Odyssey Themes Flashcards
Deceit + trickery
Book 9 - Odysseus lies to Polyphemus about his name, his men + his ship
Book 10 - O tricks Circe using help from Hermes
Book 19 - Odysseus is disguised as beggar in the hall
Book 21 - Telemachus pretends he can’t string the bow on Odysseus’ nod
Book 22 - Athena appears disguised as Mentor
Athena
Book 19 - Athena distracts Penelope when Eurycleia finds out it’s Odysseus
Book 21 - Athena prompted Penelope to confront the suitors
Book 22 - Athena interferes in battle as she redirects bows from the suitors + disguises herself as mentor to encourage Odysseus
Xenia
Book 9 - King Alcindor’s hosts Odysseus as he tells his story
Book 10 - Aeolus hosts Odysseus + his men for a week and then gave him bag of winds
Book 19 - Penelope hosts odysseus as a beggar - eurycleia washes his feet
Book 21 - Penelope promises to give Odysseus (beggar) a cloak, sandals and a spear to help him on his journey if he successfully strings the bow
Book 22 - abuse of Xenia? Odysseus is killing the guests in his household a.k.a the suitors
Revenge + justice
Book 9 - Polyphemus curses Odysseus through his father Poseidon after they escape by boat
Book 10 - Odysseus goes to Circe’s house to save his men
Book 19 -
Book 21 -
Book 22 - Odysseus gets revenge by killing the suitors who have took advantage of his home + suitors tell him he will pay for shooting Antinuous
Barbarian vs. Civilised
Book 9 - Polyphemus kills two of Odysseus’ men each day - ‘tore them limb from limb’
Book 10 - Circe turns men into pigs but then hosts them for a year
Book 19 -
Book 21 - the suitors (especially Antinuous
) are rude, not as civilised as Odysseus
Book 22 - fight scene, savage deaths
Odysseus as a hero
Book 9 - Odysseus drags his men away from lotus eaters to ship
Book 10 - Odysseus by ‘necessity’ goes to save his men from Circe
Book 19 -
Book 21 -
Book 22 - Odysseus successfully overthrows the suitors - taking control of his household + completed his mission - heroic
Penelope as a host
Book 19 - Penelope takes care of beggar (Odysseus) gets eurycleia to wash his feet
Book 21 - hosts a competition to find her new husband
Nostos
Book 9 - men after eating lotus flower lose sense of nostos
Book 10 - Odysseus + his men stay with Circe for a year - the men have to remind Odysseus about Ithaca
Involvement of the gods
Book 9 - Zeus sent a storm delaying Odysseus by 10 days after the lotus eaters + Polyphemus uses Poseidon to curse O
Book 10 - the gods send Odysseus a big stag to hunt
Book 19 - Athena distracts Penelope when Eurycleia finds out it is Odysseus
Book 21 - Zeus creates thunder when Odysseus successfully strings the bow
Book 22 - Athena deflects suitors bows + disguises as Mentor to encourage O
