Questions for After Reading the Metamorphosis

1. What is Gregor’s initial reaction to his transformation?
2. Describe the reactions of Gregor’s family and boss when Gregor finally leaves the room.
3. Describe what Gregor eats and why he eats this.
4. List the ways the Samsa’s manage their finances after Gregor’s metamorphosis.
5. Explain Grete’s feelings toward Gregor in the beginning of the story and how they change by the end.
6. Both physically and mentally, what causes Gregor’s death?

thanks to source Ms. Schafale, U of E

Metamorphosis, Chapter Three

Key Points

• Gregor’s transformation has affected his family greatly. All members of his family are forced to take more responsibility on themselves. His father gets a job at a bank. His mother begins sewing lingerie for a clothing store. His sister takes a job as a sales girl and begins learning shorthand and French. They are too tired and busy to pay any attention to Gregor.


• Gregor’s family hires a woman to clean. Gregor’s room becomes a storage/junk room because the cleaning lady is not to go in there even though she is not repulsed by him.


• In order to add to their income, the family accepts three tenants who are rude and take over the apartment. One evening, Gregor’s sister plays the violin in hopes of entertaining the lodgers. Gregor is greatly moved by the music and comes out of his room. The lodgers see him, refuse to pay their rent, and immediately leave the apartment.


• The family begins discussing what to do about Gregor. His sister says they must get rid of him, because the insect is not really her brother anymore. Gregor is chased back into his room, where he dies.


• The family grieves, but they are relieved at the same time to be rid of such a burden. They all leave the apartment together and take a trolley outside of the city.

Quotes

• “What mainly prevented the family from moving was their complete hopelessness and the thought that they had been struck by a misfortune as none of their relatives and acquaintances had ever been hit.”


• “‘But how can it be Gregor? If it were Gregor, he would have realized long ago that it isn’t possible for human beings to live with such a creature, and he would have gone away of his own free will. Then we wouldn’t have a brother, but we’d be able to go on living and honor his memory.’”


• “They decided to spend this day resting and going for a walk; they not only deserved a break in their work, they absolutely needed one.”


• “…it occurred almost simultaneously to Mr. and Mrs. Samsa, as they watched their daughter getting livelier and livelier, that lately, in spite of all the trouble which had turned her cheeks pale, she had blossomed into a good-looking, shapely girl. Growing quieter and communication almost unconsciously through glances, they thought that it would soon be time, too, to find her a good husband. And it was like a conformation of their new dreams and good intentions when at the end of the ride their daughter got up first and stretched her young body.”

Important Symbols (found in Glossary)

• Isolation


• Tenants


• Litotes


• Gregor’s Death

thanks to source Ms. Vanderwall, Ms. Scherle, and Ms. Jose, U of E

Metamorphosis, Chapter Two

Key Points

• Gregor, before becoming a bug, was the sole breadwinner of his family. Neither of his parents nor his sister worked. He was proud of this even though he did not enjoy his job.


• Gregor’s entire family is repulsed by his presence. His sister is the only who takes care of him (feed him, clean his room), but she is as disgusted by him as her parents.


• Gregor’s mother and sister discuss the furniture in his room and whether or not to remove it. His mother thinks taking the furniture away would tell Gregor that they did not expect him to recover. His sister has the final word since she takes care of him and disagrees with their mother. When they remove the furniture, Gregor’s mother sees him again and faints.


• After his mother faints, Gregor’s father wants to know what happened. He believes that Gregor has hurt his mother some how and throws apples at Gregor attempting to kill his bug son. Gregor’s mother begs for her son’s life.

Quotes

• “‘What a quiet life the family has been leading,’ Gregor said to himself, and while he stared rigidly in front of him into the darkness, he felt very proud that he had been able to provide such a life and so nice an apartment for his parents and his sister. But what now if all the peace, the comfort, the contentment were to come to a horrible end.”


• “If Gregor had only been able to speak to his sister and thank her for everything she had to do for him, he could have accepted her services more easily; as it was, they caused him pain. Of course his sister tried to ease the embarrassment of the whole situation as much as possible, and as time went on, she naturally managed it better and better, but in time Gregor, too, saw things much more clearly.”


• “He realized from this that this sight of him was still repulsive to [his sister] and was bound to remain repulsive to her in the future, and that she probably had to overcome a lot of resistance not to run away at the sight of even a small part of his body jutted from under the couch.”


• “‘You, Gregor!’ cried his sister with raised fist and piercing eyes. These were the first words she had addressed directly to him since his metamorphosis.

Important Symbols (found in Glossary)

• Communication


• Mother/Sister


• Vagueness

thanks to source Ms. Vanderwall, Ms. Scherle, and Ms. Jose, U of E

Metamorphosis, Chapter One

Key Points

• Gregor Samsa wakes up a bug. He finds it hard to use his new body to move around the room or even get out of bed.


