Odyssey Flashcards
muse
goddess made to be an inspiration for the arts
what does the cover of the Odyssey represent
a long way home
bard
acted out story
what happened to the Library of Alexandra
burnt down
how was the Odyssey told?
- sung/acted by a bard
- formulae and epithets
- long repetitions
formulae
set of words or phrases that are used repeatedly in a particular context
epithets
adjectives or phrases that are used to describe a person, place, or thing in a vivid and memorable way
- Wide-seeing Zeus.
- White-armed Hera.
- Bright-eyed Athena
Odysseus’ time
- end of the Mycenaean period
- around 1120 BCE
Mycenaean Civilization
- military culture, tall walls lots of weapons
- Trojan War was at the end of the Myceneaen
what is the validity of the Odyssey
not myth or history, but a communal understanding of their shared past
In Medias Res
in the middle of things
Background of the Odyssey
- Achilles parents got married but didnt invite Eris
- she brought an apple for the most beautiful and the goddesses fight
- Paris gives the apple to Aphrodite because she offers his the most beautiful women
- Paris steals Helen from Menelaus
- 10 years at Troy!
what does Paris “acquiring” Helen from Menelaus demonstrate?
- crime against xenia (sacred institution of hospitality; guest/host bond)
- problematic marriages
how must an epic end
when the critical issue(s) pertaining to the first word somehow finds resolution
xenia
sacred institution of hospitality; guest/host bond
“Into the woods”
- metaphor for “shit is gonna go down”
- dangerous things in the woods
- no civilization
- “woods”: mountain, desert, sea
- dangers: losing life and oneself
Odysseus and Calypso eating
- odysseus eats normal food and calypso eats food for gods
- they can never “share” a meal
Lotus eaters
when you eat lotus you lose your will to keep going
Polyphemus
- Cyclops
- lives on an island blessed by the gods
- eats people
what did Odysseus do wrong at cyclops island?
- he broke xenia by going into the cave and taking cheese
- he blinded the cyclops
- he taunted the cyclops
- he lost many men and the cyclops threw rocks at them
What does Polyphemus have to eat and why is that important?
- he eats cheese they make and lambs provided by the gods
- also kids
- it is important because he doesn’t have to work for it
what was odysseus big mistake with polyphemus?
- His men told him to leave but he wanted to see if polyphemus would show him xenia
- but ofc he doesnt because he is a cyclops
what happens with the bag of wind and why is it important
- Aeolus gives Odysseus the bag of wind to get home
- when they are close to ithaca Odysseus falls asleep
- his crew think he has treasure in the bag and doesn’t want to share
- they open the bag while he is asleep and they get blown back to Aeolia
- it is important because it shows Odysseus lack of trust in his men, he didn’t sleep because he wanted to sail
what happens on the island of Laestrygones?
- they sail here after being kicked out by Aeolus
- they are attacked by the giants who destroy 11/12 ships
- after this they reach Aeaea where Circe lives
what happens on Aeaea?
- they meet Circe
- she turns Odysseus’s men into pigs (hermes helps O not turn into a pig)
- He makes her turn all his men back
- they stay for a year and then she tells him to go to the underworld to find his way home
what happens in the underworld?
- he performs a sacrifice and summon the prophet Tiresias
- he tells odysseus how to get home
what does odysseus do in between the underworld and returning to ithaca?
- Sirens
- Island of Helios
- Island of Phaeacians
what happens with the sirens?
Odysseus ties himself to the mast but puts wax in his crews’ ears
what happens on the island of Helios?
- Odysseus and his crew are stranded there for a month due to storm
- O tells his men not to eat the cattle, but while O is praying they kill and eat one
- Zues then strikes his ship killing everyone but him
- he eventually washes up on Calypso’s island
what happens on calypso’s island?
- she keeps him captive for 7 years
- she offers him him a plentiful life but he decides he needs to go home
- he makes a raft but Zeus wrecks it and he washes up on the land of the Phaeacians
what happens on Scheria (land of Phaecians)?
- he is rescued by Nausicaa (daughter of king Alcinous)
- they welcome O and he tells them his story of the Trojan war and adventures
- they build him a ship and give him food and supplies
- he arrives home to ithaca after 10 years
Epic Heroism Goal
- tangible items: war prizes, trophies, and xenia gifts which show what you have accomplished
- acquiring these items leads to the acquisition of glory/fame
- goal is to get enough glory and you can become “immortal”, meaning people remember you
- Dark irony of an afterlife where you—and everyone else—can’t remember who you are
what is the problem with Odysseus’s leadership?
- he gives into the need for glory
- gloats at Polyphemus and then Zues makes a bad storm
- can he control his men?
- they don’t have total faith in him
- they opened the bag of wind neat ithaca because they thought he was hiding treasure
- they ate the sacred cattle when he told them not to
is Odysseus shown xenia at home?
not by the suitors but by penelope
why does Odysseus fight a beggar?
because Irus is a beggar known for picking fights
Penelope Question
- When exactly does Penelope know the Stranger is Odysseus?
- Is she faking not recognizing him?
- She asks for a challenge (who can shoot the arrow through the axes) to decide who she marries
how is the epic resolved?
When Odysseus kills the suitors and takes back his kingdom he becomes a man again resolving “The man”
what happens with Telemachusand the challenge/
- he wants to string the bow to be man-like and like Odysseus
- it looks like he is about to do it and then Odysseus tells him no
Polis
- city state
- community with shared customs, laws, army, etc.
