The Odyssey Flashcards
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Questions and Answers

Who is Eurylochus and why is his role significant in the Odyssey?

Eurylochus is one of Odysseus's men. He challenges Odysseus, refuses to take orders on one occasion, and is behind the slaughter of the cattle of Helios.

Describe the disguise Athena gives Odysseus upon his return to Ithaca.

Athena disguises Odysseus as an old beggar so nobody will recognize him.

How long does Odysseus stay on Calypso's Island?

7 years

Who is Eurycleia?

<p>Eurycleia is Odysseus's fiercely loyal nursemaid.</p> Signup and view all the answers

Who is Helen of Sparta/Helen of Troy?

<p>Helen is the wife of Menelaus who leaves with Paris for Troy and starts the Trojan War.</p> Signup and view all the answers

What is Hades?

<p>In Greek mythology, Hades is the underworld where people go when they die.</p> Signup and view all the answers

Who is Antinoos?

<p>Antinoos is the most ill-behaved suitor of Penelope.</p> Signup and view all the answers

Who is Laertes?

<p>Laertes is the father of Odysseus.</p> Signup and view all the answers

Who is Telemachus?

<p>Telemachus is the son of Odysseus and Penelope.</p> Signup and view all the answers

Who is Hermes?

<p>Hermes is the messenger of the Greek gods and son of Zeus.</p> Signup and view all the answers

What is Ithaca?

<p>Ithaca is a Greek island and the home of Odysseus.</p> Signup and view all the answers

Who is Athena?

<p>Athena is the Greek goddess of wisdom and warfare; daughter of Zeus.</p> Signup and view all the answers

What does Circe do to men she finds on her island?

<p>She turns them into animals.</p> Signup and view all the answers

What is Helios?

<p>Helios is the Greek god of the sun.</p> Signup and view all the answers

What happens to Odysseus when he hears tales of the Trojan War?

<p>He breaks down crying in sadness.</p> Signup and view all the answers

Who is Nestor?

<p>Nestor is a king of Pylos who helps the Greeks in the Trojan War.</p> Signup and view all the answers

Who is Polyphemus?

<p>Polyphemus is a Cyclops, the son of Poseidon, who has his eye poked out by Odysseus.</p> Signup and view all the answers

Who is Calypso?

<p>Calypso is a sea nymph who detains Odysseus on the island of Ogygia for 7 years.</p> Signup and view all the answers

Who is Penelope?

<p>Penelope is the cunning wife of Odysseus and mother of Telemachus. She holds off the suitors for many years.</p> Signup and view all the answers

Who is Aigisthos?

<p>Aigisthos is the man who has an affair with Agamemnon's wife, Clytemnestra. He kills Agamemnon.</p> Signup and view all the answers

Who is Menelaus?

<p>Menelaus is the king of Sparta, brother of Agamemnon, and husband of Helen.</p> Signup and view all the answers

Who is Homer?

<p>Homer is a blind poet of Ancient Greece; he is given credit for writing The Iliad and The Odyssey.</p> Signup and view all the answers

Define epic.

<p>An epic is a long poem, usually from the oral tradition, narrating the deeds and adventures of heroes.</p> Signup and view all the answers

Describe a bard.

<p>A bard is a poet, traditionally one reciting epics and associated with the oral tradition.</p> Signup and view all the answers

Why is Telemachus angry in the beginning of the Odyssey?

<p>Suitors have invaded his home, are using his resources, and courting his mother.</p> Signup and view all the answers

Who is Odysseus?

<p>Odysseus is the King of Ithaca and leader of the Trojan War. He wanders in a 10-year journey home.</p> Signup and view all the answers

Who is Scylla?

<p>Scylla is a six-headed monster, each head eats one sailor from a ship as it passes her cave.</p> Signup and view all the answers

Who is Charybdis?

<p>Charybdis is a giant whirlpool which will destroy an entire ship if it gets too close.</p> Signup and view all the answers

What is the Trojan War?

<p>The Trojan War is the 10-year war between the Greeks and the Trojans to recover Menelaus's wife.</p> Signup and view all the answers

Who is Mentor?

<p>Mentor is a wise and trusted counselor often used as a disguise by Athena.</p> Signup and view all the answers

What happens to a person who eats a lotus flower?

<p>The person loses all desire for home and only wants to stay and eat the lotus flower.</p> Signup and view all the answers

What task must Odysseus accomplish to appease Poseidon, as instructed by Teiresias?

<p>Odysseus must walk to where people do not know the sea and make a sacrifice to Poseidon.</p> Signup and view all the answers

What happens to maidservants who betray Odysseus?

