Odyssey- Part 1 Flashcards
What is an epithet?
a descriptive phrase used to describe a person or thing
What is the fatal flaw of Odysseus?
Excessive pride (hubris) Ex: Cyclops
What makes Odysseus a hero?
- leader of men
- risks death for glory of quest
- on a quest or odyssey
- decides Scylla over Charybdis
- tricks Cyclops with wine
- wants to save men (people)
Who is Calliope?
the muse of poetry that Homer makes the beginning invocation to tell the tale of Odysseus
When is this story being told?
10 years after the Trojan War
Where is the place Alcinous rules?
Phaeacia
Who is Alcinous?
ruler of Phaeacia
Who are Odysseus’s parents?
Anticlea and Laertes
What is the first challenge Odysseus faces?
Cicones on Ismarus
How does Odysseus show good leadership during the Cicones situation?
He urges his men to leave at once once they plunder the island.
What occurs during the Cicones situation?
Odysseus’s men get drunk, don’t pay attention when prisoners call for main force of Cicones, many men were killed in battle (six benches left empty in every ship)
How did Odysseus’s men react to this catastrophe?
They grieved over their lost friends.
What was dangerous about the Lotus Eaters?
They offered the men the Lotus, which caused them to lose sight of their journey, wanting to never return and stay on the island forever.
What are Cyclops?
giants with one eye, sons of Poseidon
What does the Cyclopes’ island look like?
rugged, not very orderly, a cave, rams and goats in a pen
What did Odysseus take with him to face the Cyclops?
12 of his best men, strong, sweet liquor, provisions
How does Odysseus show wise judgment when choosing men to face the Cyclops?
He decides to only bring his best men so that his other men don’t get put in danger unnecessarily.
After heading away from the Cicones, where does Odysseus pull near before he is blown away?
Once Odysseus passes Malea, he is blown away by a gale caused by Zeus past Cythera.
What idea to the men have once seeing the inside of the Cyclops’ cave?
The men want to take the cheeses and kids and lambs then leave.
(wise idea)
What does Odysseus do in response to his men’s pleas in the Cyclops’ cave?
Insist on seeing the Cyclops (believes Cyclops follows Greek tradition of welcoming guests with gifts)
What does Odysseus tell the Cyclops?
tells Cyclops where they are from, that they expect gifts, and that Zeus will avenge him if he doesn’t give gifts
How does the Cyclops respond to Odysseus?
informs that he doesn’t care about Greek traditions, eats two men
How many men does the Cyclops eat at a time?
2 men
When the Cyclops was eating his men, what does Odysseus think of doing?
chance of action, wants to attack Cyclops, doesn’t and is a wise idea- would have trapped them inside as a result of the rock
