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{{DISPLAYTITLE:''The Odyssey''}}
[[Image:Chagall-odyssey.jpg|thumb|The Odyssey, by Chagall]] [[Homer]]’s <i>Odyssey</i> is a ''nostos'', or an [[Epic Poetry | epic]] of return, and asks if one can come home again, especially after years of bloody war. In fact, an odyssey is now meant generally as a long journey home, much like [[Odysseus]]’ after the fall of Troy. The <i>Odyssey</i> attempts to remake order after the chaos of war. Odysseus, a young man when [[Agamemnon]] and [[Menelaos]] recruited him for the campaign against Ilium, is now a middle-aged survivor and veteran of that war who must be smarter than the champion [[Achilles]] and the leader Agamemnon in order to return home and set his lands in order. War almost seems easy in the light of Odysseus’ journey — at least in war, he knew his enemies. Enemies during peacetime wear many masks; Odyssey must do the same if he is to survive. Odyssey has emenies that can't be be humanly fought; the gods, but Athena helps him to get home safely.
[[Image:Chagall-odyssey.jpg|thumb|The Odyssey, by Chagall]] [[Homer]]’s <i>Odyssey</i> is a ''nostos'', or an [[Epic Poetry | epic]] of return, and asks if one can come home again, especially after years of bloody war. In fact, an odyssey is now meant generally as a long journey home, much like [[Odysseus]]’ after the fall of Troy. The <i>Odyssey</i> attempts to remake order after the chaos of war. Odysseus, a young man when [[Agamemnon]] and [[Menelaos]] recruited him for the campaign against Ilium, is now a middle-aged survivor and veteran of that war who must be smarter than the champion [[Achilles]] and the leader Agamemnon in order to return home and set his lands in order. War almost seems easy in the light of Odysseus’ journey — at least in war, he knew his enemies. Enemies during peacetime wear many masks; Odyssey must do the same if he is to survive. Odyssey has emenies that can't be be humanly fought; the gods, but Athena helps him to get home safely.


== Summary ==
== Summary ==
The ''Odyssey''’s action is spread over twenty-four books, generally half before Odyssey returns home, and half after. Throughout his journey odyesseus grows to be a better person.For a synopsis of each book, see [[The Odyssey Summary]].
The ''Odyssey''’s action is spread over twenty-four books, set in medias res that generally occur half before Odysseus returns home, and half after. Throughout his journey, Odysseus faces numerous challenges that center around the deceits of the gods, the indulgences of men, and the cross-cultural desire to return home. Short summaries and resources for all of the books of Homer’s [[Epic Poetry | epic poem]] the ''Odyssey'' are below. Students new to the ''Odyssey'' might want to begin with {{harvtxt|Skidmore|1997}}.
 
{{div col|colwidth=10em}}
* [[The Odyssey Summary:Book 1|Book 1]]
* [[The Odyssey Summary:Book 2|Book 2]]
* [[The Odyssey Summary:Book 3|Book 3]]
* [[The Odyssey Summary:Book 4|Book 4]]
* [[The Odyssey Summary:Book 5|Book 5]]
* [[The Odyssey Summary:Book 6|Book 6]]
* [[The Odyssey Summary:Book 7|Book 7]]
* [[The Odyssey Summary:Book 8|Book 8]]
* [[The Odyssey Summary:Book 9|Book 9]]
* [[The Odyssey Summary:Book 10|Book 10]]
* [[The Odyssey Summary:Book 11|Book 11]]
* [[The Odyssey Summary:Book 12|Book 12]]
* [[The Odyssey Summary:Book 13|Book 13]]
* [[The Odyssey Summary:Book 14|Book 14]]
* [[The Odyssey Summary:Book 15|Book 15]]
* [[The Odyssey Summary:Book 16|Book 16]]
* [[The Odyssey Summary:Book 17|Book 17]]
* [[The Odyssey Summary:Book 18|Book 18]]
* [[The Odyssey Summary:Book 19|Book 19]]
* [[The Odyssey Summary:Book 20|Book 20]]
* [[The Odyssey Summary:Book 21|Book 21]]
* [[The Odyssey Summary:Book 22|Book 22]]
* [[The Odyssey Summary:Book 23|Book 23]]
* [[The Odyssey Summary:Book 24|Book 24]]
{{div col end}}
 