• Gregor is a traveling salesman, but hates his job. He works it faithfully to pay off the debt his parents owe his boss. He is late for work on the day he turns into a bug and an office manage comes to his apartment.


• The office manager, his parents, and his sister all plea to open the door and come out. He tries to explain why he will not come out of his room, but his voice is chirpy and garbled and they do not understand him.


• When Gregor finally gets the door open, the office manager and his mother were shocked and frightened while his father became hostile. The office manager moves toward the door to flee and Gregor attempts to stop him, further frightening the office manager.


• The chapter ends with Gregor being chased back into his room and the door slammed shut on him.

Quotes

• “When Gregor Samsa woke up one morning from unsettling dreams; he found himself changed in his bed into a monstrous vermin.”


• “Once I’ve gotten the money together to pay off my parents’ debt to him—that will probably take another five or six years—I’m going to [confront him and quit my job] without fail.”


• “‘Mr. Samsa,’ the manager now called, raising his voice, ‘what’s the matter? You barricade yourself in your room, answer only ‘yes’ and ‘no,’ cause your parents serious, unnecessary worry, and you neglect—I mention this only in passing—your duties to the firm in a really shocking manner.’”


• “With a hostile expression his father clenched his fist, as if to drive Gregor back into his room, then looked uncertainly around the living room, shielded his eyes with his hands, and sobbed with heaves of his powerful chest.”

Important Symbols (found in Glossary)

• Metamorphosis


• Gregor’s Decision


• Backbone


• Father


• Raindrops

thanks to source Ms. Vanderwall, Ms. Scherle, and Ms. Jose, U of E

Odyssey, Part II Notes

Odysseus returns

• Returns on King Alcinous’s ship
• Must dress as beggar
• Athena is helper/guardian

Eumaeus

• Faithful servant
• Swineherd (pig keeper)
• Doesn’t know O b/c of disguise
• Welcomes/nice to O

Telemachus

• O’s son
• Traveled to Pylos and Sparta to find dad
• Athena said “go home”
• O’s house is over-run with suitors
• T’s mom must choose new husband
• Athena warns: suitors plan ambush
• T gets home secretly
• T has been away 1 year

Father and son meet

• Dogs play with T
• O doesn’t recognize T
• E is very happy to see T – acts like dad
• T says to E: I want to see you first
• First thing: T, E, and O share a meal
• T and O don’t know each other b/c O wears disguise
• Athena changes O to young and new
• T thinks O is a god
• T denies O is father
• T finally accepts O as father
• They both cry

Beggar and his faithful dog

• Argos = O’s dog
• Trained by O
• Hunter dog
• Sleeps on dung, abandoned
• Wags tail when he hears O
• Very good hunting dog
• No one takes care of him now
• Argos dies

Penelope

• P delayed the suitors by telling them she must weave a rug for lost husband
• Each night, she undid the work from that day
• One of the maids tattled on her

• P supports O (as beggar)
• P wants to talk to O about O
• P gets mad at T for letting O be abused by suitors
• P sings praises of O
• O and T later discuss plan
• O will test P and maids
• Some maids not faithful
• O tells P three things: (1) “Beggar” makes up origin when he talks to P; (2) O praises himself to P; (3) O tells P that he is on his way

Eurycleia and Odysseus

• P = happy at O’s news
• P tells Eury to wash O’s feet (sign of respect)
• Eury = O’s nurse / nanny
• Eury recognizes O by scar on leg
• O makes Eury promise NOT to tell

Penelope

• P decides to test suitors
• O is very mad at suitors and maids
• Athena says: don’t fear – suitors will die

The Test of the Great Bow

• P proposes “impossible” task for suitors
• String bow = impossible for all except O
• O left his bow in Ithaca
• Test is twofold: string bow and shoot arrow clean through 12 axhead sockets
• Many suitors try; all fail

Faithful servants

• Swineherd and cowherd leave; they are sad
• O asks them if they’d be faithful to O if he returns
• Both say they’d be faithful
• O reveals himself to them
• If they help O defeat suitors, he promises wives, cattle, and houses to both
• O shows them his scar
• Tells them to return to room
• When he asks for the bow, suitors will laugh
• Give him the bow anyway
• Tell women to bar the doors and lock them tight
• If they hear screams / fighting – don’t open the door

Odysseus revealed

• O asks for bow – suitors don’t like the idea
• P says O must have a chance – accepts him as suitor
• E removes P and all maids from room
• T had removed all suitors weapons from room before
• O tests the bow for weaknesses – suitors jest
• O easily strings the bow
• Zeus thundered
• O easily shoots arrow through axes
• T stands by his father with weapons, ready to defend

