The Odyssey: Part One Study Guide

How does Zeus punish Odysseus after his men kill Helios' cattle?

Zeus destroys Odysseus' ship with a thunderbolt, and all of his men die.

Poseidon

God of the sea, curses Odysseus' travel home to Ithaca

Where does Odysseus end up after his ship is destroyed and his men are killed?

Calypso's island

What is an archetype?

Characters, plots, and themes that are repeated in literature and popular culture.

Who are the Sirens?

Half-bird/half-woman creatures who sing to lure sailors to their island.

What does he ask from his men to do so that he can be the first and only man to survive hearing the song of the sirens?

He asks them to tie him to the ship.

Epithet

brief phrase that describes a character

The Odyssey is not told in chronological order. Instead, it begins __________

en medias res

Epic hero

main character in an epic

List characteristics of an Epic Hero

strength, helped and harmed by interfering gods, embodies ideals and values important to a culture, always emerges victorious

How do we know that Cyclopes are uncivilized

they dont have laws, dont farm, dont have community meetings

myths

traditional stories told through generations about cultural beliefs, customs, and/or religions

The Sirens

Creatures who tempt Odysseus and his men with their voices.

Elpenor

Crewmate that dies and meets Odysseus and his men in the Land of the Dead

What does it say about Odysseus that he wanted to stay at the Cyclops' island even though his men begged him to leave? (This was before he met the cyclops.)

He is prideful, curious, take risks, etc.

How does Polyphemus curse Odysseus?

He prays to Poseidon that Odysseus' trip would take a long time, that all of his men would die, and that he would return to chaos at home on a stranger's boat.

How does Odysseus keep his men from hearing the Sirens' songs?

He puts beeswax in their ears.

What does Odysseus do upon leaving the Cyclopes island? What do his men think about it?

He yells to the Cyclops, giving away their location. The men think its reckless and dangerous.

What is Odysseus' fatal flaw?

Hubris, or excessive pride.

What are the characteristics of the epic plot?

It involves strange creatures, treacherous weather, and large-scale events. The gods and goddesses intervene.

Why is the lotus plant so dangerous?

It makes men forget about home; has characteristics of addictive drug

Where is Odysseus' home?

Ithaca

To whom is Odysseus telling his story

King Alcinous

What are the characteristics of epic setting?

More than one location. Fantastic or exotic lands.

Who is Scylla?

She is a 6 headed monster who eats 6 of Odysseus' men.

Who is Charybdis?

She is a monstrous whirlpool.

Circe

She turns Odysseus' men into pigs. She later encourages Odysseus to go to the Land of The Dead so that he might be able to eventually make it home.

Scylla

Six-headed sea monster who lives near the whirlpool Charybdis; she eats six of Odysseus' men.

Polyphemus

Son of Poseidon, the cyclops that Odysseus and his men blind. He curses Odysseus and prays against him to Poseidon.

Odysseus

The main character/epic hero of The Odyssey

Helios

The sun god, whose cattle Odysseus' men slaughter.

Why do the men kill the cattle?

They are starving.

How do Odysseus and his men escape the Cyclopes' cave?

They are tied to the underbellies of the sheep.

Who is Elpenor? What does he ask of Odysseus?

A crewmate who died in Circe's hall; he asks Odysseus to bury him.

The Lotus Eaters

Offer the Lotus plant to Odysseus' men that makes them forget their homeland

Epic Simile

A long, extended comparison

Who gave Odysseus a bag of bad winds in order to ease his way home?

Aeolus

What is the first thing that Odysseus tells his men once they arrive to the island of the sun god, Helios?

Don't eat the cattle.

Calypso

Goddess who keeps Odysseus on her island for 7years as she tries to make him fall in love with her

What happened at the land of Cicones?

Odysseus' men raided this land, fighting the men and trying to take the women and children as slaves; 72 of Odysseus' men died in battle

Why doesn't Odysseus kill the Cyclops in the cave?

Only Polyphemus could remove the boulder from the opening of the cave.

Who does Odysseus travel to see in The Land of the Dead?

Tiresias

Epic

a long narrative poem

Invocation

a prayer or petition for help or support to tell a story

Allusion

a reference to a work of literature in another piece of literature