Odyssey, Book 11 Notes

The visit to the dead

Major concepts:

• The importance of treating the dead with respect (Elpenor)
• The ritual Odysseus performs in order to meet those in the Underworld.
• The prophecy of Teiresias and the importance of prophecy (this seems to underscore the inevitability of fate).
• The parade of women followed by a break in the narration for some Phaeacian reaction before Odysseus nreturns to his story.
• Agamemnon's rage at his wife's betrayal.
• How Ajax reacts to Odysseus; the cause of this reaction.
• What Achilles tells Odysseus about the misery of the dead.

Study Guide Questions:

1. What does Odysseus do to call the souls of the dead to him?
2. Who is Teiresias and what does Odysseus want from him?
3. What does Odysseus learn about his journey from Teiresias?
4. What should Odysseus do to the suitors at his house?
5. What does Teiresias say Odysseus should do after dealing with the suitors?
6. What favor does Elpenor ask of Odysseus?
7. What is the name of Odysseus's mother and how did she die?
8. Why can't Odysseus hug his dead mother?
9. What does Agamemnon tell Odysseus about how men should feel about women? Is it significant that earlier in the book we hear about celebrated women?
10. What is the reason for Ajax's anger at Odysseus?

Page 115.
Vocabulary: aft, feckless

• Land of the Dead -- stop # 8
• "...weeping and in great distress of mind...."
• "I drew my sword and dug the trench a cubit each way...." --> Odysseus follows the instructions given to him by Circe in book 10; cubit was a rough measurement from the knuckles to the elbow
• "...Teiresias should have a black sheep..." --> black animals were sacrificed to the gods of the underworld

Page 116.
Vocabulary: feckless

• "...not let the poor feckless ghosts come near the blood till Teiresias..." --> again, he follows Circe's instructions here
• "...my comrade Elpenor..." --> how is Elpenor able to speak to Odysseus before he partakes of the blood? perhaps because his body is left unburied at Circe's palace?
• "...how did you come down here..." --> interesting that he asks this when he already knows how Elpenor ended up there
• "...and by Telemachus who is the only hope of your house..." --> at this time, Telemachus would have been only 13 years old
• "Do not go thence leaving me unmourned..." --> Elpenor asks for Odysseus to give him a proper burial -- the only hope of a person in the Land of the Dead would be remembrance
• "Then came the ghost of my dead mother Anticlea..." --> he will allow her to drink after he hears from Teiresias on the next page
• "Stand back from the trench and withdraw your sword..." --> Teiresias prepares to speak to Odysseus

Page 117.
Vocabulary: winnowing, ebb

• "...when he had drank of the blood he began his prophecy..." --> this will be important
• "Poseidon, who still nurses his bitter grudge..." --> Poseidon is still angry
• "...Thrinacian island..." --> this disaster will occur in book 12
• "If you leave these flocks unharmed and think of nothing but of getting home..." --> Teiresias's warning: do not kill or eat the cattle
• "...you will take your revenge on these suitors..." --> Teiresias advises revenge
• Teiresias's other instructions: (1) take an oar to a place where no one knows it is an oar; (2) wait until someone asks about it; (3) bury the oar in the ground; (4) make a sacrifice to Poseidon; (5) return home and make a sacrifice to the other gods --> reason for these instructions? vague. apparently it has something to do with preserving his life until old age
• despite Circe saying that Teiresias will be very informative about the way home, he really isn't; he will actually learn more from Circe when he returns to her after he leaves the land of the dead
• "Any ghost that you let taste of the blood..." --> Teiresias explains how to get Anticlea to speak to Odysseus
• she asks him how he got there and why he's there

Page 118.
Vocabulary: none.

• "But tell me, and tell me true, in what way did you die?" --> Odysseus wonders at his mother's death since when he left for Troy she was still living; note her response at the end of the next paragraph
• "Tell me again what my wife intends doing..." --> this is the first mention of Penelope since he left Calypso's island; it would have been very difficult for him to return home and rule his kingdom if Penelope has chosen a new husband
• "...I tried to find some way of embracing my poor mother's ghost..." --> Odysseus finds he is unable to hug his mother because she has no flesh

Page 119.
Vocabulary: none.