Death at the Palace

• O must deal with more than 100 suitors
• O confronts Antinous, meanest of suitors
• Antinous broke a stool on O; teased and ridiculed him
• O loses his rags and aims for Antinous
• O shoots Antinous through the throat
• Suitors are angry, but find no weapons or shields
• O reveals himself: “Your last hour has come. You die in blood.”
• Eurymachus tries to bargin with reason and bribery:
• Reason: why kill more? You already killed Antinous, the cause of all troubles
• Bribery: we’ll replenish what we’ve used
• O says: you all will die for what you’ve done
• T helps his father kill all suitors
• Suitors can’t leave because doors are locked

Odysseus and the maids

• O makes maids clean up dead suitors
• T “pays” maids by hanging them in courtyard
• They were loyal to suitors and had to be punished

Odysseus and Penelope

• Eury tells P of O’s return and defeat of suitors
• P still doesn’t believe – wants to test O
• T is angry at P for not welcoming O
• P says: she is shocked and confused
• Later, P says to move bed into hall
• O says: bed can’t be moved
• O says: he built bed around an olive tree
• P very happy that O is her husband

Odyssey, Book 12 Notes

The Sirens; Scylla and Charybdis; The Cattle of the Sun God

Major concepts:

• the burial of Elpenor
• Circe's helpfulness
• Odysseus leadership - its success and failures
• Eurylochus' role
• the South Wind
• the absoluteness of the Gods
• Odysseus' endurance

Study Guide Questions:

1. Why should Odysseus be wary of the Sirens?
2. What should he and his men do to keep safe from the Sirens?
3. Describe Scylla.
4. What will Charybdis do if Odysseus's ship gets too close?
5. What does Odysseus keep secret from his men?
6. What advice does Odysseus take that Circe gives him about Scylla and Charybdis? What does this tell us about leadership?
7. Why are the cattle of Helios' island so tempting?
8. What warning does Odysseus give his men?
9. This is not the first time Odysseus' warnings are ignored. Whose fault is this?
10. This is also not the first time Odysseus's orders are defied. Does this absolve him of responsibility?

Page 127.
Vocabulary: none.

• Format of book 12 also follows that of books 9 & 10 -- two smaller incidents followed by a larger, more complex one
• "...then drew our ship on to the sands..." --> why don't Odysseus's men just stay on the ship to eat and sleep? Greek ships were designed merely as tools of transport -- there wasn't a designated area for eating / sleeping
• "I sent some men to Circe's house to fetch the body of Elpenor...." --> note the care they take when preparing / burying Elpenor
• "...you will have died twice, to other people's once..." --> because Odysseus visited the land of the dead

Page 128.
Vocabulary: unwarily

• "Then Circe took me by the hand and bade me be seated away from the others..." --> Circe tells Odysseus advice in secret -- leaving it up to him to decide what to share with his men -- note in the next few pages what he decides to share and what he decides to keep secret
• "First you will come to the Sirens..." --> Circe warns Odysseus about the Sirens -- they will hypnotize Odysseus and his men through their singing; she tells him he may listen to them but must first protect himself and his men -- how does she suggest doing this?
• Sirens may have come from the Greek seire, meaning "rope" --> their music / singing "binds" people, like rope
• "Inside it Scylla sits and yelps..." --> note the intricate description of Scylla -- what does she look like?

Page 129.
Vocabulary: none.

• "A large fig tree..." --> this is important; take note of this
• "...the sucking whirlpool of Charybdis..." --> Circe warns Odysseus about Charybdis -- what does she look like?
• "You will now come to the Thrinacian island...seven herds of catlle and seven flocks of sheep, with fifty head in each flock...." --> 350 total cattle -- does this represent the days of the year? is this a clever warning about not "wasting time" ?
• Phaesthusa = "radiant" ; Lampetie = "shining"
• "If you leave these flocks unharmed..." --> does this warning sound familiar? Check out Teiresias's speech on 117

Page 130.
Vocabulary: none.

• "I will therefore tell you about them..." --> Odysseus tells his men that he wants them to know the whole truth -- does he tell it to them?
• "I had hardly finished telling everything to the men..." --> they reach the island of the Sirens -- will Odysseus take Circe's advice? what does he do to protect himself? what does he do to protect his men?
• "Come here, renowned Odysseus, honor to the Achaean name..." --> a curious person like Odysseus would have had trouble resisting the knowledge the Sirens had to offer
• How do Odysseus's men react when he motions for them to release him?
• Possibly, the Sirens represented irresistible temptation to those who desire knowledge -- which ultimately leads to death or destruction -- does this moral reflect any other "myths" or stories we know about?
• "This is not the first time that we have been in danger..." --> true, but look at his next statement on the next page

Page 131.
Vocabulary: none.

