Cornell Notes
Topic/Objective:
Name:
Homer’s Odyssey Page 4
Class/Period:
Date:
Essential Question:
Questions:
Notes:
Myths
Traditional stories, rooted in a particular culture
Usually explains a belief, a ritual, or a mysterious natural
phenomenon

Essentially religious – concerned with the relationship between
human beings and the unknown or spiritual realm
Alter ego
A reflection of a hero’s best or worst qualities
Poseidon
God of the sea
Who is Homer?

Works against Odysseus ANTAGONIST

Known for his arrogance and brutishness

(Odysseus can also be violent and cruel)
Blind minstrel (singer) from Chios (Ithaca)
Rhapsodes
“Singers of tales” historians and entertainers as well as mythmakers
Homeric or
Compare heroic or epic events to simply and easily understandable
Epic similes
Summary:
Everyday events
Cornell Notes
Topic/Objective: Page
Prezi: Journey of Homer
5
Name:
Class/Period:
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Questions:
Notes:
Odysseus’s
1. Troy
Journey
2. Island of Cicones
3. Island of Lotus Eaters
4. Cyclopes
5. Island of Aeolus
6. Island of Laestrygonians
7. Circe’s Island
8. The Underworld: Hades
9. Island of the Sirens
10. Scylla and Charybdis
11. Island of Helios (sun god)
12. Ogygia – Calypso’s Island
13. Island og the Phaecians
14. Ithaca
Odysseus
Summary:
Protagonist

Goal: getting home

Dynamic character

Strong and courageous

warrior
Cornell Notes
Topic/Objective:
Page 6
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Essential Question:
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Notes:
Penelope
Loving caring wife
Telemachus
Polyphemus

Flighty & excitable

Queen of Ithaca
Odysseus’ son

Assertive due to rude suitors

Protective of his mother
Son of Poseidon

Circe
Summary:
Cyclops
Witch goddess
Cornell Notes
Topic/Objective: Page 7
People and Places: The Wanderings Characters &
Name:
Places
Date:
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Notes:
Achaeans
Northeastern Greece called Achaea; Greeks & include the people of
Ithaca
Argives
Usually refers to the Greeks who went to fight at Troy
Ithaca
Off the West coast of Greece
Aiaia
Home of Circe, the enchantress & goddess
Alcinous
King of Phaeacia

Phaeacians are shipbuilders and traders
Calypso
Beautiful nymph goodess who keeps Odysseus on her island for 7 yrs
Charybdis
Female monster who sucks in water 3 times a day to form a deadly
Whirlpool. (Strait of Messina)
Cicones
People living on the Southwestern coast of Thrace who battled
Odysseus and his men on their journey
Circe
Enchantress and goddess who turns Odysseus’s men into swine
Cyclops
Race of brutish one-eyed giants who live solitary lives as shepherds,
supposedly on the island of Sicily.
Polyphemus
Cyclops son of Poseidon who was tricked and blinded by Odysseus
Erebus
Dark area of the underworld where the dead reside
Eurylochus
A member of Odysseus’s loyal crew
Lotus Eaters
People who feed Odysseus’s men lotus plants to make them forget
Ithaca (where they were from)
Summary:
Cornell Notes
Topic/Objective: Page
People and Places
8
Ithaca’s Characters
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Notes:
Scylla
Female monster with six serpent heads, each head having a triple
row of fangs.
Sirens
Sea nymphs whose beautiful and mysterious music lures sailors to
steers their ships towards dangerous rocks.
Teiresias
Famous blind prophet from the city of Thebes
Thrinakia
Odysseus’s mother
Antinous
One of Penelope’s main suitors; an arrogant and mean young noble
Eumaneus
Swineherd (one who tends pigs), one of Odysseus’s loyal servants
Eurycleia
Odysseus’s old nurse
Eurymachus
Suitor of Penelope
Eurynome
Penelope’s housekeeper
Philoeteus
Cowherd, one of Odysseus’s loyal servants
Penelope
Odysseus’s wife
Telemachus
Odysseus’s son
Summary:
Cornell Notes
Topic/Objective:
The gods
Page 9
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Apollo
The god of poetry, music, prophecy, medicine & archery
Athena
Favorite daughter of Zeus; the great goddess of wisdom as well as
war and peace. She favors the Greeks during the Trojan War.

Cronas
Often called Pallas Athena
Titan (giant god) who ruled the universe until his son Zeus
overthrew him
Helios
Sun god
Hephaestus
god of metalworking
Hermes
Messenger god
Poseidon
god of the sea; brother of Zeus; called Earth Shaker because he
Is believed to cause earthquakes

Zeus
Summary:
He is an enemy (antagonist) of Odysseus
The most powerful god. His home is on Olympus
Cornell Notes
Topic/Objective:
Odyssey Part I
Name:
page 10
Class/Period:
Date:
Essential Question:
Questions:
Notes:
Author
Homer
Setting
Ithaca, an ancient Greek Kingdom
Trojan War
10 year war > Greeks prevail (win)
Antagonist
Odysseus’ ego gets the best of him and proclaims to the gods he
did it himself.

