Book 11 - The Book of the Dead Flashcards
Book 11
Where does Odysseus & his men go after Circe
- Odysseus travels to the River of Ocean in the land of the Cimmerians, who live “shrouded in mist and cloud’’, never seeing the sun
- It is near The Land of the Dead
Book 11
What ritual does Odysseus do once arriving on the land of the Cimmerians
- Odysseus follows Circe’s instructions, digging a trench at the site prescribed
- & pouring libations of milk, honey, mellow wine, and pure water.
- He ceremoniously sprinkles barley and then sacrifices a ram and a ewe,
- the dark blood flowing into the trench to attract the dead.
Book 11
Who is the first person Odysseus speaks to in the land of the dead
- Elpenor, the crewman who broke his neck falling from Circe’s roof, in book 10
- He begs Odysseus to return to Circe’s island and give his body a proper burial
Book 11
Who is the second person Odysseus speaks to in the land of the dead
Tiresias
Book 11
What does Tiresias for tell about Odysseus’ future
- reveals Poseidon is punishing the Achaeans for blinding Polyphemus
- He foretells Odysseus’ fate:
- that he will return home, reclaim his wife and palace from the wretched suitors,
- & then make another trip to a distant land to appease Poseidon.
Book 11
What advice does Tiresias offer Odysseus
- He warns Odysseus not to touch the flocks of the Sun when he reaches the land of Thrinacia;
- otherwise, he won’t return home without suffering and losing all of his crew
Book 11
Who does Odysseus talk to after Tiresias departs
Anticleia, his mother
Book 11
What does Anticleia tell Odysseus
- she updates him on the affairs of Ithaca
- & how she died of grief waiting for his return
Book 11
After listening to his mothers account & the spirits of various famous men and heroes, what does Odysseus ask
- asks his Phaeacian hosts to allow him to sleep,
- but the king and queen urge him to continue,
- asking if he met any of the Greeks who fell at Troy in Hades
Book 11
What does Agamemnon tell Odysseus
- About his murder by Aegisthus
- Warns not to be too trustful of your wife, in his case of Clytemnestra who had him killed
- This creates tension for Odysseus’ approaching return to Ithaca
Book 11
What does Achilles tell Odysseus
- He asks about his son, Neoptolemus
- Odysseus speaks in a paternal manner of his bravery, courage & enthusiasm, in fighting
- reminder of Telemachus
Book 11
What happens in Ajax & Odysseus’ interaction
- Ajax, an Achaean who killed himself after he lost a contest with Odysseus over the arms of Achilles,
- refuses to speak to Odysseus,
- who just wants to offer him peace in his eternity
Book 11
Odysseus then meets the ……………………., as Homer explores the themes of eternal justice & punishment
Canonical Criminals
Book 11
Name 2 examples of the eternal suffering the Canonical Criminals Odysseus witnesses
Sisyphus
Tantalus
Book 11
Describe Tantalus’ eternal suffering
- Tantalus - sits in a pool of water overhung by bunches of grapes,
- but whenever he reaches for the grapes, they rise out of grasp,
- and whenever he bends down to drink, the water sinks out of reach