• "...nevertheless, my courage and wise counsel saved us then..." --> really? I mean, really really?
• "I said nothing about the awful monster..." --> wasn't Odysseus going to be up-front and honest with all of his men?
• "...one thing only did I disobey Circe's strict instructiosn -- I put on my armor...." --> out of selfishness? no one else was able to put on armor
• "...we could see the water all inside whirling..." --> what happens when Odysseus and his men encounter Scylla and Charybdis?
• The death of his men with Scylla is even more horrible than the Cyclops because it was drawn out and because the men were calling out to him as they were being carried away / eaten by the monster
• "Then I remembered what the blind Theban prophet Teiresias had told me..." --> Odysseus remembers the warning -- will he follow through?

Page 132.
Vocabulary: behests

• "...listen while I tell you the prophecy that Teiresias made me..." --> does he really tell them anything?
• Eurylochus convinces Odysseus and the men that they need to stay on the island and rest. Why does Odysseus give in when he knows the risk?
• "...each one of you must take his solemn oath..." --> Odysseus makes them promise not to hurt the cattle
• "In the third watch of the night..." --> in the Iliad, Greeks divided the day into 3 parts, not 2
• "We have meat and drink in the ship, let us mind, therefore, and not touch the cattle..." --> Odysseus reminds them not to eat the cattle
• "For a whole month..." --> they are stranded for a month -- will the food last?

Page 133.
Vocabulary: none.

• "...catching birds, and taking whatever they could lay their hands on..." --> food ran out
• "I went up inland that I might pray heaven to show me some means of getting away....by and by they sent me off into a sweet sleep..." --> why is it when the most important moment comes that Odysseus falls asleep???
• "All deaths are bad enough but there is none so bad as famine...." --> Eurylochus leads the men in a rebellion -- what makes famine, according to Eurylochus, so bad?
• Eurylochus realizes the calculated risk, but is willing to take it -- what will the men do for the Sun God if/when they reach home safely?
• "...no barley left..." --> therefore, they didn't have wine and couldn't perform a proper sacrifice
• "I began to smell hot roast meat..." --> Odysseus realizes what happened while he was gone -- who does he blame for his falling asleep?
• "If they do not square accounts with me about my cows..." --> Sun God tells Zeus -- if you don't fix this, I'll hide (the sun will no longer shine); Zeus agrees to help the Sun God by "shiver{ing} their ship into little pieces with a bolt of white lightning..."

Page 134.
Vocabulary: backstay

• "I was told all this by Calypso..." --> was anyone else wondering how Odysseus knew what Zeus said to the Sun God?
• "...the hides of the cattle crawled about..." --> the chopped up cattle pieces move about and still moo -- wouldn't people consider this 'tainted meat' and avoid eating it? Odysseus's men don't.
• "...the son of Cronus raised a black cloud..." --> Zeus crashes Odysseus's ship
• "...but I was carried aloft toward the fig tree..." --> Odysseus catches onto the fig tree -- which saves his life from Charybdis

Page 135.
Vocabulary: none.

• "Hence I was carried along for nine days till on the tenth night the gods stranded me on the Ogygian island..." --> Odysseus arrives at Calypso's island in his story -- which finally brings us to the present

Additional Notes:

• Interesting that with Poseidon as the antagonist that the Sun God (not Poseidon) is ultimately responsible for the death of his shipmates
• Did the men deserve death as a punishment? Were they guilty? (1) they were warned; (2) they swore an oath not to touch the cattle; (3) they were fully aware of a risk of disobeying; (4) they did not have resources to conduct a proper sacrifice; (5) the moo-ing meat did not deter them from further slaughtering / eating the meat
• Is the men's betrayal to Odysseus and subsequent slaughter / outrageous behavior similar to any other groups in the Odyssey?

Bibliography

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

Odyssey, Book 10 Notes

Aeolus; The Laestrygones; Circe

Major concepts:

• King Aeolus's gift to Odysseus
• Odysseus letting his "guard down"
• Aeolus's belief that Odysseus is not favored by the gods
• Aeolus's attitude toward second chances
• Odysseus's caution when he reaches the land of the Laestrygonians
• Odysseus's caution when he reaches Aeaea
• Circe's initial reception of Odysseus's men and her witchcraft
• the role of Hermes
• Odysseus as seducer and seduced
• the importance of Circe's promise
• the luxury of the palace
• Circe's ultimate support and hospitality
• the need to visit Hades and hear from Teiresias

Study Guide Questions:

1. What favor does Aeolus do for Odysseus and his men?
2. What stupid mistake do some of the men make on the ship? Was it preventable? Explain.
3. How does Odysseus lose 11 of his 12 ships and a very large portion of his men?
4. What sort of character is Circe? Why (aside from her magic) is she able to turn Odysseus's men into pigs? What have they done to offend her or what weakness do they show?
5. What does Hermes give to Odysseus? What is it supposed to do?
6. What makes Odysseus succumb for a time to Circe's enticements? What is his mistake here?
7. How does Odysseus get Circe to release his men?
8. How long does Odysseus stay with Circe in her palace?
9. Why does Odysseus need to visit the Land of the Dead and consult with Teiresias?
10. How is Circe like Calypso? How is she different?

