Plot Knowledge
What plot archetype does Homer's Odyssey most clearly fulfill?
Quest
Name all three members of the main character's family, and identify how they are related to each other.
Odysseus: father to Telemachus, husband to Penelope
Penelope: mother to Telemachus, wife to Odysseus
Telemachus: son of Odysseus and Penelope
What is a theme, and how is a theme distinct from a universal idea?
Universal ideas are broad ideas explored in a text; they can be summed up in one word or a short phrase (i.e. love, loyalty, justice, fate, etc.).
Theme, on the other hand, is what the author wants the reader/audience to learn about a universal idea (i.e. "Love conquers all").
What is the literary term for a reference to a literary or historical person, place, event, or composition?
Allusion
Define the Greek term xenia as it applies to the Odyssey.
Describe the climax of the Odyssey in as much detail as possible.
After winning the suitors contest by stringing the bow and shooting an arrow through twelve axe-helve sockets, Odysseus kills the ringleader of the suitors, Antinous. Another suitor, Eurymachus, pleads with Odysseus to spare the remaining suitors, but it is to no avail. With the help of Telemachus, Eumaeus, Philoetius, and even Athena herself, Odysseus slaughters all of the suitors in the great hall.
Name at least two monsters Odysseus encounters during the epic's rising action and explain the obstacles that they pose.
Cyclops: Traps Odysseus and his crew in his cave and eats several crew members
Scylla: Plucks six men from Odysseus's ship and eats them
Charybdis: Capable of swallowing Odysseus ship whole, destroying it and everyone onboard
Provide an example from the text that supports the following theme statement:
Homer's Odyssey reveals how in ancient Greece, loyalty to one's leader brings great rewards, while betrayal results in severe punishment.
Responses may include:
- Odysseus's crew exhibits disloyalty on the island of Ismaros when they refuse to retreat to the ships as Odysseus, their leader, commands. This disloyalty is punished when the Cicones launch a counterattack that kills many members of the crew.
- The swineherd and cowherd demonstrate loyalty to Odysseus when they fall to their knees in prayer and wish for his return. This loyalty is greatly rewarded when Odysseus reveals his identity and promises them marriages, houses, and more.
- The suitors demonstrate disloyalty to Odysseus by abusing the hospitality of his household during his absence and attempting to marry Penelope. This betrayal is severely punished when Odysseus returns and slays each and every one of the suitors.
- Finally, Penelope demonstrates loyalty to Odysseus by holding off the suitors for 20 years and by testing Odysseus's identity upon his return to ensure that the man claiming to be her husband is indeed Odysseus. Her loyalty to her husband is rewarded when the two share an intimate and emotional reunion.
How does the reader know that Books 9-12 are told from the first person point of view?
The reader knows the story is being told in the first person point of view because Odysseus, a character in the story, narrates its events.
Define the Greek term hubris.
Hubris means overconfidence or excessive pride.
The Odyssey's rising action is mostly conveyed through a prolonged ________________ that spans from Book 9 to Book 12.
Flashback
Name one of the characters who functions as an ally to Odysseus upon his return home. Explain why they fulfill this role.
Potential Responses Include: Eumaeus, Philoetius, Telemachus, and/or Penelope
Provide an example from the text that supports the following theme statement:
Homer's Odyssey reveals how human agency is somewhat limited; instead, divine will is what shapes the lives of mortals.
- Athena's intervention is what gets Odysseus off of Calypso's island and kickstarts the story.
- Hermes gives Odysseus the garlic plant that counteracts Circe's drug and allows Odysseus to save his men.
- Athena's intervention during the battle against the suitors is what ultimately helps Odysseus win & survive.
- The thunderstorm raised by Zeus is what kills off the last members of Odysseus's crew.
- The wrath of Poseidon is what causes Odysseus's journey to take 10 years.
What is the difference between third person limited point of view and third person omniscient point of view?
Both third person limited point of view and third person omniscient point of view make use of narrators who are outside of the story (not characters within it).
