Characters
This goddess pleads with Zeus to free Odysseus from Calypso’s island.
Who is Athena?
this theme is shown when Athena pushes Telemachus to grow up and take control.
What is coming of age?
Fagles uses this term repeatedly to refer to dawn: "young Dawn with her ______ fingers."
What is rose-red?
Book 1 opens in medias res, a Latin phrase meaning this.
What is "in the middle of things"?
He sits in mourning on Ogygia, longing to return home to Ithaca.
Who is Odysseus?
Zeus’ speech about Aegisthus serves as a warning about this moral theme.
What is justice or divine retribution?
The suitors are often described with this alliterative term that suggests wastefulness.
What is swaggering suitors?
The focus on Telemachus in the early books, rather than Odysseus, helps build this.
What is narrative tension or character development?
Disguised as Mentes, this character encourages Telemachus to stand up to the suitors.
Who is Athena?
Hospitality is a key theme in Greek culture. What is the Greek term for this idea?
What is xenia?
This literary device appears when Athena speaks encouragingly to Telemachus through another identity.
What is dramatic irony?
Athena takes on different personas, highlighting this narrative technique.
what is divine intervention or disguise?
He’s the leader of the suitors and the most arrogant.
Who is Antinous?
Book 1 shows a kingdom in disorder due to the absence of its leader, introducing this theme.
What is the consequences of absence or the need for strong leadership?
The epithet “clear-headed Telemachus” is an example of this Homeric stylistic feature.
What is a fixed epithet?
Zeus tells the story of Aegisthus to foreshadow what later plot point?
What is the fate of the suitors?
She’s Penelope’s housekeeper and an important servant to Telemachus.
Who is Eurycleia?
Penelope uses this technique to delay the suitors, which also reflects a theme of cleverness.
What is weaving and unweaving Laertes’ shroud?
The phrase "heart obsessed with grief" is an example of this literary device.
What is personification?
the suitors’ disrespect and abuse of Odysseus’ home sets up this key literary conflict.
What is man vs. society or revenge