• the formatting of book 10 mimics that of book 9: two shorter incidents followed by a longer, more complex one
• themes started in book 9 will continue to develop in book 10: tension between Odysseus and his men; Odysseus's vulnerability to accusations of cowardice and obstinancy (Odyssey seems more set to stay with Circe than his men)

Page 103.
Vocabulary: savor, flayed

• Aeolian island: stop # 5
• Aeolus --> name means "changeful" -- appropriate (1) ruler of the winds; (2) lives on a floating island; and (3) treats Odysseus different two times
• Hippotas --> name means "horseman" -- connections to Poseidon (god of horses)
• "...so he made the sons marry the daughters..." --> a practice of the gods, not humans
• "All day long the atmosphere of the house is loaded with the savor of roasting meats till it groans again, yard and all." --> personification
• "Aeolus entertained me for a whole month" --> verbal cue
• "...he flayed me a prime ox-hide to hold the ways of the roaring winds, which he shut up in the hide as in a sack..." --> Aelous bags up all the winds except for the West wind "which was fair for us did he alone let blow as it chose"
• "...for we were lost through our own folly..." --> foreshadowing / will pride play a role in this?
• "Nine days and nine nights did we sail..." --> they can see Ithaca by the tenth day

Page 104.
Vocabulary: prevailed, lamented

• "...for I had never let the rudder out of my own hands..." --> because he didn't trust them?
• "...the men fell to talking among themselves..." --> what do the men decide to do here? what is their motivation? how does this reflect on Odysseus as a leader?
• distrust is mutual between Odysseus and his men
• "They loosed the sack...raised a storm that carried us weeping out to sea and away from our own country." --> what happens when they open the sack?
• "...knew not whether to throw myself into the sea or to live on..." --> Odysseus contemplates suicide
• "We took pains to further you on your way home to Ithaca, or wherever it was that you wanted to go...." --> INFER: how will Aeolus react when Odysseus asks him for help again?
• "My men have undone me; they, and cruel sleep, have ruined me." --> Odysseus blames his men mostly for what happened. Who do you believe is at fault?
• "Vilest of mankind, get you gone....Be off, for you come here as one abhorred of heaven." --> Odysseus has not said or done anything to indicate the gods hate him (he fell asleep -- not by any god or goddess's commands; his men unleashed the winds, again, of their own free will) so why would Aeolus assume he is hated by the gods?
• "Six days, night and day did we toil, and on the seventh day, we reached the rocky stronghold of Lamus -- Telepylus, the city of the Laestrygonians...." --> stop # 6

Page 105.
Vocabulary: reconnoitre, forthwith

• "...we found it land-locked under steep cliffs, with a narrow entrance between two headlands..." --> does this place sound dangerous? why/why not?
• "I kept my own ship outside..." --> important that Odysseus's ship is isolated from the others
• the Laestrygonians have "a level road" for firewood transport (industrialized) and a "place of assembly" (law and order) --> so are they "civilized"?
• "...so she directed them to her father's house...they found his wife to be a giantess as huge as a mountain...." --> the guide leads them straight to danger -- are the laws of hospitality broken here?
• "He snatched up one of them, and began to make his dinner off him then and there..." --> cannibals, like the Cyclops
• "...they threw vast rocks at us from the cliffs as through they had been mere stones..." --> the ships in the harbor are destroyed before they have the opportunity to leave
• "While they were thus killing my men within the harbor I drew my sword, cut the cable of my own ship, and told my men to row with all their might..." --> is Odysseus acting like a coward here? how does this reflect on his leadership? is he doing the right thing?
• "As for the others there was not one of them left...." --> Odysseus loses 11 of his 12 ships at the land of the Laestrygonians
• "...glad to have escaped death, though we had lost our comrades..." --> repetition, page 101
• "...came to the Aeaean island, where Circe lives..." --> stop # 7

Page 106.
Vocabulary: fathom

• "...send some of them instead of going myself..." --> Odysseus sends his men to investigate instead of himself; how does this reflect on his leadership?
• "...sent a fine stag..." --> Odysseus kills a large deer and tries to rally his crew
• "...they uncovered their heads..." --> they had been mourning the loss of the other crewmembers
• "...the child of morning, rosy-fingered Dawn..." --> epithet
• "...so I divided them into two companies...I gave one company to Eurylochus, while I took command of the other myself...." --> 22 men + 1 leader X 2 groups = 46 men; they lost 6 with the Cicones and 6 at the Cyclops's home = around 60 men total per ship

