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Book 11: The Kingdom of the Dead

The blind prophet Tiresias, whom Odysseus meets in the Kingdom of the Dead, appears in several ancient Greek works, including the play,

Oedipus the King.

Characters

• Achilles

• Agamemnon

• Anticleia

• Great Ajax

• Heracles

• Queen Persephone

• Tiresias

Settings

• Phaeacia

• The Kingdom of the Dead [in flashback].

Thought Questions

• Odysseus spends the first part of the book telling about the women that he speaks with. Only after he is interrupted by Alcinous does he tell of the Trojan heroes. Why do you think that is? (Is he perhaps flattering the real power of the throne, Arete?)

• Can we trust Odysseus’ stories? We know he likes to invent lies at the spur of the moment. What if his stories are just fabrications?

• What do we learn about the burial customs of the Achaeans?

• Visiting the Land of the Dead allows Homer a chance to talk with famous mythological characters. Who are some of these?

• What view of death does this book convey? Note Achilles' speech (lines 555-573)

• What heroes from the Trojan War does Odysseus speak to?

• The makers of the 2000 made-for-television series The Odyssey apparently didn't read Homer when they created the Land of the Dead. They created a world of fire, similar to our concept of Hell. Compare the view of Hell with Homer's view of Hades.

• What happened to the God Hades and his three-headed dog? Explain why those two features of Hades don’t appear.

• What role does Queen Persephone take on in this book?

Book 12: The Cattle of the Sun

[pic]

The sirens were portrayed as both male and female in the earlier works, but later became primarily female. Some artists represent them as having arms.

Characters

• Helios

Settings

• Phaeacia

• Aeaea [in flashback].

• Island of the Sirens [in flashback].

• Scylla [in flashback].

• Thrinacia, island of the Sun God [in flashback].

• Charybdis [in flashback].

Thought Questions

• Which attribute of the sirens makes them most dangerous?

• Why is it that every time Odysseus goes to sleep or is gone, his men screw up?

Book 13: Ithaca at Last!

Characters

• no new characters

Settings

• Phaeacia

• Ithaca

• Mt. Olympus

Thought Questions

• Why would tripods and cauldrons be good gifts?

• Athena is credited with giving Athens the olive tree, which became one of her symbols. Can you see any significance to hiding the treasure at the olive tree?

• Why do you think Homer punishes the people of Scheria for helping the protagonist? What point do you think he is making?

Book 14: The Loyal Swineherd

[pic]

Characters

• Eumaeus

Settings

• Ithaca

Thought Questions

• How does Eumaeus show an understanding of hospitality?

• Why does Odysseus see Eumaeus as one of his trusted slaves?

Book 15: The Prince Sets Sail for Home

[pic]

The image is based on an Ancient Greek coin and one of the book’s omens. For the Achaeans, good omens come on the right, bad omens on the left. Note that difference as you read the book. How are the two omens described in this book?

Characters

• Theoclymenos

Settings

• Lakedaimon

• Pylos

• Ithaca

Thought Questions

• How superstitious are the people we are studying?

• What is Telemachus' main diplomatic challenge in this book? How does Athena help him meet the challenge?

• What role does Helen play in this book? What does the prophecy she makes reveal about her? Why might it be significant, in terms of the Odyssey as a whole, that Helen, whose misbehavior towards her husband set in motion the Trojan War, gives Telemachus a robe to bestow upon his future bride?

• Who is Theoclymenus, and why is it appropriate that Telemachus should treat him kindly?

Book 16: Father and Son

Characters

• Amphinomus

Settings

• Ithaca

Thought Questions

• Why does Odysseus not want Telemachus to tell Penelope he is back?

• In this book Odysseus reveals his identity to Telemachus. What does the reaction of the two characters tell us about the Greeks' attitude towards the expression of emotion? How does their attitude differ from ours? (Think of American film heroes like John Wayne, Clint Eastwood or Matt Damon.)

• In what ways does Telemachus show in this book that he has matured?

