The Odyssey Chapter 1-5 Flashcards
Kleos
Kleos is a term used in epic poetry that means immortal fame, but can also mean rumor or renown. A Greek soldier can earn kleos through his courage. A monument can bring kleos, as can reports of one’s offspring’s virtuous deeds.
in media res
the miiddle of things
Achaeans
specifically to people from the region of Achilles’ homeland, in south Thessaly. The term Achaean may also refer to the people who are called Mycenaeans, like the followers of Agamemnon.
Antoius
most arrogant of penelopes suitors
Calypso
was a nymph in Greek mythology, who lived on the island of Ogygia, where she detained Odysseus for several years. She is generally said to be the daughter of the Titan Atlas.
Eurycleia
The aged and loyal servant who nursed Odysseus and Telemachus when they were babies. Eurycleia is well informed about palace intrigues and serves as confidante to her masters
Lacedaeman
was mythical king of Laconia and son of the chief god Zeus and the Pleaid Taygete. He was a father of King Amyclas of Sparta and Queen Eurydice of Argos, by Princess Sparta, the daughter of King Eurotas.
Orestes
In Greek mythology, Orestes was the son of Clytemnestra and Agamemnon. He is the subject of several Ancient Greek plays and of various myths connected with his madness and purification, which retain obscure threads of much older ones.
Telemachus
telemachus Odysseus’s son. An infant when Odysseus left for Troy, Telemachus is about twenty at the beginning of the story. He is a natural obstacle to the suitors desperately courting his mother, but despite his courage and good heart, he initially lacks the poise and confidence to oppose them. His maturation, especially during his trip to Pylos and Sparta in Books 3 and 4, provides a subplot to the epic. Athena often assists him.
Nestor
In Greek mythology, Nestor of Gerenia was the son of Neleus and Chloris and the King of Pylos. He became king after Heracles killed Neleus and all of Nestor’s siblings. His wife was either Eurydice or Anaxibia; their children included Peisistratus, Thrasymedes, Pisidice, Polycaste, Stratichus, Aretus, Echephron, and Antilochus.
Epic Poem
a long, serious, poetic narrative about a significant event, often featuring a hero.
Epithet
: a word or phrase that describes a person or thing
Aegisthus
Sometimes spelled Aegisthus. The treacherous lover of Agamemnon’s wife, Klytaimestra. He conspired with her to kill her husband and was later murdered in revenge by Orestes, Agamemnon’s son.
Athena
daughter of zeus. goddess of wisdom, purposfull battle, and womanly arts.athena asists odysseus and tlemachus with divin powers.disguises herself as mentor, an old friend of odysseus
Clytemnestra
Clytemnestra, in Greek legend, a daughter of Leda and Tyndareus and wife of Agamemnon, commander of the Greek forces in the Trojan War. She took Aegisthus as her lover while Agamemnon was away at war. Upon his return, Clytemnestra and Aegisthus murdered Agamemnon. Clytemnestra was then killed by her son, Orestes, with the help of his sister Electra, in revenge for his father’s murder.
Helen
Helen was the most beautiful woman ever.She was married to a Greek king named Menelaos.So he stole her. The Greeks launched a war against Troy, with many ships, swords, spears, arrows, and deaths, and they won: Menelaos got his wife back.
Menelaus
A King of Sparta and husband to Helen; he’s the second man Telemachos visits in his search for Odysseus, and he’s the one who confirms the boy’s father is still alive and on Kalypso’s island. Like his buddy Nestor, he’s hospitable—but his main function is to tell Telemachos lots and lots of stories about his dad.
Penelope
The other Greek wives must have hated Penelope. She’s like an ancient Greek Martha Stewart, without the pesky insider trading scandal: the perfect hostess, a faithful wife, a loving mother, and really good with the loom.
Odysseus
also known by the Roman name Ulysses was a legendary Greek king of Ithaca and a hero of Homer’s epic poem the Odyssey. Odysseus also plays a key role in Homer’s Iliad and other works in that same Epic Cycle.
Athene
Zeus’s daughter Athene may be the patroness of warfare but she’s also the goddess of wisdom,And having Athene on your side is a definite plus: she helps him do everything from winning favors to devising plans.
Hubris
Excessive pride or self-confidence
Epic Smile
An epic simile is a formal, sustained comparison of two subjects that elaborates the secondary subject so vividly that it temporarily eclipses the primary subject.
Agamemnon
king of Mycenae or Argos. He was the son of Atreus, and his wife Aërope and was the brother of Menelaus. After Atreus was murdered by his nephew Aegisthus Agamemnon and Menelaus took refuge with Tyndareus, king of Sparta, whose daughters, Clytemnestra and Helen, they respectively married. By Clytemnestra, Agamemnon had a son, Orestes, and three daughters, Iphigeneia Electra and Chrysothemis. Menelaus succeeded Tyndareus, and Agamemnon recovered his father’s kingdom.
Atreus
Atreus, in Greek legend, the son of Pelops of Mycenae and his wife, Hippodamia. Atreus was the elder brother of Thyestes and was the king of Mycenae. The story of his family—the House of Atreus—is virtually unrivaled in antiquity for complexity and corruption. There are several different accounts of Atreus’s feud with Thyestes.
