Characters
Places
Vocab
Characteristics of Epic Poetry
100
Who is the hero of "The Odyssey" and what is his greatest strength?
Odysseus; his cunning, or wit.
100
Where is Odysseus' home?
The Island of Ithaca
100
What is an "Odyssey?"
A long journey
100
Does the Gods and Goddesses interfere with humans?
Yes.
200
Who is the "god of thunder?"
Zeus?
200
How did Odysseus escape from Polyphemus' cave, and what was his big mistake?
Odysseus told Polyphemus that his name was "Nobody," then drugged the Cyclops with wine. Odysseus stabbed Polyphemus' eye, then escaped by hiding under the bellies of sheep. His mistake was that, as he was sailing away, he yelled his real name to Polyphemus in a fit of arrogance.
200
Epic Simile
A long simile. A simile is a comparison using LIKE or AS.
200
How do the gods and goddesses treat humans?
They often interfere with the lives of humans
300
Who is Polyphemus, and what does he do to Odysseus?
The Cyclops, son of Poseidon (God of the Sea). He traps Odysseus in his cave and eats his men before Odysseus escapes. The Cyclops are lawless brutes.
300
Where does Odysseus find Tiresias, the blind Prophet, who warns him about the cattle of the Sun God?
The Underworld, Hades.
300
shroud
a ceremonial burial cloth; Penelope was weaving one of this for Odysseus as a plot to keep the suitors away.
300
What does "in media res" mean?
In the middle of the action; Epic Poetry often begins in the middle of a story.
400
Where does Odysseus see his mother in this story?
In The Underworld - this is the first and only place Odysseus sees his mother in this story.
400
How was Odysseus trapped on Calypso's island? How was he finally able to leave?
Calypso threatened to transform him into a bird unless he did as she said. The goddess Athena saw that he was still in love with his wife, Penelope, and convinced the other gods to help release Odysseus.
400
ambidextrous
able to use the left and right hand equally
400
What are the characteristics of an epic hero?
Larger-than-life adventures, symbolize the ideals of a culture, are human, have a fatal flaw
500
Who are the suitors? What is the problem with them? How does Odysseus solve this problem?
The suitors are the men who, thinking Odysseus is dead, try to marry Penelope, his wife. They live in Odysseus' house, eat his food, refuse to leave, and plot to kill Telemachus, Odysseus' son. Odysseus sneaks into the house disguised as a beggar and murders them all.
500
How did Odysseus seize Troy?
He built a large wooden horse and hid inside of it with his men. The Greeks offered it as a gift to the Trojans, who brought it in to their city. Odysseus and his men waited until the Trojans were all asleep before they came out of the horse and destroyed the city.
500
subsequent
Coming after; following
500
In what ways does Odysseus show his human side?
By crying over his mother, by feeling fear in the Underworld, by being homesick, etc
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