English 9H: Odyssey, Book 7 Notes

Reception of Odysseus at the palace of King Alcinous

Major concepts:

Study Guide Questions:

What sort of kingdom is Phaeacia? How well is it governed, judging from the way the King relates to his family and subjects and the way he receives the guest?
What craft are the Phaeacians best known for?
How is Odysseus treated as a guest?
What is the difference between the way Odysseus greets Arête and the way he greeted Nausicaa?
What does this tell us about Odysseus's perception of the two women?
Why does Odysseus sit in the ashes?
What does Odysseus say when asked to identify himself?
What is Arête's role in helping Odysseus?
How does Odysseus explain why Nausicaa did not bring him directly to the palace?
How might the impression Odysseus and we receive of Phaeacia be significant for Odysseus's subsequent return to Ithaca?

Page 71.
Vocabulary: comely

"...her brothers -- comely as the gods..." --> simile
"...the people obeyed him as though he were a god...." --> simile
Nausicaa's brothers were waiting for her -- suggests a tight-knit family
"Athena shed a thick mist all around him..." --> again, Athena's involvement in maintaining Odysseus's safety
"...she came towards him in the likeness of a little girl..." --> yet another disguise for Athena
"...say not a word as you go, and do not look at any man, nor ask him questions...." --> Athena offers Odysseus advice on how to stay "under the radar"
"They are a sea-faring folk..." --> yet another mention of how the Phaeacians are good with ships

Page 72.
Vocabulary: consummate

"...by the grace of Poseidon..." --> close ties to Poseidon -- a warning sign for Odysseus?
"...for the bolder a man is the more likely he is to carry his point..." --> Athena continues her instructions: be brave -- didn't she suggest something similar to Telemachus when he was to speak to Nestor at Pylos?
"...they both descend originally from Poseidon..." --> Poseidon + Perioboea = Nausithous; Nausithous + ? = Rhexenor and Alcinous; Rhexenor + ? = Arete; Arete + Alcinous = sons and Nausicaa
"Arete" = Greek, for "goddess" ; "excellence" ; "virtue"
"If you can gain her good will, you may have ever hope of seeing your friends again..." --> key to returning home is to get Arete's blessings
"...the splendor of the palace was like that of the sun or moon..." --> simile
"...gold and silver mastiffs..." --> statues fashioned from the gods to protect the palace

Page 73.
Vocabulary: shuttles, endowed, precincts,

"...while the linen is so closely woven that it will turn oil..." --> refers to Greek custom of bleaching wool in a bath of olive oil and other substances
"As the Phaecians are the best sailors in the world..." --> good with ships (again)
"The fruits never rot nor fail all the year round..." --> describes Scheria as if it were a Utopian society / world
"Such, then, were the splendours with which the gods had endowed the house of king Alcinous...." --> Alcinous and the Phaeacians are blessed by the gods
"...then he laid his hands upon the knees of the queen..." --> Odysseus supplicates to the Queen, Arete

Page 74.
Vocabulary: none.

"Then he sat down on the hearth among the ashes..." --> shows humility; does being a hero involve lowering oneself down to the lowest level?
"...tell him, then, to rise and take a seat on a stool inlaid with silver, and bid your servants mix some wine..." --> Echeneus (Phaeacian elder) reminds Alcinous to be hospitable to his guest (what about Arete? wasn't she supposed to play a major role in this???)
"...will give a sacrificial banquet in honor of our guest..." --> Alcinous will honor Odysseus by throwing him a party
"It is possible, however, that the stranger is one of the immortals who has come down from heaven to visit us..." --> Alcinous boasts about their closeness to the gods by saying that Odysseus might be a god

Page 75.
Vocabulary: importunate

"I am in great trouble, yet it insists that I shall eat and drink..." --> if Odysseus is to play the part of the helpless beggar, food would be of utmost importance to him
"Arete was the first to speak, for she recognized the shirt, cloak, and good clothes that Odysseus was wearing..." --> in this section, Arete also questions Odysseus about who he is -- does he ever answer her?
"...there is an island far away in the sea which is called 'the Ogygian.' ..." --> in the next few paragraphs, Odysseus tells about his stay with Calypso; does he change the story at all? for what purpose?

Page 76.
Vocabulary: westering, disposition

"...your daughter among them looking like a goddess..." --> simile
in his retelling of the his arrival at Scheria, he fails to mention Ino or how the girls awoke him from his sleep; he also mentions that he was "ashamed and afraid" -- is this true? why would he say this?
"...I wish you would stay here, marry my daughter, and become my son-in-law..." --> note that Alcinous offers his daughter's hand in marriage and almost immediately withdraws his offer / changes his tone -- why?

Page 77.
Vocabulary: none.

"You will thus see how much my ships excel all others, and what magnificent oarsmen my sailors are...." --> what are the Phaeacians good at?
Odysseus next wishes Alcinous an "imperishable name" -- this is the highest glory one can achieve as a hero

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