Odyssey Flashcards
1
Q
Who is sent to order calypso to allow Odysseus’ release
A
Hermes is sent and says to calypso ‘Zeus bids you send him off without delay’
2
Q
What was Odysseus on the shore when Hermes arrived
A
‘Tormenting himself with tears’
3
Q
what does Odysseus long for on calypsos island?
A
‘His lost home’ and ‘wife of yours who is never out of your thoughts’
4
Q
What does calypso sweat and oath to?
A
river Styx
5
Q
What does calypso provide Odysseus with at his departure?
A
‘Sweet smelling clothes’ skins of ‘dark wine’ ‘leather sack of grain’
6
Q
What happens to Odysseus on the raft back from calypsos island of Ogyia?
A
A ‘mountainous wave’ ‘crashed down upon him’ which we assume is from Poseidon as he says he means to give Odysseus a ‘bellyful of trouble’
7
Q
Who offers Odysseus the ‘divine protection’ of the veil?
A
Ino, daughter of cadamus
8
Q
How did Athene help Odysseus in book five?
A
put it into his head to grab onto the rock with both hands
9
Q
What does the river do in response to Odysseus’ pleas in book 5?
A
‘River checked its current’ and held back its waves and was brought directly to land
10
Q
What does Odysseus use as a bed in book 5
A
Dry leaves under a pair of olive bushes
11
Q
How does Athene convince nausicaa to go to the washing pools in book 6?
A
She comes to her in a dream and says her beautiful clothes have been neglected she may ‘soon be married’ and ‘will need beautiful clothes’ and that’s how a bride gains a ‘good reputation’
12
Q
Who does Athene appear disguised as in the dream in book 6?
A
Athenes friend
13
Q
Who does nausicaa go to the river with?
A
Her friends
14
Q
What god is nausicaa likened to?
A
Artemis the archeress
15
Q
What awoke Odysseus in book 6?
A
The ‘loud shriek’ the girls made when the ball fell into the curren
16
Q
What does Odysseus conceal his ‘manhood’ with? 😉
A
a ‘leafy bough’
17
Q
How does Odysseus compliment nausicaa with tact and diplomacy to get her assistance?
A
‘Are you a goddess or a mortal woman?’, ‘I am overcome with awe when I look at you’ ‘thrice blessed are your father and mother’
18
Q
What phallic image is there in Odysseus speech to nausicaa?
A
‘Like, a fresh young palm tree shooting up’
19
Q
What is the Phaeacian island called?
A
Scherie
20
Q
What does nausicaa say that shows good Xenia?
A
‘We must look after him since all strangers and beggars come under the protection of zeus’
21
Q
Why does nausicaa want to walk separately from Odysseus?
A
She wants to avoid ‘unpleasant gossip’ about despising
Fellow phaecians and seeking to ‘find a husband from abroad’
22
Q
How did Athene protect Odysseus from Phaeacian insults?
A
‘Enveloped him in a thick mist’
23
Q
What did Athene disguise herself as in book 7 to help Odysseus reach the palace?
A
A young girl carrying a pitcher
24
Q
How to the people treat arête?
A
‘Look on her as a goddess’ she ‘even settles men’s disputes’
25
How does the Phaeacian noble break the silence and remind alcinous of good Xenia?
Says it's not right to let him 'sit in the ashes at the heart' and allows him to 'sit on one of the silver chairs'
26
What does alcinous believe Odysseus may be at first?
One of the immortal gods come to trick him
27
How does Odysseus show the importance of food and appetite in book 7?
'Nothing in the world is so shamelessly demanding as a mans stomach'
28
Why does alcinous reprimand nausicaa in book 7?
He says she 'should've brought you home' saying she showed bad Xenia
29
What is the name of the bard in book 8?
Demodocus
30
What did demodocus sing about before the Phaeacian games?
The quarrel of Odysseus and Achilles son Peleus
31
What bad Xenia does laodamas show to Odysseus?
He tries to 'provoke him with his challenges'
32
How does Athena encourage Odysseus in the games?
'None of the phaecians will make as good a throw, let alone better '
33
What are the Phaeacians known for?
Their 'first rate seamen'
34
Who did Aphrodite sleep with?
Ares
35
How does alcinous show good Xenia in odysseus' parting?
'Let is make him parting gifts as is appropriate' he gives him a sword of bronze, clothes and gold
36
Why should odysseus remember alcinous according to him
'Since it is chiefly to me that you owe your life'
37
What does demodocus sing on odysseus' parting?
the story of the Trojan horse
38
What did alcinous' father prophesise
That one day a god would 'wreck our fine vessels' and 'surround our city with a wall of mountain'
39
What does alcinous liken odysseus to?
