Name: ____________________________
The Odyssey Study Guide
English 9H
Part I:
Answer the following questions based on your knowledge of The Odyssey.
1. The first ten lines of the poem consist of Homer addressing the muse of epic poetry. Homer pretends that the
muse is speaking through him and asks that his memory remain accurate. This section is referred to as what?
2. Why had Odysseus not yet returned home from the Trojan War?
3. What words does Homer use to describe the suitors?
4. Why is it necessary for Odysseus to take some of his men by force away from the land of the Lotus-Eaters?
5. What happens when Polyphemus finds Odysseus and his men in the cave?
6. How is Odysseus able to wound Polyphemus?
7. How do Odysseus and his remaining men escape from the cave?
8. How is the craftiness and cunning of Odysseus revealed in this escape?
9. Why does Odysseus reveal his name to Polyphemus after he has escaped?
10. How does the Aeolus show his goodwill when Odysseus is about to leave?
11. What natural phenomenon is controlled by Aeolus?
12. Odysseus and his men come within sight of Ithaca. Why do they not land?
13. Odysseus asks for further help from Aeolus. What is his reply?
14. Describe the Laestrygonians.
15. Why must Odysseus visit the house of Hades?
16. How do Odysseus and his men avoid destruction by the Sirens?
17. What are Scylla and Charybdis?
18. What happens to Odysseus’ companions?
19. What does Odysseus do to convince Penelope he is really alive?
20. What is an epic simile? Include an epic simile used in The Odyssey.
21. What does Circe turn Odysseus' men into upon entering her home?
22. Why does Odysseus return to Circe's island after visiting Hades?
23. What does Hermes give to Odysseus and what is Odysseus supposed to say to Circe?
24. How long are Odysseus and his men on Circe's island?
25. What contest does Penelope devise to test the suitors?
26. Who, other than Odysseus, has the strength and power to string the bow?
27. To what men does Odysseus reveal his identity?
28. Why is Penelope so hesitant to greet her husband?
29. How does Penelope test Odysseus?
Part II: Chronology
Put the following events in order based on your knowledge of The Odyssey.
Aeolus gives Odysseus the west wind and a bag of bad wind that he isn't supposed to open until he lands on Ithaca
Circe tells Odysseus how do get around the Sirens
Odysseus escapes from Calypso's island
Odysseus travels to Hades
Scylla eats 6 of Odysseus' best men
Odysseus' men kill and eat Helios' oxen
Odysseus tells Alcinious of his travels since the Trojan War
Odysseus saves his men from the lotus eater
Odysseus tells Polyphemus his name Nohbody
Odysseus impales Polyphemus in the eye
Polyphemus eats 2 of Odysseus' men
Odysseus gets Polyphemus drunk on wine
Eryumachus worries that they will be humiliated if the suitors can't string the bow
Odysseus shoots Antinious in the throat
Eryumachus offers repayment of the wine and food, 20 oxen, and gold and bronze
Telemachus runs and procures weapons
Part III: Terminology
Define the following terms.
in medias res
invocation
epic poem
Homer
archetype
The Illiad
epithet
Part IV: The Epic Hero and the Epic Journey
1. What are the three phase of the Greek Hero as applied to The Odyssey?
2. What are the traits of a Greek Hero?
3. What makes the setting vast in The Odyssey?
4. What are some deeds of courage that Odysseus displays in The Odyssey?
5. When Homer stops the story and explains a specific detail it is called what?
Part V: Short Answer Questions
You may create one notecard (3x5) with notes or quotations to help you compose your short answer responses in class. You may
not write your entire short answer responses on the notecard and simply copy them down in class. Your notecard will be collected
with your short answer responses. Credit will not be given if your paragraph is copied down verbatim on your notecard.
1. Some critics say that although Odysseus loves Penelope, his motivation to return home is not romantic.
Rather, “she is part of his home and hearth . . . It is his father and his land that give Odysseus status and
substance . . . and these are his overt reasons for wanting to return home.” Do you agree or disagree with
this critique? Make sure you choose a side (no fence sitting) and support your answer with evidence from the
text.
2. The Ancient Greeks believed that a hero has admirable qualities as well as flaws. Identify one of Odysseus’
flaws, and explain the effect of this flaw on his ability to reach home. Then, identify one of Odysseus’
admirable qualities and explain how this quality enables him to be successful in reaching home.
Each short answer response must:
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be written in complete sentences.
fully address the prompt.
include a topic sentence that illustrates your assertion.
include at least two specific examples from the text.
include at least one quotation from the text with an in-text citation.