10 Questions
In The Odyssey, who does Penelope say she will marry?
Whoever can reroute the Alpheus and Peneus rivers
What is one of Circe's magical powers in The Odyssey?
Turning men into beasts
Where must Odysseus journey to at the end of The Odyssey in order to make peace with Poseidon?
So far inland that someone mistakes his oar for a winnowing fan
While Odysseus is disguised as a beggar, who does Athena disguise Penelope as?
A shepherd boy
What is one of the keys to dating the text of The Odyssey to the 9th/8th century BCE?
The alphabet
What is 'in medias res' as a literary strategy?
Builds sympathy
What does the household of Menelaus & Helen at Sparta serve as in the story?
Foil
According to Aurelius, how should we respond to the prospect of an early death?
With grace and gratitude to nature, who started your life to begin with
What does Socrates think the process of adjustment for the person dragged from the cave will likely follow?
Shadows
According to Aristotle's 'On Poetics', what is a tragedy?
An imitation of an action that is serious, complete, and that has magnitude and uses pity and fear to affect catharsis in the audience so they can feel sympathy
Study Notes
The Odyssey
- Penelope says she will marry whoever can string Odysseus' bow and shoot an arrow through the axes.
- Circe has the magical power to transform people into animals.
- To make peace with Poseidon, Odysseus must journey to the land of the Thesprotians and sacrifice a ram, bull, and trotting goat.
Literary Devices and Concepts
- "In medias res" is a literary strategy where the story begins in the middle of the action, rather than at the beginning.
Household of Menelaus and Helen
- The household of Menelaus and Helen at Sparta serves as a model of a harmonious couple, contrasting with Odysseus and Penelope's situation.
Philosophy
- According to Aurelius, we should respond to the prospect of an early death by living in the present and not fearing the future.
- According to Socrates, the process of adjustment for the person dragged from the cave will likely follow the stages of confusion, frustration, and eventually understanding.
- According to Aristotle's "On Poetics", a tragedy is a form of drama that represents a serious action, has a beginning, middle, and end, and evokes feelings of pity and fear in the audience.
Test your knowledge of logical fallacies and Greek mythology in this quiz. Identify logical fallacies and answer questions about characters and events from Greek mythology.
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