A brother
40
What did odysseus' 'foolish' men refuse to do when they sacked the cicones
To 'escape with all speed' and they kept on 'drinking and butchering' the wine and livestock
41
What is the name of the ciconeans island?
Ismarus
42
Who does odysseus claim the ciconeans were sent by?
Zeus to make them 'suffer'
43
How many men were killed in ismarus in book 9?
Six of the comrades
44
What happened to odysseus and his comrades on the departure from ismarus?
Zeus sent a 'terrible gale' causing them to rest on land for two days
45
Where did odysseus go after the storm in book 9
The Island of the lotus eaters
46
How is the society of Cyclopes described?
'Lawless people who never lift a hand to plant or plough'
47
What was Polyphemus quite unlike?
'Any man who eats bread'
48
How many men did odysseus take with him to meet Polyphemus
Twelve best men in the company
49
How was odysseus foolish in polyphemus' cave?
He could not be persuaded to leave the island quickly and wished to see the owner of the cave to get some 'friendly gifts'
50
How does polphemus show he has no care for Zeus of Xenia
He says that care nothing got the 'blessed gods since we are much stronger than they are'
51
How does homer describe Polyphemus' murder of his men?
'Seized a couple and dashed their heads against the floor as thought they had been puppies'
52
How do they sedate Polyphemus?
With wine to wash down his meal of human flesh
53
How does odysseus hide his identity from Polyphemus?
He said his name is nobody.
54
What is a bad omen with Polyphemus in book 9?
'A stream of wine mixed with men's flesh poured from his throat'
55
How did they blind Polyphemus?
The Cyclopes eye 'hissed around' the sharpened olive steak that they plunged into his eye till blood boiled around the wood
56
How does odysseus and his men escape polyphemus' cave?
With three rams per man he was tied to the bottom of them using 'willow twigs' and full grown ram for odysseus
57
How does odysseus reveal his full identity to Polyphemus?
'Tell him your eye was put out by odysseus, sacked of cities, the son of laertes who lives in Ithaca
58
What curse does Polyphemus put on odysseus?
He may reach his native land after a 'wretched plight having lost all his comrades, in a foreign ship'
59
Where does odysseus reach after leaving the Cyclopes?
The floating island of Aeolia home of aeolus with the bag of wind
60
Why does odysseus return to Aeolus?
'An untrustworthy crew and fatal sleep' were his downfall, they opened the bag of winds in search of gold and silver
61
Where did the crew go after they were turned away by Aeolus?
Laestrygonia
62
What wisdom does Achilles give O?
'Do not make light of death' he knew rather work as a serf than be king of the dead, saying survival is more important than reputation
63
Why was Ajax aloof?
Due to the defeat he had inflicted on him
64
Punishment for Tityus
Vultures penetrate into his body and pluck at his liver
65
Tantalus punishment
Stands in a pool that he could never drink and surrounded by fruits he could never eat
66
Why does Circe call odysseus an 'obstinate fool'?
He wants to 'ward off' Scylla but against her there is 'no defence' the best action is flight
67
What does Circe say about the sun god?
If you leave the cattle untouched you will survive, if not 'I predict the destruction of your ship'
68
What is the name of the laestregonian leader?
Antiphates who promptly made his 'murderous intentions clear'
69
How did the laestregonians take the men?
'Carried then off like fishes on a spear to make their loathsome meal'
70
What is Circes island called?
Aeaea
71
What animal prowled around circes island?
Mountain lions and wolves
72
How is Circe first portrayed?
As the ideal woman singing with her beautiful voice 'to and fro at her great and everlasting loom'
73
What does Circe feed the men at first?
'Barley meal, a mixture of cheese and yellow honey flavoured pramnian wine'
74
What did she feed them once they had been transformed to pigs? 🐷🐽
She flung them 'forest nuts, acornsa d cornel berries'
75
How does eurylochus show cowardliness
Flung his arms round odysseus' legs and begged him not to make him go with him to see Circe
76
Who warns Odysseus of Circe and about what?
Hermes, he warned him about her black magic and conveys the male fear them women will rob men of 'your courage And your manhood'
77
What drug does Hermes give O?
Moly that will prevent her magic, O then makes Circe swear an oath
78
How does eurylochus rebel against Odysseus?
Saying it was Odysseus' 'wreck less folly' that cost the men their lives
79
How long did they stay on circes Island for?
