The Odyssey, by Homer

Study Guide for

The Odyssey, by Homer

W.H.D. Rouse translation

1

Classical Literature - The Odyssey

Instructor Thelma English

Week One: # 1 - # 30

Week Two: # 31 - 60

Week Three: # 61 - 95

Week Four: # 96 - 135

1

Classical Literature - The Odyssey

Instructor Thelma English

400 Points total

• Use complete sentences
• Use proper grammar & spelling
• Cite sources
• Define words in context (31 definitions)
• Check all numbering (-5%)
• Use points as your guide to know how much information is needed

The Iliad is a tragedy of youthful heroes suffering the consequences of the anger of Achilleus. The Odyssey is an epic of homecoming. In this story, we follow Odysseus’ long and perilous wanderings, trying to get back home to his wife and son.

When The Odyssey opens, Troy has been sacked (we hear the Trojan Horse story in retrospect), Priam and his sons are slain, and the Greek invaders’ camp on the Trojan shore has been gone for ten years. Many of the Greek heroes are also dead: Achilleus and Aias are buried on foreign soil. King Agamemnon returned home to Mycenae, to be murdered by his own wife. Menelaus took back the coveted Helen to Sparta, her enduring beauty and parentage saving her from paying any price or suffering any consequences for her actions.

Odysseus (the Roman Ulysses) sailed from Troy for home ten years ago. His wife, Penelope, and son, Telemachus (now twenty), are clinging to a desperate hope that he still lives and will return to them. With their king (Odysseus) and the entire generation of fathers gone, the island of Ithica has produced a generation of youth untrained in the art of heroic ideals: xenia, heroic honor, and the concepts of time and kleos are almost unknown to the present youth. Unwanted suitors, who demand she remarry, besiege Odysseus’ wife Penelope. Telemachus is unable to stop their advances.

At this time, the Greeks of Homer’s day know nothing of the world beyond the western shores of the Mediterranean. They trade with all nations on its shores, but, unlike the Phoenicians, never wander further (you will remember that the Phoenicians called themselves Canaanites: the people from Tyre and Sidon). When no trace of Odysseus can be found in the known world, he is given up as lost. Historians speculate that Homer got his knowledge of geography for the wanderings of Odysseus from the Phoenicians, who traveled around the entire Mediterranean Basin.

In this epic are found wonderful accounts of late Mycenaeanage palaces and opulence. Though Odysseus is a king of Ithaca, his home is no palace. There is an alter for sacrifices to Zeus in the center of the house, a spinning room for Penelope, a bathing room, dining room with table and chairs (reclining has not become vogue yet), and an armory.

WEEK ONE

Book One

1. P.11In lengthier translations, Homer invokes the Muse before beginning his story, why? [2]

P.11Calypso means “concealer,” or “coverer” and has a relationship with our word “eclipse.” Calypso has been detaining our protagonist because he blinded Poseidon’s son, Polyphemos (you will read about the Cyclops in flashback). Poseidon still holds a grudge.

1. Who/what isCalypso and what does she have to do with Odysseus? [3]

P.11Calypso has been detaining our protagonist because he blinded Poseidon’s son, Polyphemos (you will read about the Cyclops in flashback). Poseidon still holds a grudge.

1. Who is Poseidon? [4]

1. Define ‘protagonist.’ [2]

1. Define ‘antagonist.’ [2]

1. Who is the ‘antagonist in this book? [2]

1. P.11“fate spins for every man,” what (or who) is referred to here? [3]

“some near the sunrise…”, Homer knows that black people live all over Africa, some on the west (Atlantic), some on the east (Indian Ocean).

The Curse on the House of Atreus:

P.11,12 Aigisthos was Agamemnon’s cousin. He was born to Thyestes and Thyestes’ own daughter, Pelopia.

Tantalus fathered Pelops (whom he served to the gods at a banquet). Then Pelops (brought back to life, and reassembled) sired Thyestes and Atreus. When Thyestes had an affair with Atreus’ wife, Atreus served Thyestes’ children to him, then drove him from the land. Atreus later learned of the child by Thyestes and his daughter, bringing the boy home (to raise him up to murder his own father, Thyestes). The son (Aigisthos) and Thyestes later recognized one another, and plotted to murder Atreus instead. Atreus was the father of Agamemnon and Menelaos.

Aigisthos was having an affair with King Agamemnon’s wife, Clytemnestra. When Agamemnon returned home from the Trojan War with his prize, Cassandra, Clytemnestra and her lover, Aigisthos, murdered them. Agamemnon’s son, Orestes, with the help of his sister, Electra (Iphiginia had been sacrificed at Aulis to gain fair winds to sail by), murdered his mother and Aigisthos.

Orestes was ‘purified’ in Athens, by Athena, who holds court and expunges him from guilt. These tales are told in the Oresteia; Agamemnon, Choephoroe (The Libation Bearers), and Eumenides:a trilogy by Aeschylus.