Page 107.
Vocabulary: fawned

• "...mountain wolves and lions..." --> compare and contrast this image with other descriptions of Nature so far (Calypso's island; Cyclops's island)
• similarities with Calypso: (1) both live alone; (2) both are unmarried goddesses; (3) both live on islands; (4) both have strange powers; (5) both are untrustworthy; (6) both sing and weave; (7) both compel Odysseus to stay with them for a time [Calypso = 7 years; Circe = 1 year]
• "As hounds crowd round their master..." --> Homeric simile
• "...all except Eurylochus, who suspected mischief and stayed outside..." --> INFER: does he have something to fear?
• "...she drugged it with wicked poisons to make them forget their homes...she turned them into pigs by a stroke of her wand..." --> Circe turns them into pigs
• Eurylochus returns to tell Odysseus what happened with the other men

Page 108.
Vocabulary: lairs

• "...let us rather see if we cannot escape at any rate with the few that are left..." --> Eurylochus doesn't want Odysseus to go back -- does he perhaps remember what happened in the past when Odysseus couldn't control his adventurous spirit?
• "...for I am most urgently bound to do so...." --> what is Odysseus's motivation here? does he feel guilty about abandoning the other men or will this rescue bring further glory to him?
• "Hermes with his golden wand, disguised as a young man..." --> PROBLEM: if Odysseus is the one telling the story and Hermes never reveals that he is, in fact, Hermes, then how does Odysseus know this?
• "I will protect you and get you out of your difficulty..." and "...the gods call it Moly, and mortal men cannot uproot it..." --> Hermes offers Odysseus a root to protect him against Circe's powers
• Note the detail of Hermes's instructions to Odysseus about how to defeat / overcome Circe in the fourth paragraph: (1) Circe will mix a potion for him to drink; (2) she will strike him with the wand in an attempt to change him, like the others; (3) Odysseus should draw his sword and act as if he's going to kill her; (4) she will ask him to bed; (5) he must not refuse her but first make her promise not to hurt him

Page 109.
Vocabulary: lair, arrayed, dumb

• "Who and whence are you...?" --> Circe is frightened; Odysseus is able to overcome Circe's powers by way of the Moly from Hermes
• Odysseus makes Circe promise not to hurt him and then goes to bed with her
• Note the hospitality in the fifth paragraph
• Circe notices Odysseus sad in the last paragraph on this page

Page 110.
Vocabulary: halloa-ballooing

• "If you want me to eat and drink, you must free my men and bring them to me that I may see them with my own eyes..." --> Odysseus makes Circe release his men
• "...hide all your ship's gear and property in some cave, and come back here with your men...." --> Circe tells Odysseus to return to the others and bring them back to her palace; he agrees
• "Eurylochus tried to hold them back and said, 'Alas, poor wretches that we are, what will become of us...It was all through his sheer folly that those men lost their lives.' " --> finally someone stands up to Odysseus and makes clear his poor leadership in the past; what does Odysseus consider doing in the next paragraph?

Page 111.
Vocabulary: flit

• "Eurylochus was not left behind after all..." --> Eurylochus had considered staying behind but feared Odysseus if he would not go
• "...so stay here, and eat and drink till you are once more as strong and hearty as you were when you left Ithaca..." --> RECALL: what is Odysseus's main goal?
• "We stayed with Circe for a whole twelvemonth feasting upon an untold quantity of both meat and wine...." --> stayed for 1 year with Circe
• "Sir, it is time you began to think about going home..." --> it is his men who remind him of his goal (interesting change since in the past, it was Odysseus who had to remind his men of this)
• "You must go to the house of Hades and of dread Persephone to consult the ghost of the blind Theban prophet Teiresias..." --> Circe tells Odysseus that he must go to the Land of the Dead

Page 112.
Vocabulary: gossamer

• "...poplars and willows..." --> trees associated with death
• Note Circe's detailed instructions of how to get Teiresias to speak to him starting at the end of paragraph 2: (1) go to where the two rivers run together; (2) dig a trench a cubit deep and a cubit wide; (3) pour a drink offering of honey mixed with milk, then wine, then water; (4) sprinkle barley meal over the whole thing; (5) offer prayers to the dead; (6) promise the dead to sacrifice his very best barren heifer and put many 'good things' on the pyre; (7) promise Teiresias to sacrifice the finest black sheep in all the flocks; (8) offer the dead a ram and a black ewe; (9) have the men skin the two sacrificed sheep; (10) offer them as a burnt sacrifice with prayers to Hades and Persephone; (11) prevent any other dead from coming near the spilt blood until Teiresias has answered the questions
• "...certain youth named Elpenor..." --> Elpenor slept on the roof of Circe's house and heard the noise downstairs

Page 113.
Vocabulary: none.

