The Odyssey Beginning
How many years total was Odysseus gone from Ithaca?
20 years
Name at least one god that delays Odysseus's return home.
Poseidon / Circe / Calypso
How does Odysseus try to convince Polyphemus to be kind to him and his men?
He tells him the gods expect people to treat guests with hospitality.
What do the suitors do when Odysseus doesn't return after the Trojan War?
They eat his food, drink his wine, and demand Penelope marry one of them.
When we first meet Odysseus, where is he?
On the island of Ogygia (Calypso's island).
What does Odysseus tell the cyclops his name is?
Nohbdy
Why doesn't Odysseus just kill Polyphemus while he sleeps?
They could not move the stone that seals the cave.
After leaving Troy, list one of the next two stops that Odysseus and his men make and briefly tell what happens there.
Cicones: They fight a war and leave with many men dead.
Land of the Lotus Eaters: Some of the men go to scout the area and are offered lotus plants. Eating them, the men forget about going home. Odysseus has to rescue them and flee.
Who disguises Odysseus as a beggar?
Athena
List two characteristics of an epic hero.
An epic hero is
1. born of nobility
2. adventurous
3. has excessive pride and arrogance
4. fierce in battle (brave, strong)
5. on a journey in search of something
6. superhuman qualities (strength, craftiness, and confidence)
7. upholds the ideals and values of the culture
What is the setting of the Odyssey?
The Mediterranean Sea and it's islands
Who does Odysseus meet in Hades?
A soldier who died on Circe's island and his mother.
After spending a year on Aeaea with Circe, she finally lets them go, but where must Odysseus go first?
Land of the Dead
How does Penelope test Odysseus' identity?
She tells her servant to move his bed outside of their bedroom.
At the beginning of The Odyssey, Homer says, "Sing in me, Muse, and through me tell the story of that man skilled in all ways of contending, the wanderer, harried for years on end..." Who is speaking?
Athena
What does Calypso promise Odysseus if he stays on her island?
Immortality
What does the blind prophet Tiresias say Odysseus and his men should NOT do?
Kill the cattle of the sun god, Helios.
After receiving the prophecy in the Land of the Dead, Odysseus and his men return to _______________.
Aeaea (Circe's island)
Why is Odysseus disguised as a beggar before he goes home?
1. To test Penelope's loyalty and that of others
2. To protect him from the evil suitors
How was the Odyssey originally shared/told?
The Odyssey was performed orally (spoken).
Why does Calypso let Odysseus go?
Athena asks Zeus to order his release.
List two parts of Tiresias's prophecy.
IF they touch the cows:
1. Ship and crew will be destroyed
2. Lost at sea for more years
3. O. will return on a foreign ship, and Ithaca will be overrun with greedy suitors
4. He must kill the suitors.
5. Go inland with an oar.
6. Plant the oar and make a sacrifice to Poseidon
7. Then a sacrifice to all the gods
8. O. will have a peaceful death at an old age surrounded by loved ones
Circe advises Odysseus on his route home. Describe the dangers she describes.
First they will pass the Sirens, and then they will either pass near Scylla (a 6-headed monster) or Charybdis (a whirlpool of DEATH)
Who is the suitor, called a ringleader, that Odysseus kills first.
Antinous