old bow and
shoot an arrow through the sockets of twelve iron ax handles. A number of suitors try and fail; then
Odysseus, still in his beggar’s disguise, asks to try. Penelope agrees and then retires inside. Ignoring the
taunts of the suitors, Odysseus performs the feat.
13. What images does Homer use to help his audience imagine even something as ordinary as this scene at the
storeroom?
14. In lines 1096 – 1100, why is Penelope crying?
15. What contest does Penelope design to test the suitors?
16. Why does Odysseus decide to reveal his identity to the herdsman and the swineherd?
17. How does Odysseus plan to vanquish the suitors? (Lines 1164 – 1175)
18. When Penelope meets Odysseus, he is disguised as a beggar. This is an example of dramatic irony because
the reader knows what Penelope does not yet understand. Why is Penelope’s acceptance of the beggar as
a suitor ironic? Why might Odysseus keep his identity a secret?
19. In line 1185, what epithet is used for Odysseus? Where else has Homer used this epithet for Odysseus?
20. In lines 1191 – 1202, how many auditory images can you find in this passage?
“Death at the Palace” (pages 803 – 805) Book 22
Summary: To reclaim his kingdom, Odysseus must fend off Penelope’s angry suitors, who have united against
the hero, with Antinous as their ringleader. Telemachus and his father, joined by the swineherd and the
cowherd, trap the suitors in the hall and kill them.
21. In the opening paragraph, what does the reader learn is the climax of the story?
22. What makes the description of Antinous’s death especially powerful (lines 1227 – 1235)?
23. In lines 1250 – 1252, what does Homer mean when he says the suitors “imagined as they wished?”
24. What does Eurymachus’s speech reveal about his character (Lines 1264 – 1279)?
25. What two things has Odysseus done to make it impossible for the suitors to “fight (their) way out or run for
it”?
26. In the Homeric simile in lines 1294 – 1302, to what are Odysseus and his men compared?
“Odysseus and Penelope” (pages 806 – 809) Book 23
Summary: At first, Penelope is so shocked by the appearance of her long-lost husband that she is unable to speak
or move. Telemachus reproaches his mother for being standoffish, but she wants proof that he is truly her
husband. Odysseus bathes and dresses in fresh clothing yet Penelope is still resistant. Finally, Odysseus
proves his identity by revealing the secret of their marriage bed, which is built around the base of the tree.
Upon hearing this, Penelope embraces Odysseus, shedding tears of joy.
27. How do you think Odysseus will react to Penelope’s testing?
28. Why does Penelope have so much trouble recognizing Odysseus? What is Telemachus’s reaction?
29. In the Homeric simile, lines 1342 – 1346, to what does this simile compare Odysseus?
30. Whom does Odysseus blame for Penelope’s hard heart?
31. In lines 1356 – 1357, what is Penelope implying in these lines?
32. In lines 1375 – 1385, how does the use of imagery in this passage emphasize Odysseus’s feelings for
Penelope?
33. What do Penelope’s physical sensations suggest she is feeling?
34. In line 1392, what is ironic about Penelope’s statement?
35. In lines 1405 – 1407, what does Penelope mean when she refers to her “stiff heart?”
36. Paraphrase Odysseus’s description of the bed. What characteristics of the bed suggest the strength and
endurance of their true love?
37. In lines 1408 – 1418, the journey ends with an embrace. What simile helps you understand the joy Odysseus
feels in the arms of his wife?