Characters & Relationships
Which princess plays a key role in assisting Odysseus when he arrives on the Phaeacian shore?
Nausicaa
Odysseus and his men where warned not to eat Helios' cattle by these two characters:
Circe and Tiresias.
What quality allows Odysseus to escape a dangerous enemy without direct confrontation?
cunning
Why does Calypso claim she lets Odysseus leave her island willingly rather than because of the gods?
She doesn't want to allow them to give her orders out of bitterness towards the male gods.
What Greek value is shown by treating strangers and guests with respect and generosity?
Xenia
Which loyal servant maintains faithfulness to Odysseus even when his master has been gone for many years?
Eumaeus
Where does Odysseus have to confront loss and mortality?
The Underworld / encounters with the dead
What personal flaw sometimes causes Odysseus trouble despite his intelligence?
Hubris (ex: revealing his name to the Cyclops)
What guidance from the Underworld helps Odysseus avoid a mistake in his very near future?
Tiresias warns him not to harm Helios’s cattle
How do Odysseus’s hosts demonstrate proper hospitality during his travels?
They feed, clothe, and help him without expectation of reward (even when he is disguised as a stranger).
Which goddess guides and advises Odysseus throughout his journey?
Athena
Which event demonstrates that knowledge and cleverness can be more important than physical strength? (Name One)
Encounters with the Cyclops, Circe, the Sirens, Scylla & Charybdis
Why might Odysseus initially conceal his identity from the strangers he meets or from those he encounters when he gets back home to Ithaca?
To test their character or protect himself.
How does Athena help Odysseus upon his return to his homeland?
Disguises him as a beggar to test people and protect him
A central literary theme meaning "homecoming," "return," or "a longing for home" (nostalgia). Odysseus experiences this several times in The Odyssey.
Nostos
Which characters in the Underworld reveal personal lessons about life, death, and heroism to Odysseus? (Name 1)
Elpenor, Anticlea, Tiresias, Agamemnon, Achilles
The reason why Odysseus needed to remain tied to the boat with his ears unplugged when sailing through the Siren territory.
He wanted his ears unplugged so he could gain knowledge from the Siren song.
Why does Odysseus recount his adventures on his journey (books 8-12) to the Phaeacians?
To justify his long delay/challenges and prove to them that he is truly Odysseus the great hero, earning him their help to return home.
How do divine interventions in the Odyssey show the balance between fate and human decision-making?
The gods influence events, but Odysseus’s choices, intelligence, and morality affect outcomes
Odysseus's cunning is often countered by this overly-prideful flaw
hubris