Book 17: Stranger at the Gates

Characters

• Melanthius

• Argos

Settings

• Ithaca

Thought Questions

• Look at Antinous' speech regarding beggars. What does it say about the way an average Achaean might view a beggar? Are the suitors the same?

• Odysseus is supposed to be the richest ruler around. Does his palace sound like anything to match the others we've visited?

• In Elizabethan revenge tragedies, it is common for the villain to declare himself a thorough rascal. In what way do Melanthius the goatherd and the suitors throw away a chance to redeem themselves in this book? Why do they fail?

• Around line 480 Odysseus tells a "resourceful" tale, namely that he was sold into slavery in Egypt. Although the tale is a lie, what purpose does it serve, aside from establishing some cover for Odysseus in concealing his true identity?

Book 18: The Beggar-King of Ithaca

Characters

• Irus

• Melantho

Settings

• Ithaca

Thought Questions

• What does Odysseus think of Amphinomos?

• What does the interchange between Penelope and Eurynome suggest about the supposed place of women during this time period?

Book 19: Penelope and Her Guest

Characters

• Autolycus [in story].

Settings

• Ithaca

Thought Questions

• How does the book show Penelope the equal to her husband?

• Do you think it is possible that someone would love their spouse as much as Penelope says she does and not recognize her husband even though he has been gone 20 years? Are there any clues that she might know she is speaking to him?

• How is Odysseus able to sit and lie to his wife if he loves her as much as he says?

• Interpret the dream that Penelope relates to the stranger towards the book's end. Does it reveal things about her stance towards the suitors that would probably surprise even her?

Book 20: Portents Gather

Characters

• Ctesippus

• Philoetius

Settings

• Ithaca

Thought Questions

• What portents announce the struggle to come? How does Odysseus react to them?

• Athena inspires the suitors to behave even more inappropriately than usual. Why does she do that? What effect does their behavior have on Odysseus and Telemachus?

Book 21: Odysseus Strings His Bow

Characters

• Leodes

Settings

• Ithaca

Thought Questions

• How has Homer built up the expectations of his listeners for the slaughter that is about to take place?

Book 22: Slaughter in the Hall

Characters

• No new character

Settings

• Ithaca

Thought Questions

• As logic dictates, Antinous is the first to die. How do the remaining suitors try to appease Odysseus? Why, in view of the Odyssey's task as we have discussed it in class, would it be inappropriate for Odysseus to accept their arguments or pleas?

• At what points in the struggle is Athena active? How much does she help Odysseus, and how much credit is mainly his?

• Why might it be significant, in light of the Odyssey's task as we have discussed it in class that around line 400 Odysseus, in Fagles' translation, refers to the work that remains to be done in the book as "household chores"?

• How do Odysseus and Telemachus deal with Melanthius the goatherd and the women who sported with the suitors? Consider the intensity of the violence throughout this book - do you find it unsettling or "over the top"? Why or why not? Does the epic narrator take up an attitude towards the violence?

• Among the power of Homer's talent are his similes. Why is his description of the women servants' deaths particularly effective? Is their death an appropriate punishment for their crime?

Book 23: The Great Rooted Bed

Characters

• No new character

Settings

• Ithaca

Thought Questions

• How does Penelope prove herself Odysseus' equal?

• Why doesn't the epic end with this book, when Odysseus is back in the arms of his wife?

• If you were Odysseus, would you want to know a prophecy about your own death?

• In order for Odysseus to reestablish himself as a peacetime ruler, what does he still have to do?

Book 24: Peace

[pic]

This coin with the image of Athena’s owl includes the olive leaves and olive sacred to Athena.

Characters

• Eupithes

• Dolius and his sons

Settings

• Ithaca

• Mt. Olympus

Thought Questions

• What burial customs are described in two places of this book?

• How does Homer create a symmetry to the book by including Agamemnon and his story in this last book?

• What problem remains for Odysseus to deal with, even though he has rid himself of the suitors and their hangers-on? What reason do the suitors' surviving kin give for their attempt to kill Odysseus? Is it grief alone, or something different?

• What is the irony of Odysseus helped by Dolius & his sons?

• A recent film of the book leaves off this book. What does the story lose by not including it?

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