THE ODYSSEY STUDY GUIDE
English 1
PART I

TELL THE STORY (p. 1045)
1. Who begins the story?
2. What is an invocation?
3. Who did the Greeks believe a muse to be?
4. What is asked of the muse? (line 1)
5. What is foreshadowed in lines 10 -15?
6. Who is Calypso? (lines 21-24)
7. What god does not pity Odysseus? (line 3)
THE WANDERINGS
CALYPSO, THE SWEET NYMPH (Handout)
8. Who is searching the Mediterranean world for Odysseus? (p. 891)
9. How many years has Odysseus spent as Calypso’s captive? (p. 891)
10. What does Athena ask of her father, Zeus?
11. Who is Hermes?
12. What is ambrosial?
13. Where is Pieria?
14. .In lines 40 - 44, a Homeric Simile compares Hermes’ flight to what?
15. When Odysseus is first introduced, what is he doing? (line 78)
16. "O forlorn man, be still. Here you…I have pondered it, and I shall help you go." Who said this and why is it deceitful. (lines 88-91)

17. What does Calypso offer Odysseus if he will remain with her? (line 107)
18. What happens when Odysseus sets sail on his raft? (p. 893)
19. Who helps Odysseus get to the island of Scheria? (p. 893)
20. A Homeric Simile in lines 119-122, compares the way Odysseus hides in the leaves to sleep to _________?

“I AM LAERTE’S SON” (p. 895)
21. At the court of Alcinous, King of the Phaeacians, what does Odysseus ask the minstrel to sing about? Why is the ironic?

22. The story now shifts to first person (line 126)…why?
23. Why does Odysseus’ introduction of himself sound conceited? (line 129)
24. What did Odysseus’ men do wrong on coast of Cicones?
25. What military advantage did the Cicones have? (lines 161-164)
26. What happened to some of Odysseus’ men?
THE LOTUS EATERS (p. 1047
27. Why did Odysseus send two men and a runner ahead of the main party? (lines 202 -203)

28. How did the Lotus affect Odysseus’ men? (lines 207-210)

29. How did Odysseus keep his men on the ships?

THE CYCLOPS (p. 1050)
30. What is the name of the Cyclops and who is his father?

31. What is the distinguishing physical feature of the Cyclops?
32. What do lines 226-241 suggest about the Cyclops?
33. When Odysseus identifies himself, what did he remind the Cyclops of in order to ensure the safety of his men? (lines 249-261)

34. What is the Cyclops’ response to Odysseus’ reminder? (lines 263-268)
35. Why did Odysseus lie to the Cyclops about the location of his ship? (271-276)
36. How did the Cyclops respond? (277-283)
37. Why didn’t Odysseus kill the Cyclops when he had the chance? (292-295)
38. What literary element does Homer use to describe dawn’s light in line 297?
39. In lines 297- 305, what two things are being compared?
40. From the lengthy description about preparing the pole, what inference can you draw?
41. What is Odysseus planning to do? (310-323)
42. How does he decide which men will help him? (324-)
43. What clues suggest that a god or goddess may be present in the cave?
44. What lie does Odysseus tell about his name? (360)
45. What is Polyphemus’ “gift” to Odysseus? (362-363)
46. What details suggest that Polyphemus is drunk? (348-367)
47. As he describes the blinding, what sensory words are used? (368-384)
48. In the Homeric simile that begins on line 385, what does Homer compare the hissing to?
49. When the other Cyclopes respond to Polyphemus’s screaming, how does Odysseus’ name, Nohbdy, work to his advantage? (390-409)

50. To what do the fellow Cyclops attribute Polyphemus’s pain? (405-408)
51. Why does Polyphemus squat in front of the cave? (414-415)
52. To prepare for their escape, where does Odysseus hide each of his men? (421-427)
53. Where does he hide? (427-432)
54. Notice the repetition of the description of dawn; what human attribute is being given to dawn…what literary element is this? (433)

55. Why is Polyphemus’ long speech to his ram ironic? (444-460)
56. Read lines 476-480; what words would you use to describe what Odysseus is doing?
57. How does Polyphemus respond? (481-485)
58. What does Odysseus really want Polyphemis to know? (502-505)
59. What does this tell the reader about Odysseus?
THE WITCH CIRCE (Handout)
60. Why do the animals that lay near Circe’s cave frighten Odysseus’ men? (541-548)

61. When all the men follow Circe, why does Eurylochus refuse? (563)

62. What happens next that justifies his fears? (565-576)

63. Why does Circe free Odysseus’ men?

THE LAND OF THE DEAD (p. 1065)
64. Although he is blind, what can Teiresias do? What literary element is this an example of?