However, a third person omniscient narrator knows everything that's going on in a story, whereas a third person limited narrator only knows about one character.
Provide an example of a character who shows xenia towards Odysseus during his journey. Explain how this is the case.
Responses may include:
- King Alcinous (shelters and feasts Odysseus)
- Calypso (shelters and feasts Odysseus for 7 years, although he is presented as an unwilling captive)
- Circe (shelters and feasts Odysseus for 1 year)
What smaller challenge(s) does Odysseus face during the epic's falling action, and how does he overcome them?
- Odysseus must deal with the maidservants who have been disloyal; he does so by hanging them.
- Odysseus must prove his identity to Penelope; he does so by providing specific details about their marital bed.
Provide an example of a character that functions as an evil temptress/temptation in the Odyssey. Explain why they function as a temptation.
Responses May Include:
Calypso: Tempts Odysseus with immortality and a life of ease
The Sirens: Tempts Odysseus with the most beautiful song ever heard
The Lotus-Eaters: Tempts the crew a life of complacent ease
Succumbing to any of these temptations would bring an end to the journey and its purpose.
Provide an example from the text that supports the following theme statement:
Homer's epic poem the Odyssey reveals how guile is a powerful tool for surviving and overcoming obstacles.
*The word guile refers to sly or cunning intelligence.
Responses May Include:
- The cunning plan of the Trojan Horse, conceived by Odysseus, secures victory for the Greeks in the Trojan War.
- Odysseus tricks the Cyclops in several ways (false name, getting him drunk, escaping via sheep)
- Odysseus is able to resist the Sirens by filling his men's ears with beeswax and being tied to the ship
- Odysseus employs guile to experience the Sirens’ song safely by having his crew tie him to the mast while they block their ears.
- Odysseus's disguise as a beggar is a form of trickery that helps him gather necessary information about the suitors before revealing his true identity.
Odysseus tests the servants before revealing his identity to them.
- Odysseus devises a plan that will lock all of the suitors in the great hall without their weapons.
Define all three types of irony: situational, verbal, and dramatic.
Situational: any set of circumstances that defies expectations
Verbal: when a character says one thing and means another
Dramatic: when the reader/audience knows something a character does not
Provide an example of how Odysseus demonstrates hubris in the Odyssey. Explain how this is the case.
Responses may include:
- Odysseus shouts taunts and insults at Polyphemus
What occurs in Book 5 that serves as the inciting incident for the Odyssey? Explain why this functions as the inciting incident.
Odysseus is freed from Calypso's island. This kickstarts the last leg of his journey.
Name the two most prominent suitors, and identify the role each one plays during the climax of the Odyssey.
Antinous: He is the ringleader of the suitors who mistreats the "old beggar." He is also the first suitor to die.
Eurymachus: He is the suitor who pleads with Odysseus to spare those who remain after the death of Antinous. His pleas are useless.
Provide an example from the text that supports the following theme statement:
Homer’s Odyssey reveals how proper hospitality fosters harmony in ancient Greek society; its violation, on the other hand, leads to conflict.
- All parties benefit from the hospitality shown at King Alcinous's court. Alcinous provides Odysseus with food, shelter, and safe passage home, and Odysseus offers an entertaining story about his travels thus far.
- Polyphemus fails to show hospitality by attacking and eating his guests. This leads to Odysseus’s clever revenge and the Cyclops’s suffering.
- The suitors exploit Odysseus’s household, consuming his resources and disrespecting Penelope and Telemachus. This also leads to their downfall, as Odysseus kills them upon his return.
Provide an example that shows how each of the following types of irony appear Odyssey: situational, verbal, and dramatic.
Situational: Telemachus shares an emotional reunion with Eumaeus, the swineherd, instead of with his biological father, Odysseus
Verbal: Odysseus says the suitors will have other "amusements" later, but really intends to kill them.
Dramatic: The audience knows that Odysseus is disguised as a beggar, but many of the characters do not.
What does it mean for Homer (the poet/narrator) to invoke the Muses?
Invoking the Muses means asking for divine inspiration or assistance in telling one's tale.