English 2110: World Literature
Patrick Erben
Homer, The Odyssey, Books 5-12
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Book 5 (248-260)
p. 250: How does the poet describe Calypso’s island as well as Calypso herself? What is Hermes’ reaction? How does the conversation between Hermes and Calypso go?
p. 251: How does C. react when she finds out about Hermes’ mission to free Odysseus?
What sort of character is Calypso? How long does Odysseus stay on her island? What is the source of Calypso's power over Odysseus?
To what extent does she help Odysseus or hinder him once the decision to let him go is forced upon her by Hermes? (esp. p. 252-254)
What does this say about Odysseus??? Was he indeed a captive? What kind of captive?
How does Odysseus respond to the shipwreck that he meets upon leaving Calypso? Follow the motions of his spirit as he struggles to save himself - that is, track how the poet represents Odysseus' emotions and thoughts during and after the shipwreck. (p. 256-260) What does this section reveal about Odysseus, but also about the human spirit in general?
Book 6 (p. 260-268)
Analyze the behavior of Nausicaa, the young Phaeacian princess who discovers Odysseus washed up on the shore! What about Odysseus is she particularly responding to? What does Athena do, and why?
What does this chapter say about the roles of women? What kind of ideal of womanhood is constructed here?
What ideal of masculinity do we get here, especially of the warrior/hero?
Book 7 (268-277)
What sort of kingdom is Phaeacia? (270-271)
How well is it governed, judging from the way the King relates to his family and subjects, and the way he receives the suppliant washed up on his shores? (272-273)
How might the impression Odysseus and we receive of Phaeacia be significant for Odysseus' subsequent return to Ithaca?
What does Odysseus say when Queen Arete questions him sharply and asks him to reveal his identity? How, in particular, does he relate his stay with Calypso? (274)
What does Odysseus say about Nausicaa, and how does Alcinous, her father, respond? (275-76)
Book 8 (277-291)
How is the bard described? What’s the bard’s function? What does this tell us about the mythical Homer? (278, 288)
What effect does the song sung by Demodocus have upon Odysseus? Is the latter's response different from what we would expect of modern-day "heroes"? (279, 289-90)
How does Odysseus respond to the challenge of Broadsea? What Odyssean qualities shine through in this episode of athletic competition? (279-280)
p. 288: What’s happening between Nausicaa and Odysseus here…?
How does this chapter set up the telling of Odysseus’s adventures, his own story?
Book 9 (291-304)
When does Odysseus reveal his identity? (p. 291) How has he been careful in keeping that information to himself from Books 5-8?
How does O. explain his delays and his desire to return home? (292)
What does the brief episode of the Lotus Eaters say about the desire of Odysseus and his men in leaving Troy behind? (293)
What is the Cyclops story really about? What element of contemporary (i.e. circa 800 B. C., the period of classical Greece and the height of the power of Athens) culture does this story reveal?
Describe the culture of the Cyclops, their life style and characteristics (according to the poem/Odysseus’s narrative of them…remember, we’re still learning all this through his perspective)! How do Odysseus and his men behave toward the Cyclops people in general and Polyphemus in particular? Do you have any sympathy for the “monster”?
- Collect: incidents of O’s pride/hubris/cunning/recklessness
Book 10: The Bewitching Queen of Aeaea (Circe) (305-318)
What lesson does the episode with the Aeolian winds (bag of winds) teach?
What sort of character is Circe? (310ff)
Why (aside from her magic) is she able to turn Odysseus' men into swine? What have they done to offend her, or what weakness do they show?
What makes Odysseus succumb for a time to Circe's enticements? What’s his mistake? (312-313; 315-6)
Why does Odysseus need to visit Hades (the Greek Underworld) and consult with Tiresias, the blind prophet of Thebes (p. 317)? Any other reasons?
Book 11: The Kingdom of the Dead (318-334)
Journal Writing: What does O. learn from Tiresias as well as other characters Odysseus speaks with or simply sees in the underworld? Pick one character/person O. speaks with/observes in the Underworld and explain what he learns and why? What’s the point of the story for O’s life, but also in the larger frame of the Odyssey?
In general, how would you characterize Odysseus' attitude towards his journey to the Underworld? That is, what does the episode tell us about him?
What is the Greek Underworld (Hades) like? How is it unlike the Christian Hell?
Book 12: The Cattle of the Sun (334-345)
Odysseus returns to Circe's island after his visit to Hades. What adventures still await him? Again, what do those adventures tell us about Odysseus as a hero?