A year
80
What does Odysseus promise elpenor?
'To remember him and bury his body in Ithaca'
81
How did elpenor die?
'Toppled headlong from the roof and broke his neck' is
82
What is Odysseus' mothers name?
Anticleia
83
What does the prophet Teiresias predict in the underworld?
'I predict your ship and company will be destroyed' and you will reach home in a 'wretched state upon a foreign ship having lost all your comrades'
84
What is the state of Odysseus' father as told by his mother in the underworld?
'He lies in misery with old age pressing upon him' 'yearning ' for Odysseus' return
85
What pierces O with pain in the underworld?
His mother slipped through his hands when he clasped her
86
What does Agamemnon warn O of in the underworld?
'Never be too trustful even of your wife, nor show her all that is in your mind' and he said Clytemnestra branded with infant 'the whole of her sex'
87
What did Scylla do to the comrades?
'Snagged out six of the strongest men' and devoured them 'shrieking and stretching'
88
What makes O feel particularly guilty about the Scylla occurrence?
they called out to him in their anguish 'their arms and legs dangling high in the air above'
89
What did Charybdis do?
'Sucked down the salt water in her dreadful way' she likened to a 'cauldron on a blazing fire'
90
What is the name of the sun god?
Hyperion
91
Who motivates the feast on that sun gods cattle and who?
Eurylochus who says 'death by starvation is the most miserable way to meet ones doom'
92
What did odysseus do whilst the me slit the cows throats s burned them without wine to pour in sacrifices showing particularly bad Xenia
He slept And blamed Zeus for the sleep
93
What does Zeus say he will do as punishment for Os men eating the sacred cattle?
'Strike their ship with a blinding bolt out on the wine dark sea'
94
How long was odysseus drifting in book 12 until he met calypso on the island of ogyia?
9 days, he clambered onto his timbers that charybdis spewed up
95
How does odysseus stop his men listening to the sirens song?
plugs their ears with bees wax
96
What does Odysseus do on the journey from scheria to Ithaca?
'Sweet oblivion sealed odysseus' eyes in a sleep the very counterfeit of death'
97
What does Poseidon propose in revenge for Zeus to do on the Phaeacian journey?
'Wreck that fine ship to teach them once and for all to give up this habit of escorting traveller'
98
What does Athene do to Odysseus when he first arrives in Ithaca
Makes him unrecognisable and the land unrecognisable to him so she can inform him
99
What was Athene disguised as in Ithaca
A young shepherd
100
Why does Odysseus lie to Athene when they reach Ithaca
To protect his identity as Agamemnon warned
101
How do we know that Athene always protects Odysseus?
'Daughter of Zeus who always stands by your side and guards you through all of your adventures'
102
What shows Athenes respect for heroic love of material possession
'Our immediate task is to hide your goods in some corner of this sacred cave'
103
How does homer show athenes and Odysseus' partnership?
'The two of them sat down by the trunk of the sacred olive tree to scheme to downfall of the presumptuous suitors'
104
How is Eumaeus' good Xenia shown?
'It is not right for me to turn away any stranger, for they all come in zeus' name'
105
How does Eumaeus show his loyalty?
'I still call him my beloved master'
106
How is thirst for justice expressed by Eumaeus?
'He will come back to his home and will punish all who dishonour his wife and noble son'
107
How does Odysseus appeal to Eumaeus in his lies?
'I fell in with a rascally Phoenician'
108
How does Eumaeus greet Telemachus showing his dedication to the family?
'Like a fond father welcoming back his son after nine years abroad'
109
Why does Telemachus not want Odysseus disguised as a stranger to go to his house?
As the suitors reckless violence goes beyond all bounds and if they insulted him it would distress Telemachus deeply
110
How does Telemachus show honour and courage in book 16
'I would rather die by the sword in my own house than witness the repetition of these outrages'
111
Why does odysseus reveal his identity to Telemachus?
So they can plot the downfall of the suitors together
112
How does Odysseus immediately assert his authority over Telemachus!
'Be quite certain of this, no second Odysseus will return'
113
What does Odysseus want Telemachus to do to conceal his identity?
To look on and 'bear it' if he is insulted or thrown out
114
What were the suitors planning to d?
plotting to kill Telemachus, Penelope calls antinous an arrogant and evil schemer
115
Which girl abuses Odysseus?
Melantho, sister of melanthus, odysseus proceeds to threaten her saying odysseus may return
116
What does Penelope do that causes Odysseus to lie?
She persists in asking about his 'ancestry'
117
How does Odysseus make his lie to Penelope convincing in book 19?
