THE ODYSSEY
Book Eleven
Book Eleven
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Odysseus travels to the land of the Cimmerians as directed by Circe.
Here, in the river of Oceans, the people lived under a perpetual veil
of mist and fog.
Along the river Oceans, Odysseus digs a trench, offers libations and
sacrifices. Here ghosts from the dead come to him but he does not
allow them near the blood of the sacrificed animals until he speaks to
Teiresias.
Firstly, the unburied body of a comrade (Elpenor) comes to him and
asks Odysseus to bury his body. This man fell off Circe’s roof, tumbled
down the mountainside and broke his neck. He is promised a proper
burial when Odysseus returns to Circe’s island. Also Odysseus’ mother
Anticleia comes in a ghostly form to Odysseus, but it was Teiresias that
Odysseus first wishes to speak to.
Book Eleven
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Teiresias arrives before Odysseus and sips the blood.
He tells him that his journey home will be difficult;
Poseidon still nursed hatred for him. He tells him
Poseidon will get revenge on him for blinding
Polyphemus.
He also instructs him, not to harm the cattle of Helios,
the sun god. If he does his men will be doomed.
He also predicts that he will return to Ithaca alone and
kill the suitors. When he has returned to Ithaca and
defeated the suitors, Tieresias tells him to go to an
island that knows nothing of the sea, and bring with
him a well cut oar, to sacrifice to Poseidon. When he
has done this the great sea god will forgive the king
for his crime.
Afterwards, Odysseus will live a long and happy life.
The Theban prophet then departs.
Book Eleven
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Odysseus then speaks with his mother and
they have an emotional reunion. Odysseus
had not known that his beloved and heartbroken mother was dead. He asks how she
died and how the rest of his family are.
She assures him that his wife and palace
have not been stolen yet.
He also finds out the sorry state of
Laertes, his father, who lives alone, and
goes about in rags.
Odysseus wants to embrace his mother but
he cannot for, in the underworld, the dead
have no physical form.
Book Eleven
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Odysseus sees other ghosts from the
underworld and he tells us of their fate:
Antiope, Oedipus, Chloris, Leda, and
Phaedra.
Odysseus then stops his tale but under
King Alcinous’ prompting continues.
Odysseus is implored to stay another
day so that Alcinous can get gifts ready
for him.
Odysseus resumes the story and says
that Persephone then arrived from the
underworld and drove all the female
ghosts away.
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Then the ghost of Agamemnon comes before
Odysseus. He tells Odysseus how he met his death,
murdered by Aegisthus’ axe. Agamemnon says he
also witnesses the death of Cassandra by
Clytaemnestra.
Just as Clytaemnestra hatched a plot to kill
Agamemnon, Helen was also responsible for so
many deaths at Troy. He warns Odysseus about the
treachery of women, although he also assures him
that Penelope is not at all like Clytemnestra.
Agamemnon declares that Odysseus is a fortunate
man, with a wife and son who remain loyal to him.
He also advises him to go home by a secret
approach not to arouse suspicion.
Book Eleven
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Odysseus meets other heroes of the Trojan War, including
Achilles. Achilles declares he would rather be a slave in the
world above, than be lord of the underworld.
They exchange news about Achilles’ son Neoptolemus. The
young man fought bravely at Troy and took his place in the
wooden horse eager to engage in battle against Priam. He
shared the spoils of war and returned to the ship without been
injured during battle. Achilles is delighted to hear of this and
skips away, thrilled with the news.
Book Eleven
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Finally, Odysseus witnesses the tortures
of the dead in Hades: Tityus, stretched
out over nine roads was unable to fend
off the two vultures that plucked at his
liver. The thirst-craven Tantalus can’t
drink the water that reached up to his
chin. Sisyphus laboured to push a
mighty rock up a mountain but did not
succeed. When he was nearly at the
top, the boulder would roll back down
again and he would have to begin the
journey all over again.
Book Eleven
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When a multitude of
ghosts begin to head in
his direction, Odysseus
decides to leave the
island, fearing that he
might encounter a
monster like the Gorgon.
He and his crew sail
away from the island.
Book Eleven: Important Points
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Note: The bravery of Odysseus in his descent to the
underworld.
Note the conversation between Tiresias and Odysseus which is
very important (it’s the whole point of him going to Hades in
the first place).
Note the emotional reunion with his mother.
Note how the worlds of the Iliad and the Odyssey meet: The
heroes of Troy meet and have a conversation with each other.
Book Eleven: Important Points
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Note how Achilles says to Odysseus that he would
rather be a slave in the world above than king of the
underworld.
To reinforce the idea that life above (earth) is better
than death below (Hades), Odysseus witnesses the
horrors of punishment that awaits the unjust in the
underworld: Tantalus, Sisyphus and Tityos. Each of
these poor beings endures hideous punishments for
their crimes in the world above.
Book Eleven: Questions
1.
2.
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6.
Describe how the underworld appears to Odysseus.
What does Tiresias tell Odysseus?
What does Odysseus find out from his mother?
What does Agamemnon tell Odysseus and what
advice does he give him?
What tortures does Odysseus see in Hades?
Why was Odysseus trip to the underworld important?