Book Summaries Flashcards
1
Q
Summarise Book 1
A
ATHENA VISITS TELEMACHUS
- Promemium
- Assembly of gods
- Athena goes to Ithaca to encourage T, tell him to go to Pylos & Sparta, and tell his to send the suitors away
- T - good xenia; Suitors - rude
- Talk about Penelope remarriage. A gives T spirit and daring, leaves (in form of bird)
- P comes downstairs to tell Phemius to stop singing about Troy - T disagrees
- T tells suitors to leave - bold. Goes to bed
2
Q
Summarise Book 5
A
CALYPSO
- Assembly of god (reminder - focus on Hermes)
- Calypso’s island description
- Calypso & Hermes speak and eat - Calypso agrees to free Odysseus and Hermes leaves
- Tell O he can go - he makes her swear oath, then eat
- C tries to dissuade O but O wants to go home
- Building raft and resources
- Sails - on 18th day Poseidon storm
- Ino see and gives veil & instructions
- Poseidon leaves. O swims for 2 days. On 3rd he sees land (emotion)
- Wave. Clings to rock. Swam and found river (prays to river god)
- Throws back veil and finds place to sleep
3
Q
Summarise Book 6
A
NAUSICAA
- Phaeacian background. Nausicaa in room - Athena tells her to wash clothes (marriage soon)
- Alcinous agreed and gives waggon (relationship)
- Washing pools - clean clothes, bathed, ate, played (veil off) while N sang.
- Ball - shriek. O wakes and approaches, ladies run
- O debates grabbing knees in supplication - speaks instead (tactful)
- N tells maids to bathe him - he says he’ll do it (tact)
- Outdoor xenia - Athena makeover - ate
- N tells him to follow on foot and wait at Athena’s grove- stresses importance of Arete
- O prays in Athena’s grove - feels abandoned
4
Q
Summarise Book 7
A
THE PALACE OF ALCINOUS
- N returns to city. O starts towards town (A’s mist)
- A appears as a young girl with a pitcher. O asks for directions.
- A leads to palace and gives instructions (go straight in and talk to Arete) A leaves for the Erechtheion
- Palace description scene
- O enters, throws arms around Arete’s knees. Mist disappeares - O asks for help and sits in hearth
- Lorch Echeneus tells Alcinous to grant O a seat
- Alcinous says could be a trick by the gods - O denies. Feast ends and all leave
- Arete recognises O’s clothes - Pauses - asks xenia qus
- O talks his ship being destroyed, 7 yrs on Ogygia, sailed, saw Scherie, Poseidon storn, N bathed & fed & clothed him (doesn’t mention Ino, ladies’ shrieks, or bathing himself)
- Alcinous says N should have brought him here - O says he chose not to anger Alcinous (protects N)
- Marriage offer - good impression and offer of help
- O prayed to Zeus and slept
5
Q
Summarise Book 8
A
THA PHAEACIAN GAMES
- Assembly place - Athena (as herald) gathers people and makes over O - Alcinous invites people to entertain.
- Feast - Demodocus arrives and sings of the quarrel between Odysseus and Achilles - O used cloak to hide tears by Alcinous noticed - suggested sports
- Meeting place - races, wrestling, long jump, discus etc
- Laodamas (A’s son) said O looks like an athlete - Euryalus agrees. O says they shouldn’t challege him
- O picks up biggests discus and thows very far - Athena praises. O said he won’t challenge Laodamas (host)
- Alcinous calls for dancers - Demodocus sings of the love of Ares and Aphrodite
- Laodamas and Halius (Al’s sons) danced using a purple ball
- Alcinous orders xenia gifts (clothes and money). Euryalus gives a special sword (O forgives)
- O bathed by maid and tied knot on chest of gifts
- Feast - O gives Demodocus portion and honous and asks him to sing of the Trojan horse. O cries
- Alcinous noticed and asked O xenia questions
6
Q
Summarise Book 9
A
THE CYCLOPS
- O reveals he is Odysseus. Says he wants to go home to Ithaca. Begins story:
- Cicones - fight, divide plunder, drunk, Cicone allies defeat them
- Zeus storm (2 days and nights on land) - off course
- Lotus eaters
- Cyclops - description of lifestyle and island next to Cyclopes’. Explor island and eat goats
- Exploration party (O&12 men) - xenia and curiosity. Took wine (1:20 dilution)
- Went inside cave - organised, civilised - fire and cheese
- Polyphemus returned, and milked methodically - suprised at O - O appeals by P isn’t religious
- P asks ship location - O isn’t fooled
- Eats a few men. O schemes (can’t move doorstone)
- P leaves towards mountains. O makes a stake and hides it. 4 men chosen to help.
