The Odyssey Questions REVISED AND ACCURATE
What happens to the disloyal serving women?
They had to help clean up the bodies and then they were killed by Telemachus and his men
What does Athena counsel Telemachus to do to the suitors?
To find away to get back in control because the suitors are taking advantage of him and Penelope
What is Zeus' command to Calypso?
To let Odysseus go
Why does Laertes wear rags and not bathe?
To show that he is in mourning for his son
Why does Athena want Odysseus to beg from the suitors?
To test the suitors- "so we can tell the innocent from the guilty."
How has Telemachus changed since the beginning of Book I, and how does Penelope react?
He has gained more confidence because Athena talked to him and assured him that his father was alive... He was willing to fight against the suitors; Penelope was surprised that he was so mature and spirited again.
How does Odysseus finally convince Penelope that he IS Odysseus?
By telling her about the bed he carved on a stump that no one knows about but them
When Odysseus awakens, what is his plan for the day?
Have Penelope stay and home and he will go and talk to his father
What happens to Odysseus at the end of Book V?
He finally makes it to shore and falls sleeps in the woods
How does Aeolus show goodwill when Odysseus is about to leave?
He gave them food and drink and a bag with winds in it.
How does Odysseus wound Polyphemus?
He gets Polyphemus drunk on Apollo's strong wine, and when the Cyclops falls asleep, he cuts a wooden pike from the giant club, sharpens it and hardens it in the fire, then stabs Polyphemus in his eye.
Why had Odysseus not yet returned from the Trojan War?
He had gotten lost along the way on his journey and also had been captured
What two events give Odysseus hope that he is doing the right thing and that his efforts will be successful?
a. Zeus's thunderclap sent as a good omen b. The eagle carrying a dove- omen of doom for suitors
Why, at first, does Penelope not believe that Odysseus is who he says he is?
thinks it may be an IMPOSTER so the person can become king
What kind of creature does Odysseus encounter in the next land?
Cyclops.
Why does Odysseus lead his men into Polyphemus' cave?
He is curious and hopes that the Cyclops will follow tradition and welcome he and his men, and even give them gifts.
What punishment is Sisyphus enduring?
He is trying to roll a boulder to the top of the hill, but when it is almost there, it would fall back down again.
What action does Odysseus take now? In book XIX
He makes a plan for how to kill the suitors
How does Odysseus gain access to the underworld?
He must travel to the land of the Cimmerians. He then filled a pit with blood and offering, and the ghosts would come to him.
Why does Theoclymenus call ("wail") out?
He saw that the walls of the room are covered in blood and that their faces have assumed a foreign, ghostly look. He knows it is an omen of doom.
What reward does the still-disguised Odysseus give Amphinomus for helping him?
He tells him that Odysseus is coming home and that he should leave soon.
Why does Odysseus not let his mother come near the blood?
He wants to speak to Tiresias first
Why does Odysseus reveal his name to Polyphemus after his escape?
He wants to spite Polyphemus and get him annoyed. He wants Polyphemus to know that it was he who blinded him.
Odysseus is insulted by Broadsea. What does he accuse Odysseus of being? Why?
He was not very athletic so he feels intimidated by Odysseus, also a but suspicious of a stranger washing up on their shore.
37. Odysseus asks Aeolus for further help. What is his reply?
He will not help Odysseus because he believes Odysseus is cursed by the gods and kicks him out of the palace.
Who helps Odysseus outwit Circe?
Hermes
What god or goddess brings Zeus' command to Calypso?
Hermes- messenger god
Who is the first to recognize Odysseus and what happens?
His dog, Argos, and then dies of old age and joy. Then his nurse, Eurycleia, and Odysseus threatens her, telling her not to reveal his identity to anyone.
Athena gives Telemachus one piece of information about his father. What is it?
His father is not dead and he will find a way back
Where does Odysseus go next? In book XXIV
His father's (Laertes) farm/orchard.
What is the purpose of the first ten lines of the poem?
Homer is asking the muse, goddess of poetry, to inspire him and help him tell a good story
What does Tiresias tell Odysseus?
How Odysseus can go home, precautions him to not kill Helios' cattle or all his men will die, and what he must do when he gets home.
Why does Telemachus not want to bring his gifts from Menelaus to his own house?
If the suitors attack him and kill him, he doesn't want them to have them.
What occurs between Odysseus and Irus? Why?
Irus is another beggar. They fight because Irus insults Odysseus. Irus realizes that he is no match, and tries to run away, and Odysseus nearly kills him.
Why do you think Homer interrupts the narrative to have Demodocus sing about the love of Ares and Aphrodite?
It shows that Odysseus is capable of human emotion, and is not almighty.
At the beginning of book XX, why is Odysseus so angry?
Melanthius insults him again, and he had overheard Penelope asking the gods to kill her.
What happens when Eumaeus and the beggar meet Melanthius (disloyal goatherd)? List at least three things
Melanthius mocks the beggar (Odysseus), scorns Eumaeus, and physically abuses the beggar.
Athena tells Telemachus to seek information about his father from which men?
Nestor of Pylos and Menelaus of Sparta
What does Athena do when the families of the dead suitors attack Odysseus?
She (1.) guides Laertes's spear so that it pierces Antinous's father's face, and (2.) makes the families forget the deaths of their children and hail Odysseus as kind.
What does Penelope do that makes Odysseus happy?
She enriches them by persuading the suitors to give her expensive presents instead of taking what is hers.
How has Penelope manage to hold off the suitors' demands for the past four years?