<p>They are punished by cleaning the great hall, removing the dead bodies, and killed by hanging.</p> Signup and view all the answers

How do the suitors treat the beggar?

<p>They treat him poorly, mocking him, and even throw a stool at him.</p> Signup and view all the answers

What happens to the suitors in the great hall after the contest with the bow?

<p>Odysseus and Telemachus kill them all, along with the help of Athena, the drover, and the swineherd.</p> Signup and view all the answers

What is the advice that Nestor gives Telemachus?

<p>Nestor advises him to go to Menelaus and find out what he knows of Odysseus and his whereabouts.</p> Signup and view all the answers

What happens when Odysseus finally agrees to participate in the games in Phaeacia?

<p>He throws the stone farther than any of the Phaeacians and proves his strength.</p> Signup and view all the answers

How does Odysseus escape from Polyphemus?

<p>After blinding the Cyclops, Odysseus and his men hide under the belly of sheep as they exit Polyphemus's cave.</p> Signup and view all the answers

Why isn't Circe able to turn Odysseus into a pig?

<p>Hermes gives Odysseus a charm to make him impervious to Circe's spells.</p> Signup and view all the answers

Which sacred rules of the gods does Polyphemus break upon meeting Odysseus and his men?

<p>Polyphemus violates the custom of xenia, or hospitality, in which one must treat strangers kindly.</p> Signup and view all the answers

What is an omen?

<p>An omen is a message or sign sent by the gods, meant to tell the future.</p> Signup and view all the answers

What role do the gods play in ancient Greek society?

<p>Ancient Greeks believed the gods regularly interacted with humans, often taking human form and meddling in the lives of mortals.</p> Signup and view all the answers

How does Agamemnon die?

<p>He returns home from the Trojan War and his wife, Clytemnestra, has been having an affair with Aigisthos. Agamemnon is murdered by Aegisthus.</p> Signup and view all the answers

Describe the Greek custom of hospitality, or xenia.

<p>The Greeks believed they were compelled by the gods to treat strangers kindly. They believed a stranger might be a god in disguise.</p> Signup and view all the answers

How does Eurycleia, the nursemaid, discover Odysseus's true identity?

<p>The nurse feels a scar from a boar hunt that Odysseus sustained as a boy. She had helped heal the wound and at once recognized the scar.</p> Signup and view all the answers

Who is Agamemnon?

<p>In Greek mythology, he is the king of Mycenae, brother of Menelaus, leader in the Trojan War, betrayed by his wife Clytemnestra, and murdered by her lover Aigisthos.</p> Signup and view all the answers

What lie does Odysseus tell Polyphemus and how does it contribute to his escape?

<p>He says his name is 'Noman' or 'Nobody'. When Polyphemus calls for help, he says 'nobody' is hurting him, which makes the other Cyclopeans leave.</p> Signup and view all the answers

What happens to the bag of wind Odysseus is given by Aiolos?

<p>The bag of wind takes Odysseus and his men within sight of Ithaca. As Odysseus naps, his men open the bag and cause a storm that blows them back to Aiolia.</p> Signup and view all the answers

How does Circe help Odysseus and his men?

<p>She instructs them to go to Hades to speak to Teiresias to get direction home. She also advises them on navigating the Sirens, Scylla, and Charybdis.</p> Signup and view all the answers

What happens with the cattle of Helios?

<p>Odysseus's crew slaughters the best of the cattle. The result is a terrible storm that destroys the ship and drowns everyone except Odysseus.</p> Signup and view all the answers

How does Odysseus navigate Scylla and Charybdis?

<p>Odysseus and his men pass by Scylla, losing six men, one to each of her heads, rather than losing the entire crew to the whirlpool of Charybdis.</p> Signup and view all the answers

To whom does Odysseus first reveal his true identity after his return to Ithaca?

<p>Odysseus reveals his identity to his son, Telemachus.</p> Signup and view all the answers

Describe the contest with the great bow.

<p>Penelope set up a contest in which whoever can string Odysseus's bow and shoot it through 10 axe heads can marry her. Odysseus is the only person who can string the bow, which he does to reveal his identity.</p> Signup and view all the answers

What is Odysseus's act of hubris as he leaves Polyphemus's island and what is its result?

<p>Odysseus taunts Polyphemus as they sail away, nearly causing his ship to be destroyed. By taking credit for blinding Polyphemus and revealing his name, Polyphemus resigns a curse upon Odysseus.</p> Signup and view all the answers

How does Penelope test Odysseus's identity?

<p>She mentions that their bed has been moved. Odysseus becomes angry because he built the bed from a standing tree; the only way to move the bed would be to chop it to pieces.</p> Signup and view all the answers

Describe the trick Penelope puts on the suitors with the shroud she is weaving.

