the Odyssey Flashcards
who is Odysseus telling his stories to?
the Phaeacians, King Alcinous
who is king of the Phaeacians
Alcinous
what happens after Odysseus leaves?
the wind sweeps them to Ismarus, land of Cicones
what is the name of the island of the cicones
Ismarus
what happens with the cicones
the crew sack ismarus. The men plunder the land and, carried away by greed, stay until the reinforced ranks of the Cicones turn on them and attack. Odysseus and his crew finally escape, having lost six men per ship.
what happens after Odysseus and his crew leave Ismarus
A storm sent by Zeus sweeps them along for nine days before bringing them to the land of the Lotus eaters
how many men does O lose per ship in ismarus
6 per ship
how long does the storm take form ismarus to the land of the cicones
9 days
what is special about the lotus eaters?
they have fruit which makes you forget about your home, making you not want to leave (nostos)
how does O get the crew out of the land of the lotus eaters?
odysseus drags them back tot he ship using his pure strength
what are the cyclops?
uncivilised one eyed giants
what happens on the land of the cyclops?
thye come across a cave full of cheese, and milk. thye sack the place even though O doesn’t want to.he also wants to stay to follow xenia. however Polyphemus returns.
who is polyphemus’ father
poseidon
what happens as soon as Polyphemus returns?
he swallows two of the crew
what plan does Odysseus devise when with polyphemus?
Odysseus tells Polyphemus his name is ‘me tis’ meanign nobody, he gets polyphemus drunk with wine, and he gets a wooden stick and sharpens it. he also hardens it in the fire. he and the crew launch it into Polyphemus’ eye, blinding him. Polyphemus shouts out ‘metis is hurting me’ (something to the effect of that), so nobody comes to help. To escape, O uses the ram and ties his men under the sheep and odysseus himself hold onto the last, biggest one. IN the morning Polyphemus lets the sheep out and htey escape
who gives odysseus the wine used to make polyphemus drunk?
Sweet wine, unblended, served Odysseus well in the escape with his companions from the Cyclops’ cave during his epic return to Ithaca. The wine, a gift from Maron, grandson of Dionysus, was exceptional.
what happens after Odysseus escapes from Polyphemus?
when they get to the ship, odysseus reveals his true identity and Polyphemus curses Odysseus
what happens in book nine (summary)
Phaeacians, Cicones, Lotus Eaters, Polyphemus
where does Odysseus sail to after the cyclops
Aeolia, to Aeolus, ruler of the winds
what happenes there?
Aeolus was welcoming, inscesty siblings who marry each other, never ending food,
Aeolus gives him a bag of winds which will allow Odysseus to get home
how long after going to Aeolia does Odysseus see Ithaca
10 days
what happens to the bag of winds
Odysseus doesnt sleep at all after they get onto the ship ,however, on the 9/10th day, Odysseus falls asleep and the crew open the bag because the begin to doubt Odysseus, this takes them back to Aeolus
what happens when aeolus sees them again
He sends them off because it is clear Odysseus has angered the gods
where does Odysseus go to after Aeolus?
to the laestragonians
what is the name of the king of the Laestragonains?
Antiphetes
waht happens with the Laestregonians?
thye eat them and sink all the ships except Odysseus’ which he doesn’t leave with the rest of the ships
where does o go after the lasetragonains?
the Aeaea, Circe
what happens on Aeaea?
Odysseus sends a crew to see what happens, Circe turns them into pigs except Eurylochus who runs back to Odysseus who decides he needs to go and sort it out himself. He sees Hermes who gives him Moly, protecting him from Circe’s power. Hermes also gives him advice. Odysseus gets to the house, sin’t poisoned, sleeps with her, and the crew is turned back into ppl. they get the rest of the crrew
name a maid servant
melantho
name the swine heard
Eumaeus
who is the unloyal goatherd
Melanthius
how does Athena help Odysseus and telemachus hide the arms?
lights up tha halls
how does Odysseus prove his identity to Penelope?
How does Penelope test Odysseus’ identity in Book 23? She tests Odysseus by asking the nurse to retrieve their bridal bed, a task she knows to be impossible. Odysseus explains that the nurse could not do so, describing the bed in detail. This proves to Penelope that the man is indeed her husband.
who does Eurycleia figure out the Odysseus isn;t the beggar he claims to be
Scar ekphrasis. He got it from boar hunting wtih his grandfather Autocylus
what is Odysseus’ grandfather+ma called?
grandfather Autocylus, ma-Anticleia
what is the dream which Penelope tells Odysseus? what happens after?
Penelope describes to Odysseus a dream that she has had in which an eagle swoops down upon her twenty pet geese and kills them all; it then perches on her roof and, in a human voice, says that he is her husband who has just put her lovers to death. Penelope declares that she has no idea what this dream means. Odysseus tells her that it is her hesband? but she doesn’t belive him. SHe decides to have the competition fot he bow and the axes
what contest does Penelope create?
the contest of the axes (+and bow_
where does Odysseus get his bow?