- P returns with all sheep - O offers wine. P drinks lots - asks O’s name (nobody)
- P sleeps and vomits - blinding scene. Roar - Cyclopes come, ask who is attacking (nobody)
- Ram trick in morning - pathos
- Escape - O taunts and reveals identity - P curses
7
Q
Summarise Book 10
A
CIRCE
- 1st Aeolia - stayed month, bag of winds
- Close to Ithaca. O sleeps, men release winds
- 2nd Aeolia - cast away
- Telepylus - Laestrygonians - Fleet destroyed, O runs
- Aeaea - O explores and great antlered stag. Eurylochus and group (22 men) leave to investigate smoke
- Circe’s palace - friendly wild animals, hear singing and weaving. Polites takes charge - drugged etc
- Eurylochus tells O - O leaves for palace
- Hermes gives instructions and moly
- O follows instructions - Circe says he must be Odysseus, swear oath, sleeps together
- Xenia - Circe turns men back - O fetches rest of men (anger at Eurylochus) Reunited
- Stayed for a year - men prompt O to leave - Circe gives instructions (Underworld) - O wakes men
- Elpenor dies
- Circe gives black ewe and ram - all leave
8
Q
What were the instructions Hermes gives Odysseus in Book 10?
A
- When Circe hits him with her stick, ruch at her with sword like you’re going to kill her
- Make her swear an oath not to trick you before sleeping with her
9
Q
What were Circe’s instructions for getting to the Underworld in Book 10?
A
- Go to river of Ocean then to Persephone’s Grove.
- Go to pinnacle where 4 rivers of Underworld meet - dig trench
- Pour in offerings with honey and milk, then sweet wine, then water - promise to sacrifice a barren heifer and a pyre with treasures when in Ithaca
- Sacrifice ram and black ewe (heads to Erebus) - spirits rise - flay sheep and pray to Hades & Persephone.
- Hold sword out and dont’t let anyone but Teiresias near.
10
Q
Summarise Book 11
A
THE BOOK OF THE DEAD
- Followed Circe’s instructions - fear when dead rise
- Elpenor asks to be buried
- O finds out his mother, Anticleia, it dead - cries
- O lets Teiresias drink blood - warns O of Poseidon and Thrinacie and trouble in Ithaca - says O will have a gentle death, gives instructions for after defeat of suitors
- O lets his mother drink bloos - pathos, gives info on family - she died of heartache - pathos as they can’t hug
- Catalogue of women (corruption of great families, warning of Penelope, role of gods in fate)
- INTERLUDE in Scherie - Alcinous says they’ll add to his xenia gifts if he stays another night
- Agamemon - tells of his death (pathos) and asks of son - O doesn’t know - Ag warns to make secret approach and be wary of Penelope
- Achilles - contrast of heroic (serf) - O tells him of his heroic son, Neoptolemus
- Ajax - won’t talk to Odysseus
- O sees King Minos, Orion, and the Sinners & their punishment (= don’t go against gods and parallel to suitors)
- Hercules - prais, and link with Athena & Hermes help
- Dead swarm and they leave
11
Q
Summarise Book 12
A
SCYLLA AND CHARYBDIS
- Bury Elpenor on Aeaea - Circe and maids bring food
- Circe tells O of Sirens and the choice between the Wandering Rocks or Scylla & Charybdis - O asks if he could avoid C and ward off S - Circe says no. Tells him to call on Cratais (Scy’s mother) to stop Scylla. Tells O to avoid Thrinacie else his crew will die.
