Hong, Zhai 1
Adam Zhai, Jung Bin Hong
Mr. Schaaf
English A
27th August 2013
The Odyssey
What is the Odyssey about (short summary)?
The Odyssey is a story written by a poet named homer. It is about the adventure
of a character named, Odysseus.
When Odysseus brother, Telemachus was only a month old, Odyssey takes part
in the Trojan War, which goes on for 10 years. After that he finds his way back
home and when he’s back he finds that his mother has 108 suitors to deal with
and his brother is 20 years old.
Zeus and Odysseus’s protector Athena decides that Telemachus should go look
for his father. Athena gets Telemachus everything he needs for the journey. He
travels on waters and on land and soon runs into Helen and Menelaus. They tell
Telemachus that the sea nymph, Calypso, prisoned his father.
Meanwhile Odysseus spends 7 years with the nymph. He is released and escapes
and swims ashore exhausted. His identity is suspected, but struggles through the
situation. After that he makes a difficult journey home facing fierce storms. He
gets help from the wind god, Aeolus and gets advice from Circe who first tried
to take over Odysseus but took him as a lover.
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The meeting with Phaeacians gets him home. Disguised as a beggar he meets
Penelope, and learns about his family. Penelope holds a contest to test her love for
Odysseus. She announces that the person that can pull Odysseus’ bow and shoot
through 12 axes wins the contest. Of course as it is his bow, Odysseus wins the
contest and reveals his identity.
Who are the main characters of the Odyssey?

Odysseus- The main character of the Odyssey. He is the king of Ithaca
and is leaving troy to come home but misfortunes prevent him from
getting home until 20 years later. Many favor him because he is wise and
strong.

Telemachus- The son of Odysseus and Penelope. He protects his mother
from the suitors.

Penelope- The wife of Odysseus she is very smart and held off the
suitors by telling them she would marry one of them when she was done
sewing a shroud, but she weaved by day then unraveled it at night.
Who are some of the other characters (gods and humans)?
Humans

Calypso-a nymph that wants to marry Odysseus so she kept him captive
for 9 years.

Circe- a witch who turns Odysseus’s entire crew into pigs, but she cant
turn Odysseus into one so she turns his crew normal and helps him get
home.
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
Laertes- Odysseus’s old father, who lives in a farm located in the back
hills of Iliad, away from the public.

Nestor- One of the wise survivors of the Trojan War. He is also the
father of Peisistratus.
Gods and creatures

Zeus – King of the gods

Poseidon- Brother of Zeus, who was controls the seas and earthquakes.
He is able to disturb Odysseus’s journeys on water.

Athena- The god of wisdom and the daughter of Zeus, and the guardian
of Odysseus and his favorite god. She admired Odysseus’s wits and
strength.

Polyphemus- A one-eyed Cyclops that captured Odysseus’s men.

Menelaus- Husband of Helen, the King of Sparta and has a brother
Agamemnon.

Agamemnon-The king of Mycenae
Where did the Odyssey take place?
The Odyssey took place in several places. The first being Ithaca the home of
Odysseus and Telemachus. Odysseus also traveled around to many islands in
Ancient Greece on his journey home.
What is the central conflict of the Odyssey?
The central conflict in the Odyssey is Odysseus's struggle to return home.
Odysseus has just finished in Troy and is returning home, but he angers a
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Cyclops and him and his crew experience many misfortunes after that.
Eventually after 20 years he returns home that he is thought dead and suitors
invading his household and family. He decides to dress up as a beggar to sneak
by the suitors and proves to everyone that he is Odysseus and alive.
What are some of the major themes of the Odyssey?
There are 2 themes this book is trying to convey. The first is don’t give up, it
took Odysseus 20 years to get home but he never gave up. It doesn't matter how
long it takes never give up. The second theme is thinking before you do
anything, that would have prevented Odysseus's long journey home. He shouted
horrible things at Polyphemus, which angered the blind Cyclops and he was able
to throw a boulder and hit all of Odysseus’s fellow ships but his own. Later on
Odysseus’s crew were on an island with Helios’s sheep and as long as they
didn’t kill one they would be fine. Of course eventually his crew gets hungry
and eats one of the sheep. This angers Helios who decides to send a hurricane at
their ship later on. All of these actions were extremely unwise and were
preventable. So in all, it tells us to think before we speak and think before we
act.
Review questions
What is the main theme of the Odyssey?
Who was Penelope and what did she do?
What were some problems Odysseus faced when he returned home?
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Bibliography
Borade, Gaynor. "The Odyssey: A Short Summary." Buzzle.com. Buzzle.com, 14
Mar. 2012. Web. 22 Aug. 2013. <http://www.buzzle.com/articles/shortsummary-of-the-odyssey.html>
Jewsbury, Lewis. "Greece, A History of Ancient Greece, Homeric Epics." Greece, A
History of Ancient Greece, Homeric Epics. Web. 22 Aug. 2013.
<http://history-world.org/Homerepics.htm>.
"People and Places of the Odyssey." ThinkQuest. Oracle Foundation. Web. 22 Aug.
2013.
<http://library.thinkquest.org/19300/data/Odyssey/odyssey_people_places.htm
>.
"The Odyssey: Character List." SparkNotes. SparkNotes LLC. Web. 21 Aug. 2013.