== Themes ==
* ''[[/Xenia/]]'' — An ancient tradition lies behind the traveler’s welcome in Greece — and it is a tradition that was fundamentally religious before it became a part of social custom.{{sfn|Lucas|2013}}


== Comparisons ==
== Comparisons ==
Line 10: Line 41:
== Gods and Mortals ==
== Gods and Mortals ==
* [[Athena and Telemakhos]]
* [[Athena and Telemakhos]]
* [[Muses]]
* [[Hermes]]


== List of Characters ==
{{div col|colwidth=20em}}
===The Various Races===
*[[The Achaeans]]
*[[The Gods]]
*[[The Cicones]]
*[[The Phaecians]]
*[[The Lotus-eaters]]
*[[The Laestrygonians]]
*[[The Cyclopes]]


== List of Characters ==
===Human Beings===
===Human Beings===
* [[Telemakhos]]
* [[Telemakhos]]
Line 19: Line 61:
* [[Nestor]]
* [[Nestor]]
* [[Helen]]
* [[Helen]]
* [[Lotus-eaters]]
===Suitors===
==List of Suitors==
*[[Antinous]]
*[[Antinous]]
*[[Eurymechus]]
*[[Eurymechus]]
*[[Amphinomus]]
*[[Amphinomus]]
==The Women of the ''Odyssey''==
===The Women===
* [[Circe]]
* [[Circe]]
* [[Clytemnestra]]
* [[Clytemnestra]]
Line 30: Line 71:
* [[Helen]]
* [[Helen]]
* [[Penelope]]
* [[Penelope]]
 
===The Supernatural Beings===
== The Supernatural Beings of the ''Odyssey'' ==
* [[Athena]]
* [[Athena]]
* [[Circe]]
* [[Circe]]
Line 38: Line 78:
* [[Poseiden]]
* [[Poseiden]]
* [[Zeus]]
* [[Zeus]]
==Quiz==
* [[Hermes]]
 
{{div col end}}
Scroll through the page to review your answers. The correct answer is highlighted in green.  Your incorrect answers (if any) are highlighted in  red.  If you'd like to take the test over again, click the reset button at the end of the test.
==  ''The Odyssey'' in History ==
 
== Afterlife ==
1. In Penelope’s archery contest, through how many axes must Odysseus fire his arrow?
* [[Greek mythology]]
(A) two
* [[Hades]]
(B) eight
* [[Greek Afterlife vs. Christian Afterlife]]
(C) twelve
(D) thirty
 
2. Which plant makes the sailors forget their desire to return home?
(A) Lotus
(B) Poppy
(C) Lethe-root
(D) Hemlock
 
3. How does Athena disguise herself to make preparations for Telemachus’s journey?
(A) As a beggar
(B) As Antinous
(C) As Mentor
(D) As Mephistopheles
 
4. Who is Argos?
(A) The master of the winds
(B) Penelope’s chief suitor
(C) The Cyclops
(D) Odysseus’s old dog
 
5. Who first finds Odysseus on the island of Scheria?
(A) Telemachus
(B) King Alcinous
(C) Nausicaa
(D) Circe
 
6. Who has an affair with Eurymachus?
(A) Melantho
(B) Penelope
(C) Circe
(D) Helen
 
7. Menelaus is king of which city?
(A) Pylos
(B) Argos
(C) Athens
(D) Sparta
 
8. Eurycleia recognizes Odysseus based on what distinguishing feature?
(A) A scar on his leg
(B) His cunning
(C) The sound of his voice
(D) His “noble bearing”
 