- O sets off - gave instructions to men for Sirens
- Hear thunder of Wandering Rocks - dropped oars, O encourages and instructed (didn’t mention Scy/Char)
- O armed himself - Charybdis began, Scylla took 6 men
- Left. O told men to go past Thrinacia - Eurylochus disagreed - O made all swear oath not to touch cattle
- Zeus sent storm for a month - food supplies ran low
- O went to pray - gods made him sleep
- Men schemes and killed cattle - O repremanded
- Hyperion asked Zeus for revenge - creepy signs
- Storm stopped - they set off - no land in any direction, Zeus storm - men died - O tied keel & mast to float
- Clung to fig tree to avoid Charybdis - weary
- Drifted - washed up on Ogygia
- Said he’d told Arete and Alcinous the rest
12
Q
Summarise Book 13
A
ODYSSEUS LANDS IN ITHACA
- Phaeacians add to gifts. Banquet - Demodocus sang but O wants to go home - libations - O gives cup to Arete
- Ship loaded, departed, O in death-like sleep (transition), speed of boat
- Phaeacians unloaded trasure and left O on Ithaca
- Poseidon and Zeus - Poseidon’s revenge. Alcinous.
- O wakes - Athena has disguised Ithaca with mist (irony)
- Athena appears disguised as young shepherd - O pleads for help. Athena teases and reveals he’s on Ithaca
- O pretends he’s from Crete - Athena admires and reveals her identity - teases, intimacy, power balance
- A disperses mist - O rejoices - stow treasures
- Scheme - Athena updates Ithaca situation
- A disguises him as an old beggar, tells him to go loyal Eumaeus while she fetches Telemachus from Sparta
13
Q
Summarise Book 14
A
EUMAEUS’ HUT
- O appoaches hut - description of Eumaeus and farm
- Dogs - Eumaeus invites in - rustic xenia (food) and sorrow at Odysseus
- O asks about E’s master and says he’s returning
- Xenia questions: O tells a Cretan tale - Eumaeus says he has no reason to lie (irony)
- Herdmen return - divide food
- O tests Eumaeus - cloak story - gets cloak
- Eumaeus went outside and watched Odysseus’ boars all night
14
Q
Summarise Book 16
A
ODYSSEUS MEETS HIS SON
- Telemachus returns - dogs and E’s happiness
- O offers his seat - T rejects, E prepares seat and food
- T asks who O is - says he can’t protect him but he’ll give him a cloak, sandals, and a sword
- O asks what the palace is like - T talks of Penelope, O says if he was Odysseus he’d attack
- T tells E to go to Penelope and tell her he’s back
- Athena - turns O back to normal and tells him to reveal
- T thinks O is a god - doesn’t belive he is his father (cries)
- O tells his story and schemes - T thinks it’s impossible
- O tells of plan to remove weapons and excuses
- News of T’s return spreads - Antinous says they shoudl kill him, rest say they should wait
- Penelope confronts the suitos and insults Antinous, Eurymachus lies and says no one will harm T
- P weeps and Athena sends her to sleep
- E returns - T and O smile
15
Q
Summarise Book 19
A
EURYCLEIA RECOGNISES ODYSSEUS
- O and T hide weapons - Athena carries lamp. T goes to bed
- P comes downstairs - Melantho insults O - P repremands
- P asks O xenia qus - O praises her but doesn’t answer
- P talks of suitons and remarrying and shroud trick. Asks xenia qus again
- O tells Cretan tale - P cries - O conceals emotions
- P tests O (asks O’s clothes) - purple cloack with brooch with a hound killing a fawn
- P weeps - O says Ody is coming home - P disagrees
- P offers xenia. O says only an old and trusted servant may bathe him
- Eurycleia says O and Ody look similar - O realised she wil recognise childhood scar on knee (boar hunt)
- E recognises - emotion - O threatens - finish washing
- P compares herself to Pandreus’ daughter (lament and loss of loved ones) - talks about indecisiveness
- P tells O her dream (eagle and geese) - O says Ody is coming back - P doubts
- P talks of testing suitors with bow and axe - O agrees
- P goes to bed and cries - Athena makes her sleep
16
Q
Summarise Book 21
A
THE GREAT BOW:
- Penelope gets the bow out of the store room (bow is special - given to O by Iphitus, Hercules ‘featued [Iphitus] first, then killed him’ - foreshadow of suitors and T and O)
- Long scene of P opening the door (suspense)
- P cries at the bow - pathos
- Takes bow and servants take axes - speak to suitors (veiled - modesty) - P is angry and confident. She is forceful in her instructions - business like. Wisful and reminiscent of when she came to the house.
