The Odyssey - Books 1-2 Flashcards
Define: Polytropos
“man of twists and turns”
Define: In Medias Res
to begin in the middle of things
Ithaca
The homeland of Telemachus and Odysseus. Odysseus is trying to return here.
What is the Invocation of the Muse / Proem
the first twelve lines of the text wherein Homer calls on the muses to inspire his telling of the story.
What is The Oresteia
The story of the murder of King Agamemnon by his wife, Clytemnestra, and the murder of Clytemnestra by her son, Orestes.
This story serves as a warning throughout the Odyssey.
Why does Poseidon take action against Odysseus and block his journey home?
Odysseus blinded Poseidon’s son, Polyphemus.
Where is Odysseus when the poem begins?
The island of Ogygia - Calypso’s home
Define: Kleos
“renown”, or “glory”.
It is related to the English word “loud” and carries the implied meaning of “what others hear about you”.
A Greek hero earns kleos through accomplishing great deeds.
Define: Xenia
‘guest friendship or ‘ritualized friendship’. To have Xenia the good hospitality needs to go both ways.
EXAMPLE: you need both
1. The respect from hosts to guests. Hosts must be hospitable to guests and provide them with a bath, food, drink, gifts, and safe escort to their next destination. It is considered rude to ask guests questions, or even to ask who they are, before they have finished the meal provided to them.
- The respect from guests to hosts. Guests must be courteous to their hosts and not be a threat or burden. Guests are expected to provide stories and news from the outside world. Most importantly, guests are expected to reciprocate if their hosts ever visit them in their homes
Why must the Ancient Greeks practice good hospitality toward guests?
At any time, the person visiting may be a god in disguise. To practice bad hospitality is punishable by Zeus, the protector of strangers.
Character: Penelope
Odysseus’ wife and Telemachus’ mother.
Readers never truly know what Penelope knows or is thinking.
Character: the suitors?
Men who want to marry Telemachus’ mother, Odysseus’ wife - Penelope. They believe that Odysseus is dead and if he does return they believe they will kill him.
Why does Athena visit Telemachus?
To spur him to action to find news of his father. She encourages Telemachus’ coming of age story.
How does Penelope gain her own Kleos?
By tricking the suitors into thinking she is weaving a burial shroud for Laertes, Odysseus’ father, and when she is done, she will choose one of them to marry. However, she weaves all day and pulls her work apart at night for three years to hold them off.
Define: Omen
an event regarded as a sign of good or evil to come