9. How is Odysseus able to listen safely to the Sirens’ song?
(A) He has his men bind him to the ship’s mast
(B) Athena makes the Sirens appear ugly to him
(C) He eats a lotus flower, rendering him unable to swim to the Sirens’ island
(D) He isn’t; he plugs his ears with wax as the ship passes the Sirens’ island
 
10. Who begs Odysseus to bury him?
(A) Laertes
(B) Polyphemus
(C) Elpenor
(D) Achilles
 
11. Of what did Odysseus’s mother die?
(A) Grief
(B) Drowning
(C) Old age
(D) Starvation
 
12. How old is Telemachus at the start of the epic?
(A) Early thirties
(B) Early teens
(C) Early twenties
(D) Late forties
 
13. What happens to the disloyal maids after they clean the blood from the great hall?
(A) They are hanged
(B) They are forgiven
(C) They are whipped
(D) They are dismissed from the palace
 
14. What does Tiresias warn Odysseus not to harm on his voyage?
(A) The eagle of the Moon
(B) The serpent of the Seas
(C) The cattle of the Sun
(D) The badger of the Mountains
 
15. Who kills Antinous’s father?
(A) Eumaeus
(B) Odysseus
(C) Telemachus
(D) Laertes
 
16. In about what year was the Odyssey composed?
(A) a.d. 1590
(B) 700 b.c.
(C) 200 b.c.
(D) 1200 b.c.
 
17. Who transforms Odysseus’s sailors into pigs?
(A) Calypso
(B) Athena
(C) Poseidon
(D) Circe
 
18. Odysseus left Penelope bound for what city?
(A) Orinda
(B) Athens
(C) Sparta
(D) Troy
 
19. Which goddess often assists Odysseus and Telemachus, and speaks up for them in the councils of the gods on Mount Olympus?
(A) Calypso
(B) Athena
(C) Circe
(D) Melantho


20. Why does Poseidon despise Odysseus?
== Additional Resources ==
(A) Odysseus does not respect the sea
* [[/Questions for Consideration/]]
(B) Odysseus and his men attacked him
(C) Odysseus tricked him with a disguise
(D) Odysseus blinded his son
 
21. Which two characters provide a point of comparison for Odysseus and Telemachus?
(A) Athena and Zeus
(B) Poseidon and Proteus
(C) Helen and Menelaus
(D) Agamemnon and Orestes
 
22. Who does Zeus send to rescue Odysseus from Calypso?
(A) Hermes
(B) Athena
(C) Poseidon
(D) Nausicaa
 
23. What did Ajax do to bring disaster upon the homecoming Greek fleet?
(A) He ate all of the army’s remaining rations
(B) He murdered sheep
(C) He led the fleet between Scylla and Charybis
(D) He raped Cassandra
 
24. What gift does Telemachus accept from Menelaus?
(A) A monkey
(B) A chariot and team of horses
(C) A silver mixing-bowl finished with a lip of gold
(D) A band of goats
 
25. How long does Odysseus spend on Calypso’s island?
(A) One year
(B) Seven years
(C) Ten years
(D) Three years
 
quiz from [http://www..sparknotes.com/lit/odyssey/quiz.html] to check answers.
 
== The ''Odyssey'' in History ==
 
 
== Internal Links ==
* [[Homer]]
* The [[Odyssey: Questions for Consideration]]
 