She wove a cloth during the day, saying it was Laertes's funeral shroud, and when she was done, she would choose a husband, but she unwove it at night for four years until a maid found out and told the suitors.
How do the Sirens destroy men, and how do Odysseus and his men avoid destruction?
Sirens lure men over to their island by beautiful singing so they jump off the ship and drown. Odysseus insists that he hear the Sirens' song, so he tells his crew to plug in their ears with beeswax until they sail through, and tie him to the mast.
Why does Athena "inspire" the suitors to act even worse, to continue their insulting behavior?
So Odysseus's rage is not reduced, and he will still be murderous.
Who, other than Odysseus, had the power and strength to string the bow?
Telemachus, though he did not.
What happens to Odysseus' companions? To Odysseus? In Book XVI
The companions kill and eat one of Helios' cattle, and they are all doomed to die. Odysseus manages to survive by tying bits of the ship together and drifting to Ogygia.
What is the difference between the goatherd and the cowherd?
The goatherd is disloyal whereas the cowherd is loyal to Odysseus.
How is the craftiness and cunning of Odysseus revealed in this escape?
The idea to tie themselves on the bottom of sheep so when the Cyclops would open the door and feel the tops of the sheep, he would think that only the sheep were going out
How does Euryclea discover Odysseus' identity?
The scar on his leg from when he went boar hunting
What natural phenomenon does Aeolus control?
The winds
What are Scylla and Charybdis?
They are monsters that feed on men; Scylla is a six-headed creature than lives in a cave, she eats men alive but is ultimately safer than Charybdis, who is a giant whirlpool that sucks down then spits up entire ships.
How does Athena present herself to Telemachus?
As Mentes/Mentor
What does Athena do during the meeting on Mount Olympus?
Asks Zeus why he is so against Odysseus and begs him to allow Odysseus to go home
Who is Eumaeus?
Odysseus's loyal cowherd. Helps him kill suitors
Which men does Odysseus spare for the slaughter? (Include name and job)
Phemius-bard and Medon-herald
What help does Ino give to Odysseus?
A scarf, and tells him to swim to shore
Using a dictionary, define "portent".
A sign or warning that something, esp. something momentous or calamitous, is likely to happen. Thing that foreshadows
What sign does Zeus send to the assembly, and what is its meaning?
2 eagles
In the ORAL EPIC, there is much REPETITION. List some lines/phrases that have been repeatedly used by the poet?
"rosy-fingered Dawn"
Why is it necessary for Odysseus to take some of his men by force away form the land of the Lotus-Eaters?
After one would eat the lotus cakes they wouldn't want to leave the island anymore. They would forget all thoughts of home.
When do Odysseus and Penelope finally sleep?
After they both told of the hardships they had to overcome
Who comes to speak to Odysseus after all the souls of the women have departed? What does he tell him?
Agamemnon. He tells Odysseus about his death at the hands of his treacherous wife.
Which encounter do Odysseus and his men have before Polyphemus?
Alcinous
With Athena's help, what athletic feat does Odysseus accomplish?
Discus
Describe the Laestrygonians.
Enormous cannibalistic giants.
How does Odysseus come to be a target for the foot stool again?
Eurymachus is mad at Odysseus because he said that he could beat him if working on a field and Eurymachus is not as good as he thinks he is
What does Telemachus plan to do now?
Get on his boat and sail to Pylos then Sparta
Why does Odysseus visit the house of Hades?
Odysseus is told by Circe that the only way for him to go home is to seek the counsel of the dead prophet Tiresias.
What does Odysseus promise Elpenor?
Odysseus will give him a proper burial/burn his body.
To what men does Odysseus reveal his identity?
Only his son
At Odysseus' house in Ithaca, we are introduced to the suitors. What are they doing in the house?
Playing with dice and sitting on fur from Odysseus's animals which they have killed while the servants are serving them
What happens in Polyphemus's cave?
Polyphemus starts to eat the men, two by two.
What happens to Odysseus on the eighteenth day, just as he cites land?
Poseidon has a grudge against Odysseus, so when the gods let Odysseus go so he starts a storm; Odysseus' boat breaks and eventually has to swim
Odysseus brags that he is an accomplished athlete but allows one test where the Paeacians would likely win. To which test does he refer? Why?
Sprinting; Odysseus is very tired and his legs have lost their spring because he has been on a boat for so long
What is Odysseus' plan? For killing the suitors
Start killing the suitors with the help of the cow and pig herders through bribery while the nurse and Penelope are in their room; then have the women who were also loving on the suitors clean the blood and bodies up and kill them after they finish
What is the ancient legend/tale to which (King) Alcinous refers?
Story of the Trojan Horse
Many other heroes speak to Odysseus, and he learns of their fates. What happens to Tantalus?
Tantalus was punished with perpetual thirst, and he stood in a pool of cool water and juicy fruit above his head. When he bent down to drink, the water vanished, and when he reached up for fruit, the wind blew it out of reach.
How do Odysseus and his remaining men escape from the cave?
They tie themselves to the bottoms of the sheep.
Odysseus and his men come within sight of Ithaca. Why don't they land?
They want to open the bag because they thought it was filled with gold and silver and riches, but the bag had only winds inside it, and it pushed them back to Aeolus' house
Why does Telemahus call the men to assemble?
This is his way to tell them that he is in charge and is tired of the suitors taking advantage of him
What contest does Penelope devise to test the suitors?
Using a bow to shoot through the loops atop 12 axes
Why does Penelope wish to see the beggar?
Wants to get information on what happened to her husband