• "...soon Persephone sent up the ghosts of the wives and daughters of all the most famous men...." --> begins the "Catalog of Women" -- perhaps its purpose was to show how great families come into being and eventually how they can be corrupted; does this have a lesson for Odysseus especially in regards to the family he wishes to return to?
• "...first I saw was Tyro..." --> fell in love with a river god -- not the river
• "Next to her I saw Antiope..." --> Zeus disguised himself as her husband
• "Then I saw Alcmena..." --> mother to Heracles; Heracles means "glory of Hera" though Hera hated Heracles because he was the result of an affair Zeus had with Alcmena
• "...fair Epicaste..." --> Oedipus's mother and wife
• "Then I saw Chloris..."

Page 120.
Vocabulary: none.

• "And I saw Leda..." --> mother of Helen and Clytaimestra
• "After her I saw Iphimedeia..."
• "Then I saw Phaedra, and Procris, and fair Ariadne..." --> Ariadne from the Minotaur / Theseus story
• "I also saw Maera and Clymene and hateful Eriphyle..."
• "Here he ended..." --> Odysseus takes a break from the Catalog of Women and returns to his storytelling at Phaeacia with Alcinous and Arete

Page 121.
Vocabulary: august, charlatan

• "Our guest is indeed very anxious to get home..." --> Arete and Alcinous persuade Odysseus to stay another day -- but to what end? again, Homer is vague
• "...there is a style about your language..." --> Alcinous compliments Odysseus's storytelling and asks about the heroes who Odysseus knew from the war
• "I will not refrain from telling you the still sadder tale of those of my comrades who did not fall fighting with the Trojans, but perished on their return, through the treachery of a wicked woman...." --> is he referring to Helen or Clytaimestra here? vague.
• "How did you come by your death, King Agamemnon?" --> finally, Agamemnon will be able to tell his side of the story

Page 122.
Vocabulary: none.

• "Aegisthus and my wicked wife were the death of me..." --> Agamemnon puts much emphasis on his wife's role in his death, though it seems as if the action was carried out by Aegisthus
• "...as though I were a fat beast in a slaughter house..." --> simile
• "...my comrades were slain like sheep..." --> simile
• "I heard Priam's daughter Cassandra scream as Clytaimestra killed her close beside me...." --> Agamemnon planned to bring Cassandra home and keep her as a mistress along with his own wife; Cassandra was cursed to always tell the truth but to have no one ever believe her
• "...I was going to be welcomed home by my children..." --> note how Homer fails to mention that Agamemnon sacrificed his daughter to assure a safe trip on the way to Troy
• "...and not be too friendly even with your own wife...." --> Agamemnon warns against trusting any woman -- he reinforces this several times over the next paragraph
• Agamemnon wants to know about his son, Orestes (recall what Orestes did to avenge his father)

Page 123.
Vocabulary: none.

• "...Achilles came up to us with Patroclus, Antilochus, and Ajax..." --> Odysseus meets some more war heroes
• "Do not, therefore, take it so much to heart even if you are dead...." --> Odysseus tries to cheer Achilles up -- does it work?
• "Say not a word...in death's favor...." --> Achilles really doesn't like being dead
• Achilles and Peleus -- strong bond between father and son; note Achilles's response on the next page when he hears about his son Neoptolemus

Page 124.
Vocabulary: asphodel, rankle

• "When I had told him this, the ghost of Achilles strode off across a meadow full of asphodel, exulting over what I had said concerning the prowess of his son...."
• "...still angry with me for having won th ecause in our dispute about the armor of Achilles..." --> Ajax is still angry at Odysseus about Achilles's armor -- when Odysseus tries to confront him about it -- how does Ajax respond in the next couple paragraphs?
• "Then I saw Minos son of Zeus..."
• "After him I saw huge Orion..."
• "And I saw Tithys son of Gaia....Two vultures on either side of him..." --> this is the same punishment Prometheus suffered for giving the humans fire
• "I saw also the dreadful fate of Tantalus..." --> this is where the word "tantalize" comes from

Page 125.
Vocabulary: prodigious

• "And I saw Sisyphus..."
• "After him I saw mighty Heracles..." --> one of the only mortals who was later turned into a god; why is his body elsewhere and his soul here in the underworld?
• "...but I got the hound out of Hades..." --> the hound referred to here is Cerberus
• "...the head of the awful monster Gorgon..." --> by looking at the head, mortals were turned to stone
• Odysseus and his mean leave the Land of the Dead at last

Bibliography

Background Notes on The Iliad, The Trojan War, and Achilles

Say what?! How do you pronounce all these crazy Greek names?!??