== Commentaries ==
* [http://homepage.mac.com/cparada/GML/Odysseus.html Odysseus] — A background on the ''Odyssey'' and Odysseus
* [http://www.davidclaudon.com/odyssey/questions.html A Study Guide by David Claudon]
* [http://litmuse.maconstate.edu/~glucas/archives/000167.shtml Myth and the <i>Odyssey</i>]
* [http://litmuse.maconstate.edu/~glucas/archives/000314.shtml The <i>Odyssey</i>: General Notes]
* [http://litmuse.maconstate.edu/~glucas/archives/000313.shtml The Telemachiad] (books 1-4 of the <i>Odyssey</i>)
* [http://litmuse.maconstate.edu/~glucas/archives/000038.shtml Odysseus and the Poet]: Notes on Book VIII
* [http://litmuse.maconstate.edu/~glucas/archives/000316.shtml The <I>Odyssey</i>: Notes on Book IX]
* [http://litmuse.maconstate.edu/~glucas/archives/000317.shtml The <i>Odyssey</i>: Notes on Book X]
* [http://litmuse.maconstate.edu/~glucas/archives/000215.shtml Poor Confusing Elpenor]
* [http://litmuse.maconstate.edu/~glucas/archives/000318.shtml The <i>Odyssey</i>: Notes on Book XI]
* [http://litmuse.maconstate.edu/~glucas/archives/000318.shtml The <i>Odyssey</i>: The Lessons of Hell] (more on Books XI and XII)
* [http://litmuse.maconstate.edu/~glucas/archives/000319.shtml The <I>Odyssey</i>: Odysseus’ Return]
 
== Suggested Reading ==


==Citations==
{{reflist}}


== Works Cited ==
== Works Cited ==
Also see the [[/Bibliography|bibliography]]. For secondary works on specific books, also see the individual book pages above.
{{refbegin|indent=yes}}
* {{cite web |url=https://grlucas.net/grl/Xenia:_A_Religious_Duty |title=''Xenia'': A Religious Duty |last=Lucas |first=Gerald R. |date={{date|2013-12-29|MDY}} |website=G. R. Lucas |publisher= |access-date={{date|2021-08-01}} }}
* {{cite web |url=http://www.mythweb.com/odyssey/index.html |title=Odysseus |last=Skidmore |first=Joel |date={{date|1997}} |website=MythWeb |publisher= |access-date={{date|2021-08-01}} }}
{{refend}}


* Grimal, Pierre. ''Larousse World Mythology''. New Jersey: Chartwheel Books Inc. 1973.
{{DEFAULTSORT:Odyssey, The}}
 
[[Category:Epic]]
 
[[Category:BCE]]
[[Category:World Literature|Odyssey]]
[[Category:Classical]]
[[Category:Literary]]

Latest revision as of 19:21, 3 August 2021

Homer’s Odyssey is a nostos, or an epic of return, and asks if one can come home again, especially after years of bloody war. In fact, an odyssey is now meant generally as a long journey home, much like Odysseus’ after the fall of Troy. The Odyssey attempts to remake order after the chaos of war. Odysseus, a young man when Agamemnon and Menelaos recruited him for the campaign against Ilium, is now a middle-aged survivor and veteran of that war who must be smarter than the champion Achilles and the leader Agamemnon in order to return home and set his lands in order. War almost seems easy in the light of Odysseus’ journey — at least in war, he knew his enemies. Enemies during peacetime wear many masks; Odyssey must do the same if he is to survive. Odyssey has emenies that can't be be humanly fought; the gods, but Athena helps him to get home safely.

The Odyssey, by Chagall

Summary

The Odyssey’s action is spread over twenty-four books, set in medias res that generally occur half before Odysseus returns home, and half after. Throughout his journey, Odysseus faces numerous challenges that center around the deceits of the gods, the indulgences of men, and the cross-cultural desire to return home. Short summaries and resources for all of the books of Homer’s epic poem the Odyssey are below. Students new to the Odyssey might want to begin with Skidmore (1997).

Themes

  • Xenia — An ancient tradition lies behind the traveler’s welcome in Greece — and it is a tradition that was fundamentally religious before it became a part of social custom.[1]

Comparisons

Gods and Mortals

List of Characters

The Various Races

Human Beings

Suitors

The Women

The Supernatural Beings

The Odyssey in History

Afterlife

Additional Resources

Citations

  1. ↑ Lucas 2013.

Works Cited

Also see the bibliography. For secondary works on specific books, also see the individual book pages above.

  • Lucas, Gerald R. (December 29, 2013). "Xenia: A Religious Duty". G. R. Lucas. Retrieved 1 August 2021.
  • Skidmore, Joel (1997). "Odysseus". MythWeb. Retrieved 1 August 2021.
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