Odysseus received his great bow from Iphitus. It is the former bow of Eurytus, the father of Iphitus. The two men became friends and exchanged gifts when they met in Messene.
Iphitos had gone in search of twelve mares and their mules that had been lost. Iphitos was the son of Eurytus, the master of Heracles in archery, who gave him his bow when he died. During this encounter, Odysseus (Ulysses) gave Iphitos a spear while Iphitos gave him his bow.
what is the name of the cowherd?
philoetius
WHo is Eurityon?
He was invited to the wedding of his half-brother Peirithoos (Pirithous), king of the Lapithai (Lapiths), but during the celebrations became drunk and attempted to abduct the bride. In the fight which ensued Eurytion and his Kentauroi kin were slain.
who is Athena disguised as during the battle?
Mentor
Summary of Book 9
- O reveals his identity to King Alcinous after the bard tells his story
- O recounts his stories including the Cicones, Land of Lotus eaters with poisonous fruit and the cyclops
- Some believe that the stories are either exaggerated or untrue in order to gain sympathy from the Phaeacians
Summary of Book 10
- Aeolus , keeper of the winds, traps all the winds for Odysseus so that there are no winds preventing him form reaching his destination. O falls asleep after days of not sleeping and the crew open it, thinking he is hiding gold
- They are blown back to Aeolia but Aeolus tell them that the Gods don’t like O and to go
- At the Laestrygonians many men are slaughtered
- he survivors end up at Circe’s island where she drugs the group of men who go and see her and they turn into pigs. Eurylochus, who was with them sees and runs back to Odysseus.
- O says he must save them and goes to save them. He meets Hermes on the way and he gives O moly to counteract the poison. Circe turns the men back into humans and they stay with her for a year
Name all literary features that are a part of oral poetry
- gory detail
- changes in pace (slowing down signals something important is coming, tension)
- stories within a story (ekphrasis)
- topoi (repeated situation/scene)
- epiphets (particular phrase used for a unique character)
- pathos ( an appeal to the reader’s emotions)
- direct speech
- similies
- metaphors
- detailed description
- formulae (a repeated sentence/phrase)
what is topoi
a repeates situation or scene
what is an ekphrasis?
stories within a story
what is the name for a repeated sentence or phrase?
formulae
what is an epiphet
particular phrase used for a unique character
Name key terms for themes and character
- xenia
- nostos (desire to return to your homeland)
- civilization
- barbarism
- deceit, trickery
- revenge, justice
-fate - kleos (the glorious reputation or fame – something all heroes desire)
- leadership
- oratory (Odysseus’ speaking and persuading skills)
- warrior and hero
- support from Athena
hamartia
a fatal flaw leading to the downfall of a tragic hero or
what is Odysseus’ hamartia?
In The Odyssey, Odysseus’ hamartia, or fatal flaw, is his hubris, which is excessive pride.
e.g., After blinding Polyphemus the Cyclops, Odysseus taunted the sea god Poseidon, who then made Odysseus’ journey home difficult.
what is hubris
excessive pride or self-confidence.
What happens in the Cyclops and Polyphemus scene?
- O takes 12 men, bringing Maron’s wine to the cave
- his men take cheese and want to leave but O says no, they must engage in xenia
- The cyclops returns and ignores xenia
- P asks O where the ship is and O lies, saying it was wrecked (to make sure it isn’t destroyed)
- P eats 2 men – O doesn’t kill him realising they’d be trapped
- O devises a plan: splits P’s staff (made of green olive wood), smoothens it and sharpens it, he tells the crew the plan
- P comes back and prepares his meal, O offers wine to get P drunk. O says his name is ‘Nobody’ and P says that O’s gift will be to be eaten last. P then falls asleep and vomits (drunk)
- O stabs him in the eye and twists it – P screams in pain and shouts out ‘Nobody’s treachery’ after his neighbors ask what’s wrong and so they leave him alone
- O brought the rams together and tied his crew underneath so P would fell them when he stroked them
- P lets the sheep out at dawn. They leave, O picks the biggest ram and holds onto him (P wonders why he is the last one out)
- The leave unnoticed and get back to the ship but before they leave O tells P his real name and P realizes the prophesy and curses him to Poseidon. He tris to it the boat but misses.
- They split their spoils, 6 mean in total die
Is Aeolia civilized?
yes - ‘unbroken wall of bronze’, xenia, house ‘countless delicacies’, they have a king, have a courtyard, ‘roasting meat’, hyper civilised, endless feasting
no - - always feasting
- the daughters marrying the sons (incestuous)
- floating island (weird and supernatural)
- Aeolus controls the winds (God?)
