 Why did Calypso finally
release Odysseus?
 Zeus sent Hermes to her
island to force her to let
Odysseus go
 What is Odysseus’
father’s name?
 Laertes
 When Odysseus tells
Calypso he wants to
leave to return to
Penelope, what reason
does he give?
 Penelope is the only
woman who interests
him; he cannot love
another
 What do Odysseus’ men
do to the Cicones to
prove their true nature?
 Sack the city, plunder it
of riches, and steal the
women. Another tribe of
Cicones comes to avenge
their neighbors, though,
and kills of many of
Odysseus’ soldiers.
 The lotus plant caused
the men to…
 Forget their
homeland/forget
everything
 Why does Odysseus only
 No one would be able to
blind Polyphemus, and
not kill him?
move the boulder or
escape if Polyphemus
was killed.
 What does Circe turn
Odysseus’ men into?
 Pigs
 What does Odysseus do
 He has the men tie him
so that he may hear the
song of the Sirens?
to the mast and tighten
the ropes when he
begins to call for the
Sirens.
 Circe is surrounded by
various animals. Based
on what we know about
her, what might we
assume these really are?
 Men who have been
transformed from
human shape into
animal form.
 What does Teiresisas
require in order to reveal
his prediction to
Odysseus?
 Blood
 Which of Odysseus’ crew
is found in the
underworld and how did
he die?
 Elpenor; he died when
he fell off of the roof and
broke his neck when
drunk on Circe’s island.
 How does Odysseus
manage to avoid his men
steering the ship to
doom when passing the
island of the Sirens?
 He plugs their ears with
beeswax.
 Why does Odysseus not
 He is afraid that they will
warn his crew about
Scylla and Charybdis?
be nervous and put the
entire crew in danger.
 Which of Teiresisas’
prophecies does
Odysseus withhold from
his men?
 That if they eat the cattle
of the Sun God, then
only Odysseus will
survive.
 Describe the
Laestrygonians.
 They are a race of giant
cannibals who eat some
of Odysseus’ men and
throw rocks at them.
 What did Aeolus give to
Odysseus?
 A bag of wind that
harnessed all of the
winds except for the one
needed to blow
Odysseus home to
Ithaca.
 Why did Odysseus’ crew
open the bag of wind?
 They believed that
Odysseus was trying to
hide treasure for himself.
 Who finds Odysseus on
the shore and sends him
to her father’s palace?
 Nausicaa, the Phaecian
princess.
 Why does Odysseus
decide to compete in the
Phaecian games?
 He feels that he is being
ridiculed and wants to
prove his strength to the
Phaecians; he also thinks
that it will get him home
faster.
 How is Odysseus
disguised when
returning to Ithaca?
 As a beggar/old man
 How did Odysseus get
home?
 The Phaecians gave him
passage on their ship.
 What was the
punishment for getting
Odysseus safely home?
 The Phaecian ship was
turned to stone just as it
was about to pull into
port.
 What does Telemachus
think when Odysseus
reveals himself to his
son?
 That only a god could
have made this
transformation and his
father clearly must be
aided by one.
 What symbol is
repeatedly used to
represent Odysseus’
triumph over the suitors?
 The eagle attacking
other birds.
 How does Argus react
when Odysseus returns
home?
 He wags his tail, then
dies from joy.
 What does Penelope do
to delay choosing a suitor
while Odysseus is gone?
 Weaves a burial shroud
for Laertes, but unravels
it each night.
 Which character is the
only one trusted by
Telemachus when he
goes out to find news of
his father?
 Eurycleia, the faithful
maid.
 Which task does
Penelope suggest the
suitors undertake in
order to win her hand in
marriage?
 String Odysseus’ bow
and shoot an arrow
through the rings of 12
axes.
 Who does Odysseus stay
with when first returning
to Ithaca?
 Eumaeus, the swineherd.
 Who actually joins
Odysseus in the fight
with the suitors?
 Telemachas, Eumaeus
(swineherd), and the
cowherd
 Why does Telemachus
hang the maids?
 Because they were
unfaithful to Penelope
and they were plotting
with the suitors.
 What did Odysseus learn
about life in Ithaca when
in the underworld?
 His mother was dead
and the suitors were
courting Penelope.
 What does Eurymachus
do to try to convince
Odysseus to stop killing
all the suitors?
 Offers to pay Odysseus
back for all they owe,
blames Antinous, and
admits that Odysseus
should be angry.
 Who is the first suitor to
die?
 Antinous.
 Who is Menelaus?
 The king of Sparta who
welcomes Telemachus
when he is searching for
news of Odysseus.
 How does Odysseus
prove his identity to
Penelope?
 He tells her how he
crafted their bed from a
tree.
 How does Eurycleia
recognize Odysseus?
 She sees the scar from
his boar hunting
accident when washing
his feet.
 What are the repeated
descriptions of
characters and gods
called?
 Homeric or epic similes
 What threat did Scylla
pose to Odysseus’ men?
 She would eat six of the
men – one with each of
her heads.
 Who is Melanthius?
 The goatherd who is
unfaithful