People (or in this case, gods and goddesses) become rulers (generally) one of three ways: appointment, usurption, or heir to the throne. According to Greek myth, all life descended from two beings: Gaia (the earth) and Uranus (the sky). From these two beings descended the twelve Titans, a group of gods and goddesses. Uranus didn't care much for his children so he imprisoned them in Tartarus (the Greek version of the underworld). One of his children finally overthrew him and imprisoned him; his name was Cronus.

Cronus married Rhea, another Titan but soon learned from his parents that his father's curse would fall upon him as well: one of his sons would overthrow him. In desperation, Cronus swallowed each of his children as they were born. Rhea finally wrapped a stone in a blanket after giving birth to Zeus and in this way, Zeus grew up and overthrew his father Cronus. He released all of his brothers and sisters, the Olympians, who later ruled the Greek heavens called Mount Olympus.

Although married to Hera, Zeus had many extra-marital relationships. In one myth, Zeus and his brother Poseidon both wanted to begin a physical relationship with a sea goddess named Thetis, but the other gods warned that a son born from Thetis would become greater than his father. Keeping in mind his unstable family history and thus heeding this warning, Zeus avoided Thetis and married her to a mortal, Peleus. source

No one wants 'rain on their wedding day.' So Zeus arranged for a wondrous ceremony, inviting everyone except Eris, the goddess of discontentment. Unwilling to forget Zeus's slight in leaving her out of the festivities, Eris rolled a golden apple among the guests with an inscription: for the fairest. Hera, (Zeus's wife and sister), Aphrodite, (Zeus's daughter and sometime lover), and Athena (Zeus's daughter) each desired the prize. Like any man wise enough to foresee the trouble this could bring, Zeus refused to get involved in the argument and appointed Paris, a mortal, to choose the winner of the golden apple. source

And like any woman who would stop at nothing to get what she wanted, each goddess resorted to bribing the human with wondrous gifts: Athena offered success in war and notoriety; Hera offered power and riches; and Aphrodite offered him the most beautiful woman on Earth. Needless to say, Paris chose Aphrodite and ultimately caused the downfall of one of the world's most powerful cities, Troy. The only problem: Helen was the most beautiful woman on Earth at the time. And she was also already married. source

Helen was married to Menalaus, king of Sparta, and brother to Agamemnon, king of Mycenae. Paris visited Menalaus with his cousin, Aeneas, and unsuspecting of Paris's plan, Menalaus welcomed the guests. Leaving for a funeral, Menalaus left Helen under the care of Paris for several days. During this time, Aphrodite caused Helen to fall in love with Paris and the two sailed off for Troy. Speculation about whether Helen was a willing participant still exists today. Nevertheless, she infamously became known as "the face which launched a thousand ships" and the cause of the Trojan War. source

Only desiring the best warriors and leaders, Menalaus and his brother Agamemnon sought out Odysseus, king of Ithaca and known for his prowess and cunning, and Achilles, known for his godly strength. Odysseus knew this war would last a very long time and only cause him trouble, so he avoided being recruited by acting like a madman. The ploy didn't fool the leaders and Odysseus joined the war effort to return Helen to Sparta. Achilles, donning the magical armour crafted by the god Hephaestus, willingly joined the war effort. Before leaving, Thetis, his mother, warned Achilles not to kill the son of Apollo, or else he would die by Apollo's hand. Achilles later does not heed his mother's warning. source

On their arrival at Troy, the Greeks sought a peaceful end to the problem and asked for Helen's return. The Trojans refused, thus starting the war which lasted ten long years. source