Is Telepylus civilized?
yes - Herdsmen bringing their flocks to an assembly place, cattle, sheep, king, smoke (fire), palace, well-worn track used by wagons bringing timber
- perfect harbor
no- - no cultivated fields, or herds were visible
- Cheiftan’s daughter doesn’t speak Greek
- huge, man-eating giants
Features of Aeaea
- clearing
- circe singing and weaving – associated with spells and trickery
- mountain lions and wolves which were bewitched by Circe
- They kill a stag near the beach
- they lie on the beach for 2 days straight out of exhaustion
- Hermes gives O moly
- Noble great-hearted Eurylochus takes 22 men with him to Circe’s home
What happens in the Circe episode?
- Polites, an authorative man, tells the crew to call for Circe. She comes out at once and asks them to enter. The innocent party follow her inside but suspicious Eurylochus hid outside
- C offers them food which is laced with a noxious drug, making them loose all memory of their native land
- C turns them into pigs, Eurylochus goes back to tell O what happened. O says he must go and save the crew despite E’s pleas and threatens to kill E
- O went to C and meets H on the way who tells H how to defeat C. She gives him a herb, Moly.
- O goes to the house, doesn’t get poisoned and prevent C from turning him into a pig
-C figures out who he is and O makes her swear not to play any more tricks - O then sleeps with her, has a bath and eats. Then C frees the men.
- They went back to the ship and everyone was crying of joy, they go back to C’s house
- They all get baths, get clothes and dinner
- They stay for a year until the crew ask O whether they can go back to Ithaca
- Circe lets them to and tells O how to get back to Ithaca (need to go to halls of Hades and consult the soul of Teiresias, the blind Theban prophet)
Is Circe more like a witch or human?
- described as an odd character who acts gentle and powerless
-she turns the men into pigs - uses deception
- singing and weaving
- Hermes says she works with ‘black magic’
- however, she is the perfect hostess (giving the men baths, clothes, lodgings) and sings and weaves (stereotypical ideal for mortal women),
Is Odysseus selfish or not?
-selfish leader – responsible for suffering of his crew Polyphemus scene (making them stay even for xenia and shouting out has name, the curse), makes crew stay with Circe for a year, calls his crew ‘fools of men’, deflects blame when he can’t control his crew , his desire for Kleos and pride makes him a selfish leader. He is also selfish on Telepylus (Laestrygonians) when he selfishly separates himself form his crew.
On the other hand, he saves them from the lotus fruit eaters, and manages to get them out of P’s cave
Book 19 summary
-Odysseus is disguised as a beggar by Athena
- He gets verbally attacked by melantho (maid) and his wife defends him.
- He tells a fake story in order to maintain his identity and get revenge on the suitors
- Penelope tells Eurycleia, O’s old nurse, to wash his feed
- E recognizes him – scar ekphrasis
- O threatens E not to say anything
- Penelope tells O about a dream she had, O tells her it means her husband will return
Book 21 summary
- P announces the contest where the suitors must string a bow and arrow in order to become her wife.
-Telemachus fails, Odysseus manages to. O tries after Eurymachus, a suitor fails. The suitors are outrages that Odysseus would want to try. - At this time Telemachus and some slaves know O’s true identity.
- Eurycleia locks the door so the suitors can’t escape
Book 22 summary
- O shoots the leading suitor Antinous first. The suitors still don’t know O’s true identity so O reveals himself
- O the kills Eurymachus even though he tries to blame his behavior on the other suitors and Antinous
- Athena encourages O to kill all the suitors
- T and loyal slaves help
- Athena makes sure that all the suitor’s arrows miss and all the others, but she disappears for a bit and this encourages the suitors
-When all the suitors are dead, they kill the disloyal maids by hanging them, and the evil slave Melanthius (who helps suitors get weapons in the battle). - loyal slaves are spared
how is Odysseus a paragon of heroism and perfection
The Cyclops: In Book 9 of the Odyssey, Odysseus’ encounter with Polyphemus shows his intelligence and resourcefulness. By introducing himself as “Nobody,” Odysseus is able to deceive the Cyclops and escape with his men. This episode reveals his ability to use strategy and cleverness rather than brute force, which is a key trait of his heroism.
Responsibility for His Men: Throughout his journey, Odysseus feels a profound responsibility for the men who accompany him. Even though his decisions often lead to their death (such as when he allows them to slaughter Helios’ cattle), Odysseus demonstrates great loyalty and care for his men, and he is burdened by guilt when they perish. This sense of responsibility is an important aspect of his heroism.
Returning Home to Ithaca: Despite the many temptations and distractions he encounters (Calypso, Circe, the Lotus-Eaters), Odysseus’ ultimate goal is always to return to Ithaca and reunite with his family. This sense of purpose, combined with his endurance and leadership, shows his dedication to his responsibilities as a husband, father, and king.
and so on…
