Characters
As a witch who lives in a stone hall, this character is certainly mean--she turns Odysseus's men into pigs, after all--but she also advises Odysseus to speak to Tiresias in the Underworld and warns Odysseus about sea monsters like the Sirens, Charybdis, and Scylla.
Who is Circe?
This person built Odysseus and Penelope's bed--a key detail to Penelope believing Odysseus's identity in Book 23.
Who is Odysseus?
This rhetorical strategy tries to manipulate an audience's emotions to make an argument more believable.
What is pathos?
This recurring motif, which appears in Odysseus’s encounters with the Sirens, Scylla & Charybdis, and Circe, represents the constant tension between desire and discipline.
What is temptation?
This character helps Odysseus by disguising him as a beggar.
Who is Athena?
This character is going to need some glasses in the future, but "nohbdy" is going to be able to find a pair that fits! He is the son of Poseidon and more than a little bitter about what happens to him in Book 9. This is his name, not his kind.
Who is Polyphemus?
Penelope tells the suitors she will marry the man who can string Odysseus's bow and cleanly shoot an arrow through holes in twelve of these. Chop, chop?
What are axes or axe heads?
This rhetorical strategy tries to use logic and reasoning to make an argument more believable.
What is logos?
This element of literature is the underlying message conveyed by the author within a story. Need an example of the literary element in action? Here is one that works well for the Odyssey: "Being too prideful leads to self-inflicted suffering and divine punishment."
What is a theme?
Odysseus and Penelope's bed is made from the stump and roots of this tree, still planted deep underground. I wonder if their bed is oily...
What is an olive tree?
This character, who features prominently in Book 5 on the island of Ogygia, is said to be both goddess and nymph. Her father is Atlas.
Who is Calypso?
Odysseus knows that he is going to lose some of his men to this villain, so instead of warning them, he decides to say nothing in hopes that they keep rowing onward.
Who is Scylla?
Homer establishes Odysseus’s credibility and moral character early in the epic by recounting his past heroic deeds and struggles, an appeal that aligns with this rhetorical concept.
What is ethos?
Each night, Penelope works on this project to delay the suitors.
What is weaving a funeral shroud for Laertes?
This character warns Odysseus not to "raid the beeves" and tells him to plant the oar in the inland ground and offer a sacrifice to appease Poseidon's wrath.
Who is Tiresias?
This god of the sun has very special cattle. Unfortunately, Odysseus's men eat them, which leads to Zeus sending down a bolt of lightning that sinks Odysseus's ship and leaves him stranded on Ogygia--events that end Book 12 and lead to Book 5.
Who is Helios?
Odysseus receives a bag of winds from this god-like figure to aid his journey home, but his crew’s curiosity and disobedience turn it into a major setback, illustrating the consequences of human error despite divine assistance.
Who is Aeolus?
When Odysseus tells the Phaeacians about his suffering at sea, invoking their sympathy and compassion, he is appealing to this rhetorical strategy.
What is pathos?
This aging dog, neglected and dying upon Odysseus’s return, symbolizes the decay of Ithaca under the suitors’ occupation.
What is Argos?
This Greek value, demonstrated when Phaeacians treat Odysseus kindly, distinguishes civilization from barbarism.
What is Xenia?
This swineherd welcomes Telemachus home in Book 16 after Telemachus went searching for his father. In Book 21, he promises to assist Odysseus in facing the suitors.
Who is Eumaeus?
Odysseus’s fleet suffers massive losses when they encounter this tribe of giant cannibals, highlighting the unpredictable dangers of the journey and the limitations of human planning.
Who are the Laestrygonians?
Odysseus argues that the suitors have dishonored his household, consumed his resources, and threatened his family, giving grounds for their punishment. Thus, employing this rhetorical appeal.
What is logos?
This object symbolizes Odysseus's rightful authority allows him to reclaim his home.
What is Odysseus's Bow?
This concept literally means "glory" or "reknown." It is the reputation or fame a person earns through great deeds, especially heroic or courageous acts.
What is Kleos?