The Character of Odysseus Flashcards
How did sleeping with a goddess affect Odysseus’ reputation among the Greeks?
Increased kleos and letting others remember him after death.
Definition of kleos
The glorious reputation a Homeric warrior hopes to win
In Homeric times it was a key role for a father to provide instruction and inspiration for his son. How did Odysseus do this with Telemachus?
Tells Telemachus to remove weapons from hall, and gives him a lie to tell others. Work together to remove them, then goes to bed as Odysseus tells him to.
Odysseus guides son in battle in Book 22, agreeing on Telemachus getting more weapons, then getting Eurycleia when Odysseus tells him to at the end of the battle.
What was Odysseus’ relationship with his crew like?
Do as he says: leaving Lotus eaters’ land, going to island of Cyclopes.
He works well with his men, incapacitating Polyphemus, taking orders from Odysseus like smoothing wood and shoving it into eye, like when he told them to sail away from Laestrygonians.
Provides for his men, like killing a stag in Book 10 and dragging it back single-handedly to his men on Circe’s island. He divides food equally, like when they sacked Cicones.
Men think he is keeping treasure for himself when Aeolus gives him the bag of winds.
How is Odysseus a hero?
He defeats the Cicones in battle and takes their women and children, as this was a regular and normal behaviour, also shown in the Iliad.
Defeat of suitors as they were arrogant and greedy, and Odysseus may have been killed by them if he hadn’t fought them. When Odysseus throws off his rags and leaps onto the threshold reveals a brave and determined hero.
How is Odysseus shown to be intelligent and have great oratorical skills?
Odysseus chooses his words carefully with Polyphemus to make him respect and fear him. He lies about what happened to his boat.
When he gets back to Ithaca, he is careful about what he says and asks Penelope not to ask him about his troubles. He recounts how he had met Odysseus in great detail, weaving in details about his appearance and clothing.
He doesn’t reveal his identity until he realises that he has the support of his slaves
His intelligence is doubted when he calls back to Polyphemus and tells him his name and where he lives.
What is Odysseus’ relationship with Athena like?
She changed his appearance into that of a beggar so that he wasn’t killed by the suitors. Helped him in the battle by letting the Suitors’ spears miss him and scaring them with her aegis. She let him earn the victory as she “withheld her power to determine the course of the fight.”