1. P.12Who is Atlas? [4]

1. Who is Atlas’ daughter (she holds Odysseus against his will)? [1]

P.12We get our words “cycle” and “optic” from this word, Cyclops, which means “circle-eyed” in Greek.

1. What is a Cyclops? [4]

1. P.12What or who is preventing Odysseus from getting home in this story? [2]

1. P.13Who is Athene? [4]

1. P. 13 What is Athena’s plan? [2]

1. P.13“Mentes” is Mentor. Define ‘mentor.’ [2]

P.13“You will be welcome in our house,” Notice the code of hospitality here: xenia. No matter what a stranger looked like, they received preferential treatment. This will be important to remember later, when Odysseus shows up in rags.

1. What is Xenia? [4]

1. P.14Why does Phemios play the harp for the “gallants”? [1]

P.15Laërtes is the father of Odysseus.

P.17Note the reference to poisoned arrows, this was alluded to in The Iliad.

1. P.17Who is Nestor, and where does he live? [2]

1. P.17Who is Menelaos, and where does he live? [3]

1. P.17Define ‘barrow.’ [1]

1. P.18What change takes place in Telemachos after his interview with Athena? [3]

1. P.18Explain ‘Achaians.’ [1]

1. P.19What is the subject of the song and why does the singing bring Penelopeia to tears? [2]

1. P.19Explain ‘Danaans.’ [1]

1. P.20Who is Cronion? [1]

Book Two

1. P.22Define ‘lissom.’ [1]

Aegyptius obviously cannot know what has become of his son. This is for our benefit.

1. P.22Define ‘omen.’ [1]

1. P.23Who is Icarios? [1]

Themis is a Titan goddess, daughter of Mother Earth (Gaia). Hesiod says she is the mother of the three Fates and the Seasons (by Zeus). Some accounts list her as the mother of Prometheus. Here, she becomes the personification of Justice.

1. P.23Define ‘redress.’ [1]

1. P. 23 Define ‘dunning.’ [1]

1. P.24Define ‘dolorous.’ [1]

------WEEK TWO ------

1. P. 24,25 Begin a brief character study of Penelopeia, adding to it as you progress through this chapter. See your handout for details (40/60/80 word minimum: include quoted text). [15]
2. P.25What are the Avengers (look up ‘Furies’) and what are they known for? [2]

1. P.25,26 What is the reaction of the suitors to Halitherses’ prophecy that they are doomed? [2]

1. P.26What is ‘Ilios’? [1]

1. P.26Define ‘antediluvian.’ [1]

1. P.26Define ‘prognostications.’ [1]

1. P.26Define ‘retribution.’ [1]

1. P.28Define ‘brine.’ [1]

1. P.28Who will help Telemachos choose a ship and go with him? [2]

1. P.30Who is Eurycleia? [2]

1. P.31What is the purpose of the libation and how is it performed? [2]

Book Three

1. P.32Who is Neleus (see Iliad Glossary in back of book: Iliad, 11.680-92)? [2]

1. P.32Who is this old and wise man, Nestor?[2]

1. P.33Define ‘cavalier’ as it is used here. [2]

1. P.33Why is Nestor called “Nestor Neleiades”? [2]

Amphitrite is a nereid, wife of the god, Poseidon.

1. P.35Who are the two princes of Atreus? [2]

1. P.35What was the argument between them before leaving Troas? [2]

1. P.35Define ‘portent.’[1]

p.36Achilleus’ son is Neoptolemus, who, along with Odysseus, brings back Philoctetes with Heracles bow to ensure success at Troy (an oracle demands Heracles’ bow to win). Philoctetes had been abandoned on an island early in the Iliad because of a foot problem. After Ajax commits suicide in humiliation of losing Achilleus’ armor to Odysseus, Odysseus gives it to Neoptolemus. Achilleus’ son also gets Hector’s widow, Andromache, as a prize. These stories are told in Philoctetes and Ajax, by Sophocles; and Andromache, by Euripides.

1. Define ‘doughty.’ [1]

This is the same Philoctetes from the Iliad 2.716.

1. P.36Who is “the Spinner”? [1]

1. P.37Nestor laments “If only Athena Brighteyes . . .” Why is this statement ironic? [3]

1. P.39Define ‘cowed.’ [1]

1. P.40What sign gives away Athena? Who is Tritogeneia? [2]

Neleus was the son of Poseidon, and king of Pylos. He married the only surviving daughter of Niobe (Niobe was the daughter of Tantalus, sister of Pelops). When he refused to purify Heracles, Heracles killed him and all his sons except Nestor.