<p>Penelope tells the suitors that when she finishes weaving the shroud, she will choose a husband. She weaves by day but takes it apart at night after three years; one of her maidservants tells the suitors.</p> Signup and view all the answers

What is fate?

<p>Fate is the idea that events are predetermined and will develop in a way that is beyond a person's control.</p> Signup and view all the answers

Describe the suitors. Who are they? Why are the suitors there? How would you characterize their behavior?

<p>The suitors are the lords from nearby who want to marry Odysseus's wife, Penelope. They are staying in his house and feasting upon his food. They are disrespectful and rude to Telemachus and his household.</p> Signup and view all the answers

Who does Odysseus meet in Phaeacia? How do the inhabitants treat him?

<p>Upon landing on the shore, Odysseus meets Nausicaa, the daughter of Queen Arete and King Alcinoos. The Phaeacians treat Odysseus well, learn of his travels, gauge him in their games, and send him home on a ship full of riches.</p> Signup and view all the answers

With whom does Odysseus stay upon his return to Ithaca? Describe this person.

<p>He stays with Eumaeus, the lowly swineherd, who has been fiercely loyal to Odysseus for over 20 years.</p> Signup and view all the answers

Study Notes

Characters in The Odyssey

  • Eurylochus: Odysseus's crew member; significant for challenging Odysseus and leading the slaughter of Helios's cattle.
  • Eurycleia: Loyal nursemaid to Odysseus; recognizes him by a scar from his youth.
  • Helen of Troy: Wife of Menelaus who elopes with Paris, sparking the Trojan War.
  • Antinoos: The most unruly suitor vying for Penelope's hand.
  • Telemachus: Son of Odysseus and Penelope; faces the suitors invading his home.
  • Calypso: A sea nymph who detains Odysseus on her island, Ogygia, for seven years.
  • Penelope: Cunning wife of Odysseus; cleverly fends off suitors for years.
  • Agamemnon: King of Mycenae; betrayed and murdered by his wife, Clytemnestra, and her lover, Aegisthus.
  • Polyphemus: Cyclops; son of Poseidon, blinded by Odysseus.
  • Hermes: Messenger of the gods; aids Odysseus against Circe's magic.
  • Menelaus: King of Sparta; brother of Agamemnon; involved in the Trojan War.

Important Locations and Concepts

  • Ithaca: Odysseus's home; presents a central setting in his journey.
  • Hades: The Greek underworld, where souls go after death.
  • Xenia: Greek custom of hospitality, mandating kind treatment of strangers.
  • Epic: A lengthy narrative poem showcasing heroic deeds, often part of oral tradition.
  • Omen: Signs from the gods indicating future events; used for divination.

Events and Plot Points

  • Odysseus spends seven years on Calypso's island before being released.
  • After a 10-year journey post-Trojan War, Odysseus's return to Ithaca is fraught with challenges.
  • He encounters various creatures and divine beings, including the Sirens, Scylla, and Charybdis.
  • Odysseus's men succumb to the allure of the Lotus flower, losing desire for home.
  • The suitors face dire consequences after disrespecting Odysseus's household.
  • Penelope tests Odysseus's identity using the secret of their bed.

Themes and Motifs

  • Hubris: Odysseus displays excessive pride by taunting Polyphemus, which leads to repercussions from Poseidon.
  • Fate vs. free will: The characters grapple with predetermined destinies controlled by the Fates.
  • Revenge and justice: Odysseus exacts revenge on the suitors upon reclaiming his home.
  • Loyalty and fidelity: Eumaeus and Penelope exemplify loyalty amidst uncertainty and hardship.

Important Interactions

  • Telemachus seeks information about his father, guided by Nestor's advice.
  • Odysseus, disguised as a beggar, is treated poorly by the suitors but later reveals his true identity during the bow contest.
  • Eumaeus, the swineherd, shows unwavering loyalty, providing shelter and support to Odysseus.
  • The gods intervene regularly in mortal affairs, showcasing their omnipotence in human lives.

Challenges Faced by Odysseus

  • Odysseus endures trials, including encounters with Circe and the Cyclops Polyphemus, where he outsmarts these adversaries.
  • He navigates the dangers posed by Scylla and Charybdis to save his crew from total destruction.
  • His journey is marked by temptation, such as the cattle of Helios, leading to severe consequences for his crew.

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Explore key concepts and characters from Homer's 'The Odyssey' with these flashcards. Delve into the significance of Eurylochus, Athena's disguise for Odysseus, and other crucial elements of the epic. Perfect for students looking to reinforce their understanding of this classic literature.

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