65. What order does Teiresias give Odysseus?

66. According to Teiresias, what will he find when arrives home on Ithaca?

67. What does line 638 mean?

68. What does Teiresias tell Odysseus to do to atone for blinding Poseidon’s son?

THE SIRENS; SCYLLA AND CHARYBDIS (p. 1071)
69. Where do the men go after Odysseus visits the Land of the Dead?

70. What advice does Circe give Odysseus?

71. How do the Sirens lure travelers to their destruction?

72. What does Odysseus do with the beeswax?

73. Compare and contrast the danger of the Sirens and the danger of the Lotus-Eaters.

74. Describe Scylla.

75. Describe Charybdis. What does she personify?

76. Why can’t Odysseus just sail around them?

77. Why does Odysseus choose to sail toward Scylla rather than Charybdis?

78. Was Odysseus right not to tell his men about his decision to sail toward Scylla?

THE CATTLE OF THE SUN GOD (p. 1076)
79. What does Eurylochus say to persuade Odysseus’ men to slaughter and eat the cattle of Helios, the sun god?

80. Think about Eurylochus’ actions in “The Witch Circe”. Eplain how his actions in this adventure are different.

81. Why is Odysseus unable to keep his men from killing the cattle?

82. What happens to Odysseus’ men after they eat the cattle at Helios?

83. Where does Odysseus end up after Zeus destroys his ship?

 

PART II THE HOMECOMING
THE RETURN OF ODYSSEUS (p. 1091)
84. Whose ship does Odysseus return to Ithaca in? (p. 928)

85. Athena advises Odysseus to go home in what form? Why?

86. Who is Odysseus’ trusted servant, the swineherd?

87. Telemachus has been gone from Ithaca for how long and doing what?

88. How long has Odysseus been gone from Ithaca?

89. On page 930, lines 991 – 996, what has Athena done to Odysseus?

90. At first, in lines 1000-1108, who does Telemachus think Odysseus is?

91. On page 931, lines 1030-1035, to what are the cries of Odysseus and Telemachus compared?

ARGUs (p. 1096)
92. Who is Eurycleia?

93. Who is Argos?

94. What might the negative description concerning Argo’s condition symbolize ?

95. At the bottom of page 932, Odysseus discusses Argos with Eumaeus. How is this scene ironic?

96. “For Zeus who views the wide world takes away half the manhood of a man, that day he goes into captivity and slavery.” What does this mean?

97. What happens to Argos?

98. When the suitors mistreat the “beggar” Penelope is supportive. What qualities does this reveal about Penelope?

99. “Now misery has him on a leash.” What literary element is this…who/what is it referring to?

THE SUITORS-THE CHALLENGE (p. 1097)
100. How does Penelope intend to stall for time?

101. What marital test does Penelope propose for the suitors?

102. In the first paragraph – what literary element is used to describe the scene in the storeroom?

103. Why is Penelope crying?

104. “…on her shoulder hung the quiver spiked with coughing death.” What is Penelope holding?

105. Regarding Penelope, what kind of beauty is Homer referring to in line 1105?

106. In lines 1127 – 1133, what internal conflict does Odysseus deal with?
107. Why does Odysseus decide to reveal his true self to the swineherd (Eumaeus) and the cowherd?

108. What does Odysseus do to prove to the swineherd and cowherd that he is really Odysseus?

109. Why is Penelope’s acceptance of the beggar as a suitor ironic?

110. What epithet (descriptive phrase used to characterize a person) is used for Odysseus in line 1185?