1. P.41List the six sons of Nestor. [2]

1. P.42Define ‘faggot’ (modern spelling is ‘fagot’). [1]

1. P.43What were “the gifts that were a guest’s due” (give examples of the types of gifts exchanged)? [3]

1. What code reflects this practice? [1]

1. In several short paragraphs tell the story of book three. [15]

Book Four

P.44 Note the name of Helen’s only child, Hermione, fair as Aphrodite. For those of you familiar with Shakespeare’s The Winter’s Tale, you will recognize this as the name of King Leontes lovely, chaste wife. Obviously, Shakespeare had a thorough understanding of Homer’s works.

1. Who is Aphrodite? [4]

Note the ancient ‘Code of Hospitality’ here: Xenia. Strangers were welcomed, bathed, clothed and fed before they were asked any questions.

1. P.46Who is Artemis? [4]

------WEEK THREE ------

1. P.48“Argive Helen:” explain.[2]

1. p.48“cut the hair:” explain. [2]

1. P.49Define ‘indomitable.’ [1]

1. P.49What explanation does Helen give for her part in the war? [2]

The reference to Egypt has been elaborated on in the play Helena, by Euripides. It may be a spoof on his earlier plays, which place blame on her. Herodotus also mentions a story told by the Egyptians, of Helen in Egypt, with a ‘decoy Helen’ in Troy.

1. P.55Why is Odysseus referred to as “Odysseus Laërtiadës”? [1]

1. P.56What prophecy does the Old Man of the Sea give Menelaos concerning his own death? [1]

1. What/where are the Elysian plains/fields? [1]

1. Who is Rhadamanthys? [1]

1. Who is Zephyros (Zephyr)? [1]

1. P.57Who is Hephaistos? [4]

Book Five

1. p.62,63What does Zeus declare to be the fate of Odysseus? [4]

1. P.63Define ‘coppice.’ [1]

Note that even the gods practice the strict Code of Hospitality: Xenia.

1. P.66What makes the River Styx the “most awful oath of the blessed gods”? [2]

Greeks were terrified at the thought of not receiving a funeral, with the proper rituals. They believed that the soul would wander by the River Styx, unable to cross and enter the Underworld. Odysseus is not afraid, but despairs.

1. What is the Underworld? [2]

1. Where, especially, would Odysseus desire to go after death? [3]

1. P. 66,67What tools does Calypso provide for Odysseus? [2]

1. What are the Pleiades? [2]

1. P. 67 Who is determined to make trouble for Odysseus? [2]

1. Define ‘ignominious.’ [1]

1. Who helps Odysseus to reach land? [2]

Book Six

P.74The purple yarn in the Queen’s workbasket is significant. Purple dye was rare and expensive, gleaned from shells the Phoenicians gathered. Only royalty could afford purple clothing or yarn. To listeners of the bard, Homer, it symbolized the wealth (and a color) they could only imagine.

1. P.78Define ‘hoary.’ [1]

1. P.79Define ‘quaffing.’ [1]

Book Seven

Remember, the traveling bard is story telling to people who will never see a throne room, never have a servant pour wine for them, and who will live in obscurity for all of their lives. There are no books; writing has just been reintroduced by the Phoenicians.

Note that Nausicaa’s nurse Eurymedusa was a prize: she is a slave. Throughout the archaic world, slavery was accepted as the normal state of things. Aristotle questioned slavery later:

“Others affirm that the rule of a master over slaves is contrary to nature, and that the distinction between slave and freeman exists by law only, and not by nature; and being an interference with nature is therefore unjust…But is there any one thus intended by nature to be a slave, and for whom such a condition is expedient and right, or rather is not all slavery a violation of nature? There is no difficulty in answering this question, on grounds both of reason and of fact. For that some should rule and others be ruled is a thing not only necessary, but expedient; from the hour of their birth some are marked out for subjection, others for rule”.[i]

The conclusion is different than expected, isn’t it?

1. P.82Design a family tree for the characters mentioned here, from Poseidon to Nausica. [6]

Odysseus sits among the ashes to symbolize his plight and supplicate the queen.

1. Who are the three ‘stern spinners’ and what are their names? [3]

1. P.85On what basis does Alcinoos make this statement, claiming “we are akin to them (gods)”? [2]

According to the myth, Zeus fell in love with a lovely princess named Europa. He assumed the form of a bull, enchanted her, and swam with her on his back to Krete (Crete). She bore three sons, Minos, Sarpedon and Rhadamanthys. Minos became king of Krete, with a palace at Knossos. All K/Cretan rulers were later referred to as ‘Minos,’ much as all rulers in Egypt were called ‘Pharaoh.’ Minos and Rhadamanthys were said to be the judges on the other side of the River Styx, where Hermes guided souls after death (if their families had provided payment to cross).

The Gaia mentioned here is Gaea: Mother Earth. She birthed a son, Uranos, whom she married. They had many children: The Furies, Aphrodite, K/Cronos, Rhea, Titans and Titanesses, plus an assortment of monsters. Kronos had Zeus and Hera (who married). Poseidon and Pluto were their brothers.

