Odyssey Flashcards
How has the absence of Odysseus affected his son, Telemahkos, growth?
At the age of 20, Telemahkos had the behavior and mindset of a child. He was dreaming of his father coming back to save him and his mother from the suitors and take back his property. Dreaming is assicoted with children. In contrast, adult men do instead of dreaming of what to do. In
What happened when Athena gave fatherly advice to Telemahkos?
Telemahkos almost immeditaly matured into the mindset of an adult and threaneted the suitors, put his mother (who ran the house) in her ‘place’ and started to engage in politcs
Why did Athena send Telemahkos on a journey to find his fathers whereabouts despite knowing that he would not find him?
Her goal was to have Telemahkos develop by taking to the heros of old and make a name for himself. In other words, to turn Telemahkos into a man.
How is manhood represented in the ‘Odyssey’?
Manhood is represented as a man who is able to do actions, protecting his family/property, is fearless, strong, and leads the his house. Telemahkos and Odysseus embody these concepts
How is womenhood represented in the Odyssey?
Womenhood is represneted through marriage and sexual awakening. This is shown with Nausikaa who was encouraged by Athena to do alundry and prepare for marriage and she did just that. Moreover, Nausikaa had a sexual and romantic awakening when seeing Odysseus for the first time which represents her maturity.
What does the action of ‘stringing the bow’ represent?
Penelope asserts that a man who is able of stringing the bow is able to wed her/run her house. In other words, the action represents the apex of masculinity which was achieved by Odysesus and almost Telemahkos
Why did Telemahkos lose purposefully in the stringing the bow challenge?
Odysseus gave him a physical signal to not do it as he will lose his spot as the kyrios. Telemahkos agreed instead of fighting for power which means that he agrees that Odysseus is more capable than himself. This is proven as while Telemahkos almost did the feat with much struggle, Odysseus did it with no effort
How is familial relationships potrayed in the Odyssey in comparions to the Theogony?
In the Theogony, the conflict between son and father amongst the divine is a main theme of the myth. This represented a social anxiety that some fathers shared in Ancient Greece where fathers feared giving away their power as kyrios to their son. However in the Odyssey, the theme of family unity was present with family being the most important thing to a father.
What is the importance of Telemahkos, Odysseus and Laertes teaming up to fight against the suitors families?
The importance is the theme of family unity. Instead of the 3 generations of the gods were sons took power away from the fathers, the 3 generations unite as one