He describes Odysseus' 'golden brooch' 'a hound holding down a dappled fawn'
118
How does Eurycleia recognise him?
'At once she recognised his scar' that he had received from the white task of a boar
119
How does he threaten Eurycleia in book 19?
He strangled her and says 'I won't spare you though you're my own nurse', Eurycleia promises to be as 'silent as a block of stone'
120
What does Eurycleia call O that shows their type of relationship?
'My child'
121
What challenge does Penelope set to choose who she will marry?
'To string a bow and shoot an arrow through iron axes'
122
How does Penelope react to seeing her husbands bow?
Burst into tears and wept aloud
123
How many times does Telemachus attempt to string the bow?
3 times fails, 4th times almost succeeds but Odysseus put an end to his attempts
124
How does Eurymachus react to not being able to string the bow?
He feels 'bitterly' it proves them 'weaklings compared with the godlike O'
125
How does Odysseus string the bow?
'Strung the great bow without effort or haste' the suitors were utterly mortified 'not a sine axe did he miss'
126
How is a bad omen presented in book 22, the battle in the hall?
'His food was scattered on he ground and bread and meat lay there in the dirt'
127
What had not dawned upon the suitors by book 22?
'The fate of all of them was sealed'
128
How do they blame for everything in book 22
Antinous
129
Why are the suitors being killed?
To pay for their own transgressions, courting his wife, raping his maids and fleecing his household'
130
How does Athene help in book 22?
Assumes mentor disguise, who put the strength and courage of Odysseus and his son to the test and took on the shape of a swallow. She made the suitors 'whole volley miss' and raised s her deadly aegis scare suitors as they were pounced on by vultures
131
Why did they not kill the bard in book 22?
The minstrel phemius had served unwillingly as their bard, they also spared Medon the herald
132
How does Odysseus rebuke Eurycleia when she celebrates after the death of the suitors?
'It is impious to exult over the slain' 'these men fell victims to the will of the god and their own infamy'
133
How does Telemachus bring justice to his father by killing the women that slept with the suitors?
He will not give them a 'decent' death and hangs them with a cable, 'their feet twitches but not for very long'
134
How do they kill melanthius?
With a 'pitiless' knife sliced off his ears and nose and generals and des them to the dogs
135
How does Penelope test odysseus with 'signs hidden from others'
With their bed she asked for the bed to be moved, he proves his identity by saying 'I don't know if my bed still stands or someone has cut the tree trunk'
136
How do they cover up the death of the suitors?
They made it seem like there was a wedding feast and Penelope had married one of the suitors
137
What does Zeus complain about?
'Men blame the gods and regard us as the source of their troubles, when it is their own transgressions which bring them suffering'
138
How does zeus actually think of Odysseus?
He is not only the wisest man alive but has been the most generous in offerings'
139
Whose idea is it to send Hermes?
Athenes
140
How is Telemachus amongst the suitors in book 1?
disconsolate
141
How do the suitors conduct themselves in book 1?
They came 'swaggering in' and forced phemius the minstrel into their service
142
How is Telemachus similar to his father?
'His head and fine eyes'
143
What appearance does Athene take on?
Taphian chieftain Mentes
144
How does Telemachus
| know that Athene is a goddess she turns into a bird and disappeared through this a hole in the roof
I
145
what does nausicaa call alcinous that shows her fondness of him?
'Father dear'
146
What is Nausicaa too shy to mention?
The subject of marriage, alcinous says 'I don't grudge you the mules my child or anything else'
147
How do we know Polyphemus is poseidons son?
'I I am yours indeed and you claim me as your son'
148
How does Penelope help Odysseus as a beggar?
She says 'give him the bow and let us see what happens' 'I shall see him safely to wherever he wants to go'
149
What does Eumaes do in the battle?
Is told to 'stand guard' kills suitors and holds down melanthius 'pounced upon him in the cupboard'
150
Reference to meson?
Telemachus says 'this man is innocent, don't kill him'
151
What does melanthius do?
He is 'devious' and 'helps himself to weapons' for the suitors to defend themselves against odysseus and Telemachus
152
what is the message that Eumaeus takes for Telemachus?
To tell Penelope he is home safely
153
Gods attitude towards the suitors?
'The blessed gods don't like wicked acts' they respect justice
154
How is anpinomus good?
A 'man of principle' 'not willing to put Telemachus to death' however if the god approve he will be the executioner himself
155
Eurymachus...
Says they won't kill Telemachus but 'these words were on his lips but death for Telemachus was in his heart