Book Eight

1. P.90. Describe the day Odysseus spends with King Alcinoos. Start from this point, and continue until the end of this chapter (several short paragraphs should suffice). [15]

1. P.91Who was rude to Odysseus? [1]

1. Define ‘barbarous.’ This word comes from the sound foreigners made (i.e. “bar, bar”). [1]

‘Crookshank’ is a slang reference to Hephaistos.

1. P.95,96 What gifts do the Phaeacians give Odysseus? [3]

Epeios here is the same Epeios from The Iliad 23.665.

1. P.98What three things did the Trojans consider doing with the wooden horse according to the bard, Demodocus? [3]

1. P.99Poseidon’s threat to wreck a Phaeacian ship on a return voyage will be fulfilled in Book Thirteen. What is the term for the writing technique which presages future events to create suspense for the audience? [1]

Book Nine

In this book, we are introduced to the Cyclopes, son of Poseidon, Polyphemos. The story is retold in Euripides’ play, Cyclopes, a satire. Satire is a literary work in which human vice or folly is attacked through irony, derision, or wit.

1. Define ‘machination.’ [1]

1. Define ‘perdition.’ [1]

1. P. 110 What pride-filled mistake does Odysseus make during his escape from the son of Poseidon? What will this enable Polyphemos to do (and make Poseidon Odysseus’ enemy)? [3]

Book Ten

1. P. 112 What gift does Aiolos give to Odysseus? [2]

------WEEK FOUR ------

1. Define ‘pernicious.’ [1]

1. How long did Odysseus’ crew stay with Circe? [2]

1. P. 122, 23 Why is Odysseus traveling to Hades? [3]

Book Eleven

1. How does Oceanos serve as the world’s boundary (i.e., what is Oceanus?)? [2]

1. P. 127 What kind of death does death by “Artemis Archeress” imply? [2]

1. Who is Persephoneia? [3]

The literary term for this style of narrative, looking back on an event, is flashback.

The “seven gates” mentioned on page 129 are the seven gates of Thebes, a major Greek city-state. Theban cycle myths fill in the details of Thebes history (The Seven against Thebes, by Aeschylus; Oedipus Rex, Oedipus at Colonus, and Antigone, by Sophocles).

The mother of Oedipus is listed here as “Epicaste,” rather then “Jocasta.”

1. Draw a family tree, including Leda, Tyndareos, and their four children. Do not forget to include Zeus. [6]

1. What famous pledge did Tyndareos require of his daughter’s suitors? [4]

1. Notice the footnote on page 130: why does Zeus grant these two men immortal life (on alternate days)? [3]

1. Using several short paragraphs, tell the story of King Minos of Crete, his daughter, Ariadne, and Theseus. [15]

Book Twelve

1. What is the power of the Sirens? [3]

The story of Hera guiding Jason and the Argonauts safely through the Moving Rocks is aptly portrayed in videos by the same title. The Argonaut myth cycle is one of the main four.

1. List the four Myth Cycles. [4]

1. What is Scylla and what does she do? [3]

1. P. 140 What is Charybdis (Kar rib dis) and what does she do? [3]

1. P. 140 Who is Helios, and who shepherds his sheep and cattle? [3]

1. P. 141 “warmed by the effulgence of my lord Helios Hyperionides,” paraphrase. [2]

1. P. 145 Who tells Helios that his cattle have been slain? [1]

1. P. 145 What does Helios threaten to do if Zeus does not avenge him? [2]

Book Thirteen

1. P. 151 What price will the Phaiacians pay for assisting the enemy of Poseidon to Ithaca? [2]

1. P. 154 Define ‘paragon.’ [1]

1. P. 156 What is meant by the reference to the fate of Agamemnon (i.e., what was the fate of Agamemnon?)? What comparison does Odysseus make between Agamemnon’s homecoming and his own? [5]

1. P. 156 How does Athena Brighteyes disguise Odysseus? [2]

It is interesting to note that Odysseus will be his own ‘Trojan Horse’ so to speak.

Book Fourteen

1. In several short paragraphs, describe the events of this chapter. [15]

Book Fifteen

P. 174 The “famous army against Thebes.” this refers to a story from the Theban myth cycle in which two brothers fought for control of the city. They were born to Oedipus the king by Jocasta. Oedipus later learned that his wife was his mother, that he had killed his own father, and that his children were from this incestuous relationship. In shame of the truth finally revealed after many years, he puts out his eyes with a brooch from the corpse of his dead wife, who committed suicide in shame. The Oedipus Rex, a play by Sophocles, tells the tragic story, from Apollo’s oracle to its fulfillment in tragedy, Grecian style. Following are Oedipus at Colonus and Antigone.