The Iliad takes place during the ninth year of the Trojan War. Over the years, the Greeks conquered many neighboring cities and took women as 'war prizes.' Agamemnon took Chryseis, the daughter of a Trojan priest of Apollo, and Achilles took Briseis. Ignoring the requests of her father, Agamemnon refused to give up his war prize. Chryseis's father appealed to Apollo for help, and the god struck the Greeks with a powerful plague, wiping out hundreds of men. Finally, a soothsayer revealed the cause of the plague, and Agamemnon reluctantly surrendered his war prize in exchange for Achilles's instead. This action caused Achilles to withdraw from the war effort and pray to his mother for help. Thetis asked for help from Zeus, and the god agreed to curse the Greeks for their actions against Achilles. Achilles's withdrawal from the war efforts devasted the men both physically and mentally. The Greeks had few successes. source

Seeing success on the Trojan side, Hector, a Trojan prince, offered sacrifices to Athena in thanks for her support but Athena refused the gifts, still sore about Paris choosing Aphrodite over her. source

Nestor, another Achian, finally tried to persuade Agamemnon to apologize to Achilles. The king agreed to return the war prize and also offered gold and riches; however, Achilles still would not accept. Agamemnon seriously considered abandoning the war and going home. A devastating day nearly ended everything when Agamemnon, Odysseus, and Diomedes, three strong Achian leaders, were severely wounded during a battle. Patroclus, a companion of Achilles, finally had enough. He approached Achilles and begged him to rejoin the war efforts. Achilles still refused, but allowed his companion to wear his golden armor and fight in his absence. source

The sight of the man they thought was Achilles renewed the Achians' spirits. Patroclus fought in Achilles absence and greatly helped the war effort. However, Apollo struck and stunned him and Hector took his life. Hector also took Achilles's golden armor off of Patroclus and wore it like a war prize. Angered and taking Athena's advice, Achilles scaled a wall on the battlefield and shouted three times; the sun shining against his body made him look like a god and spooked the Trojans, ending the battle for the day. In grief over his lost friend, Achilles rejoined the war effort, destined to kill Hector in single combat. source

Meanwhile, the gods and goddesses, involved in the war, began turning on each other. source

Achilles and Hector finally met on the battlefield. Hector said if Achilles should die, he would release his body and allow for a proper burial, asking that Achilles do the same. Achilles refused and fought the Trojan soldier, killing him. Achilles stripped the armor from Hector and drug his body from behind his chariot around the walls of Troy. Finally, he mourned the loss of his dear friend Patroclus for twelve days. source

Meanwhile, Priam, king of Troy, snuck into the Achian camp and begged for the release of his son, Hector's body. Heeding the requests of the gods, Achilles released the body and allowed Priam and Troy twelve days to mourn the loss of their leader. source

Toward the end of the war, Achilles suffered his fatal wound from Paris. Guided by the archer god Apollo, Paris shot an arrow and hit Achilles in the only spot not covered by the armor, his heel. The Achians built a great funeral pyre to honor their fallen hero, and his golden armor went to Odysseus. source

It was Odysseus who devised the plan to build the great horse and offer it as a war prize to the Trojans. Odysseus and a select group of men would hide inside the horse and the rest would sail away in their ships, hiding behind a nearby island. The plan worked. Although soothsayers tried to warn the Trojans otherwise, the foolish ones dragged the wooden horse inside the city gates and celebrated their assumed victory. Odysseus and his men descended from the horse in the middle of the night and took the city by surprise. By early morning, Troy fell. Finally, the ten-year war came to an end. source

Sample Poem

Instructions:
Write a 10+ line poem about a myth you know. Remember, a "myth is a story that matters."
Include three literary devices. Rhyme and rhythm do not count toward your three, though you may use them in your poem.
Draw a picture to illustrate the poem, if you want.



An unlikely hero
shot an arrow from his
unskilled shepherd's hands
as interfering gods watched

a sharpened stone,
a piece of twig, some feathers,
pierced and destroyed
a son of a goddess

it haunts battle grounds
stained crimson from the unprotected
ankle, a weapon
so simple, yet so strategically aimed.