• "...coming down by the main staircase..." --> after hearing the noise, Elpenor forgot where he was and stumbled off of the roof; he broke his neck and died; interesting that Odysseus and his men leave him without giving him a proper burial first; Odysseus will see Elpenor in the Land of the Dead

Bibliography

Odyssey, Book 9 Notes

Odysseus declares himself and begins his story; the Cicons, Lotophagi, and Cyclopes

Major concepts:

• Odysseus's failure to control his men in the land of the Cicons
• Odysseus rescuing his men in the land of the Lotus Eaters and saving them in the land of the Cyclopes
• Odysseus's adventurous attitude
• Hospitality, and how it changes in other lands
• "Farm" culture of the Cyclops
• Vividness of Odysseus's attack against the Cyclops
• Cleverness of his escape
• Polyphemus's curse
• Odysseus's leadership qualities, adventurous spirit, courage and cleverness; his lapse into hubris / pride

Study Guide Questions:

1. Where do Odysseus and his men go first after they leave Troy?
2. Who are the Cicons / Cicones?
3. Describe the Lotus Eaters.
4. How does Polyphemus prevent Odysseus and his men from leaving the cave?
5. What does Polyphemus's diet consist of?
6. Are the Cyclopes in any way civilized? Explain.
7. Why doesn't Odysseus just kill the Cyclops when he has the chance?
8. What gift does Odysseus give the Cyclops? What gift does the Cyclops give in return?
9. What mistake does Odysseus make at the end of book 9?
10. What benefit does Homer have by allowing Odysseus to tell the story of his adventure after the fact? Why wouldn't Homer just tell the entire story of the Odyssey in chronological order?

Page 91.
Vocabulary: renowned

• “There is nothing more delightful than when a whole people make merry together…” --> ironic since, technically, a “whole people” are “making merry” at his house but are the suitors
• “Now, however, since you are inclined to ask the story of my sorrows…” --> Odysseus will finally tell his story
• NOTE: Odysseus is a storyteller, not a singer
• “…my name…” --> xenia / hospitality could not be complete without knowing the guest’s name
• “…my fame ascends to heaven…” --> finally, Odysseus feels comfortable enough to exert his authority
• “The goddess Calypso kept me with her in her cave…” --> for one year (we find out in book 10)
• “…for there is nothing dearer to a man than his own country…” --> again, emphasizes / appeals to Greeks’ sense of loyalty to one’s home

Page 92.
Vocabulary: invoked

• “…however splendid a home he may have in a foreign country…” --> interesting that Odysseus does not mention a crucial part of his home – his WIFE
• even though it may have been great with Calypso, he still longs for his home
• “…first to Ismarus, which is the city of the Cicons….” --> Odysseus’s first stop after Troy; Cicons (pronounced sick – ko – nees); allies of the Trojans
• “…but my men very foolishly would not obey me….” --> Odysseus tried to get his men to leave but they did not listen to him; what does this suggest about his leadership abilities? How does this relate to his role as a “hero” ?
• “…the Cicons got the better of us, and we lost half a dozen men from every ship…” --> Odysseus had 12 ships and lost 6 from every ship = 6 X 12 = 72 men
  Odysseus would have had around 60 men on each ship
• “thrice invoked each one of the poor fellows who had perished by the hands of the Cicons….” --> this would have been necessary for those who could not recover the bodies to provide them with proper burial
• “…we lay two days and two nights…” --> a storm kept them from leaving
• “…driven thence by foul winds for a space of nine days…” --> spent a total of ten days on the sea before reaching the land of the Lotus Eaters
• “…I sent two of my company…” --> Odysseus sends two men and a “runner” to return with the news – the Lotus Eaters were not violent people – so what threat did they pose?
• QUESTION: Is apathy worse than violence?

Page 93.
Vocabulary: smote

• QUESTION: What is Odysseus’s main goal?
• “…who ate of it left off caring about home…” --> men who ate the lotus forgot about home / were unable to return home – compare this with other stories / myths where getting home involved eating / not eating certain foods
• “…till we came to the land of the lawless and inhuman Cyclopes….” --> if Odysseus knows the Phaeacians’ connection to the Cyclopes, why does he talk bad about them?
• Lawless people were considered “bad” or “monstrous” in 8th century Greece
• “Now off their harbor…” --> compare this description with that of Calypso’s island – is this Nature over-run?
• “…the Cyclops have no ships…” --> Cyclops are completely isolated, but the lands are rich enough that they have no need to trade / travel to other lands
  compare the Utopian description of the Cyclops to that of the Phaeacians – shortsightedness (Cyclops) verses intelligence (Phaeacians)