Angers Poseidon who vows to Odysseus he will never be able to
to return to Ithaca
Cyclops
Island dominated by one-eyed giants

Polyphemus (Poseidon’s son) traps Odysseus & his men in a cave
intending to eat them

Odysseus gets Polyphemus drunk causing him to pass, then
sharpens a tree branch into a stake and blinds him

Polyphemus believes his name [Odysseus] to be “Nobody”, so when
he screams that “Nobody is hurting me” Odysseus and his men are
able to escape

Odysseus taunts Polyphemus who in returns asks his father
[Poseidon] to avenge him
Aeolus
Provides Odysseus with a bag of wind to help him home. One of his
men opens it prematurely, blowing them off course
Summary: To anger the gods, causes them to act swiftly and harshly. The gods expect men to praise and adore
them when good things happen to them, and fear them when they have not behaved or turned from them
Cornell Notes
Topic/Objective:
Odyssey Part II
Name:
page 11
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Notes:
Circe’s Island
Aiaia Island
Hermes

Beautiful witch, who turns his men into animals

Blackmails Odysseus into sleeping with her

Sleeps for 5 years but to Odysseus is only 5 days
Tells Odysseus of Circe’s magic

Helps him avoid being transformed as his men were

Gives him moly (herb)
Underworld
Digs his ship out of the sand of Aiaia to sail to the Underworld
Tiresias
Residing in the Underworld, torments Odysseus, recognizing his
courage and wit, but criticizes his ego and foolishness.
Antikleia (Anticlea)
(Odysseus’ mother) Finds Odysseus in the Underworld and tells him
that she took her own life because of the pain of losing her son.

Warns Odysseus of the multiple suitors vying (competing) with
each other to marry Penelope for her money and power.
Isle of Scylla
Scylla is a six-headed snake that wrecks Odysseus’ ship and kills many
Charybdis
After Scylla, Charybdis creates a whirlpool and kills everyone else
except Odysseus
Island of Calypso
Keeps Odysseus prisoner
Summary: Odysseus is learning through his many experiences what is
important in his life: his home, his wife, his son
Cornell Notes
Topic/Objective:
Odyssey
Name:
Part III
page 12
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Notes:
Calypso
2 years on the Isle of Ogygia (O-jij-g-a)
Hermes
Brings news from Zeus to Calypso to release Odysseus

Warns her, “Island will be driven into Poseidon’s sea” if she
doesn’t obey
Penelope
Telemachus
Finishes the tapestry in honor of Odysseus

Suitors demand that she chose someone to marry

Antinous destroys tapestry in response to her disobedience
Searches for Odysseus and goes to Sparta to speak with King
Menelaus.

Menelaus tells of Odysseus’ valor, but tells of Odysseus’ death

Menelaus tells Telemachus to return to Ithaca to claim what is
his
Odysseus/Poseidon
Stranded in the ocean, Odysseus plead with Poseidon

“What do you want from me?”

Poseidon responds, “I want you to suffer. My goal is not to kill
you, it is for you to understand. I want you to know that without
the gods, man is nothing.”
Island of Scheria
Home of the Phaecians

Alcinious provides a ship for Odysseus to return home

Odysseus is given a sleeping potion on the ship; when he awakens,
he is on the shores of Ithaca
Summary:
Cornell Notes
Topic/Objective:
Odyssey Part III (cont.)
Name:
page 13
Class/Period:
Date:
Essential Question:
Questions:
Notes:
Ithaca
Odysseus and Telemachus meet at Eumaeus’ home

Eumaeus travels to Penelope to tell of Telemachus’ return

Odysseus sends Telemachus home, but says to not tell Penelope
of his return. Odysseus is fearful that Penelope has not been
faithful.

Athena disguises Odysseus so that no one but Telemachus will
recognize him

Odysseus returns home to find household overrun with suitors
helping themselves to his belongings

Telemachus tells suitors that King Menelaus has told him that
Odysseus is at the bottom of the sea

Telemachus goes to Penelope and leaves Odysseus disguised as
an old servant among the suitors. He tells Penelope that
Odysseus is dead, although he still personally believes him alive

Penelope sees Telemachus’ beard and realizes she must chose a
suitor

Eurycleia tends to Odysseus and sees a scar – she recognizes him

Penelope and Odysseus meet, she tells the “stranger” her love of
Odysseus and her faithfulness. The “stranger” assures her that
Odysseus is alive and will come back to her

Summary:
Odysseus sees his wife faithfulness
Cornell Notes
Topic/Objective:
Odyssey Part III
Name:
page 14
Class/Period:
Date:
Essential Question:
Questions:
Notes:
Odysseus’ Bow
Penelope retrieves and challenges the suitors that the man who
strings it and shoots it through 12 axe handles, will win her hand

After all suitors fail, the “old man” strings the bow easily, shoots
cleanly through 12 axe handles with one arrow and is revealed as
Odysseus

Suitors find they are locked in the chamber with Odysseus and
Telemachus

Odysseus tells Telemachus, “Now is the time for your anger.”

Telemachus kills Antinous

Suitors in fear claim that they have done no wrong; they treated
Penelope as a queen, and took his food and wind. They insist
there was no crime.

Odysseus replies, “You tried to steal my world.” He and his son
proceed to kill all the suitors.
Summary:

Penelope is reunited with Odysseus

The 20 year journey has ended