Odyssey Background
What war took place before the events of The Odyssey and how long did it last?
The Trojan War and 10 years.
What type of literature is The Odyssey?
An epic poem.
Where is Odysseus trying to return?
Ithaca
What major problem is happening in Odysseus’s home?
Suitors have taken over his home and are trying to marry Penelope.
Which goddess helps Odysseus and Telemachus?
Athena.
According to myth, what event helped cause the Trojan War?
Paris took Helen to Troy.
What is an epithet?
A descriptive word or phrase that is added to or used in place of a person's or thing's name to highlight a specific quality or trait.
Who is Odysseus’ wife?
Penelope
How does Telemachus feel about the suitors?
Frustrated, angry, powerless, or overwhelmed.
What archetype does Athena represent in Book One?
The Mentor
What famous strategy helped the Greeks finally enter Troy?
The Trojan Horse.
Give one example of an epithet from Book One.
Epithet: “that man skilled in all ways of contending”
What it reveals: Odysseus is resourceful and capable in difficult situations.
Who is Odysseus' son?
Telemachus
Why are the suitors a threat to Odysseus’s family?
They waste his resources, disrespect his household, and compete to marry Penelope.
What is the main role of the Mentor archetype?
To guide, advise, encourage, or prepare another character.
Why is the Trojan War important to The Odyssey?
Odysseus is returning home from the war, and the war explains why he has been away for so long.
What is an invocation?
An opening in which the poet calls on a divine source for inspiration or help telling the story.
Why do Odysseus’s men not return home?
Their poor choices/disobedience lead to their destruction.
What does Athena encourage Telemachus to do?
Take action, stand up to the suitors, and seek information about Odysseus.
Give one way Athena acts as a mentor to Telemachus.
She encourages him to confront the suitors, seek news of his father, and become more confident.
How does the end of the Trojan War create the starting point for The Odyssey?
The war is over, but Odysseus still has not returned home, so the story begins with the consequences of his long absence.
Book One begins with an invocation. Why does Homer begin by calling on Athena/the Muse?
To ask for guidance or inspiration in telling Odysseus’s story and to establish the epic tradition.
In the opening lines, Homer reveals that Odysseus eventually returns home. Why use this kind of foreshadowing?
It shifts the audience’s attention from what will happen to how and why it happens.
Explain the two parallel plots beginning in The Odyssey.
Odysseus is struggling to return home while Telemachus and Penelope deal with the suitors and disorder in Ithaca.
How does Athena display qualities of the Mentor archetype? Use evidence from Book One.
She gives Telemachus advice and pushes him to act for himself rather than solving the problem for him.