- Bow given to Eumaeus - him and Philoteus (cow) cry
- Antinous insults them - rude, tells them to leave even though it’s not his place to do that - speaks well of O (admiration and worry) - says ‘the bow will seal our fate’ - dramatic irony
- T chuckles and instructs the suitors to step forward (acting a role) - sets up axes (practical) - tries to string bow but O shakes his head (worth of being son - hiding strength - acting role)
- Leodes had too delicate hands to string bow (dislikes suitors’ behaviour - deserves to die?) - Ant insults
- Ant orders them to warm and grease the bow
- Young men still not strong enough - Ant and Eurymachus hold back
- Philoteus and Eumaeus step outside. O followed - checks they are loyal then reveals identity - all cry but they have to go back - O instructs them
- Eury fails to string it (angry, bitter, embaressed)
- Ant says they shoud delay as it is a feast day - they will make libations and sacrifices to Apollo
- O asks for the bow - suitors get angry (worried?)
- P intervenes (guest) - Eury is worried of losing kleos
- T tells P to go to her quarters (control - get her to safety)
- Eumaeus gets bow - as he walks to O the suitors insult him - T threatens him (to ensure O gets bow) - O has bow
- Eumaeus tells Eurycleia to lock to door for the women and Philoteus bars the courtyard.
- O handles bow - tests for worms (skill, suspense) - suitors mock him - O strings it as a minstrel easily strings his lyre (ease, skill) - tests string (plucked - musical) - suitors are mortified
- Zeus thunderclap - importance, omen - O’s heart leaps for joy
- O picks up arrow (detail, suspense) - still sits (skill)
- O talks to T of dancing and music (suspense and distracting while T gets his weapons)
- Stand, side by side, ready to attack
17
Q
Summarise Book 22
A
THE BATTLE IN THE HALL:
- O throws off rags and pours arrows on floor (drama)
- Shoots Antinous in the ‘tender throat’ while he is drinking and eating (irony) - scatters, movement, gory
- Confusion and uproar, no weapons (forethought)
- Suitors haven’t caught on yet
- O reveals his identity and justifies revenge (fleeced household, raped maids, don’t fear gods)
- Eurymachus tried to blame Antinous - O sees through
- Eury tries to attack - O kills (among food like Ant)
- T gets armour and weapons for O, Eumaues & Philoteus
- O orders Eumaeus to guard a side exit
- T leaves storeroom door open - Melanthius (goat) gets weapons for the suitors
- Eumaeus and Philoteus follow him - tie him up to torture him (suspense, justified)
- Athena arrives (as Mentor) and scolds O for lacking courage - tries to taunt him. Becomes sparrow and watches - to test O and T
- Suitors get organised ad throw spears - miss (Athena)
- Throw again - T and E are grazed (tension - A won’t do everything for them)
- Eumaeus kills Ctesippus (thre cowhoof at O)
- A raises her aegis (scares suitors - scattered like a herd of cattle, stampede, panic) - O and friends are like vultures (birds of death, power, ease) preying on smaller birds (helpless, weak)
- Leodes asks for mercy as he tried to stop the suitors - O beheads him.
- Phemius begs for mercy - T tells O to spare as he didn’t want to sing for the suitors (Medon the herald also spared)
‘doing right is a much better policy than doing wrong’ - moral message of Odyssey? - All suitors dead - bodies lying like fish, masses, helpess, weak, not attractive/sympathetic
- O is compared to lion (devours prey, covered in blood, king of animals, aggression and power)
- ‘sea of blood’
- O sends for Eurycleia. She is overjoyed - O restrains her as he sees the victory as belonging to the gods (pietous, not hubristic) - justifies revenge
- Palace restored to order - bodies moved
- O tells T to punish disloyal maids - hangs them(do they deserve this?)
- Melanthius - T and E chopped off his nose and ears, pulled off his genitals to feed to the dogs, and chopped off his hands and feet (unnecessary?)
- Hall is purified with sulphus
- Loyal maids come in, embrace O (emotions - O is humanised)
- Penelope is summoned