Page 94.
Vocabulary: smote

• “…twelve ships with me…” --> 12 ships, 60 men per ship = 720 men
• “Stay here, my brave fellows…” --> Odysseus takes his main ship to the Cyclops’s and leaves the other 11 ships on the neighboring island
• it’s Odysseus’s curiosity that drives him to investigate the Cyclop’s home
• “…we saw a great cave… --> Cyclop’s home
• “…resembling rather some crag…” --> metaphor
• “…but the twelve best among them…” --> Odysseus choses 12 men out of the 60 to help; only 6 will return
• “…a goatskin of sweet black wine…” --> wine plays a major role in the success of his escape from this island
• “…with twelve jars of sweet wine, unblended…” ; “…he mixed twenty parts of water to one of wine…” --> most wine would have been 1 part wine to 3 parts water or 2 parts wine to 3 parts water
• “…for my mind warned me that I might have to deal with some savage…” --> if he knew there would be danger, why did he go?

Page 95.
Vocabulary: hoggets, renown

• “When they saw all this, my men begged me to let them first steal some cheeses…” --> leadership issues?
• “…for I wanted to see the owner himself…” --> pride / hubris ; Odysseus wants to increase his own wealth
• “…to light the fire for his supper…” --> but his meal isn’t cooked, so he uses the fire for light and warmth and Odysseus will need the fire for his escape plan
• “flung with such a noise…” --> doesn’t describe Cyclops’s physical appearance though his actions should make us afraid
• Note the care the Cyclops takes with milking his sheep / caring for them
• “Strangers, who are you?” --> Cyclops thinks Odysseus’s men are pirates – how does his hospitality compare with the Phaeacians?
• Odysseus reminds the Cyclops to be hospitable – note the Cyclops’s response in the next paragraph

Page 96.
Vocabulary: entrails

• “And now tell me where you made your ship fast…” --> should Odysseus tell the Cyclops where he parked his ships? Why/why not?
• “Poseidon…sent my ships on to the rocks…” --> interesting that Odysseus chooses this god – why might that be ironic?
• “He gobbled them up like a lion…” --> note that Odysseus was also compared to a lion when he first met Nausicaa
• Cyclops eats two men and goes to sleep; Odysseus realizes he shouldn’t kill the Cyclops in his sleep – why?
• Note that the Cyclops is NOT a wine drinker – that much easier to get drunk
• “…he clutched up two more of my men…” --> eats 2 more men then leaves and returns the stone to the doorway
• “…so I was left to scheme some way…” --> Odysseus is concerned with his pride / or “covering himself with glory”

Page 97.
Vocabulary: ramping, gobbets

• “..end in the fire to make it harder…” --> prepares the stake for the Cyclops’s eye
• “…the lot fell upon the very four…” --> these four must be saved / others can be sacrificed
  note: two more men die, not among the four he chose
• “…ivy-wood bowl of black wine…” --> Odysseus gives the Cyclops unmixed wine; Cyclops drinks several bowls of it and pukes and passes out, face-up (important for Odysseus’s plan to work)
• “…tell me your name at once; I want to make you a present…” --> Cyclops DOES know the rules of hospitality but chooses to ignore them; makes him barbaric
• “…my name is Noman…” --> this clever trick foreshadows his own return to Ithaca – he must return anonymously
• Note what the Cyclops’s gift to Odysseus is now that he knows his name
• “…thrust the beam of wood far into the embers…” --> as a ‘green wood’ it probably wouldn’t glow; it would catch fire before it would glow

Page 98.
Vocabulary: besmirched, esconced

• “…bearing upon it with all my weight…” --> Homeric simile
• “As a blacksmith plunges an ax…” --> Homeric simile
• “…asked what was the matter with him…” --> note how the Cyclops responds to the others
• “…I bound them noiselessly…” --> how does Odysseus plan to use the sheep / rams to assist his escape?

Page 99.
Vocabulary: smote

• “My good ram…” --> how is Polyphemus’s questions to the ram ironic?
• “Then, when I had got as far as my voice would reach…” --> Odysseus’s pride gets the best of him
• “…Now Zeus and the other gods have punished you…” --> Odysseus will also punish the suitors in the same way
• “…flung it just in front of my ship…a little of hitting the end of the rudder…” --> impossible; Homer words this wrong
• “Do not be mad enough to provoke the savage beast further…” --> Odysseus’s men beg him not to continue – what keeps driving him?

Page 100.
Vocabulary: none.

• QUESTION: What is Odysseus’s main weakness?
• Odysseus calling out to the Cyclops is stupid for 2 reasons: (1) gives the Cyclops another chance to lob a boulder and (2) it gives the Cyclops Odysseus’s real name (prayers to the gods / revenge couldn’t take place without someone’s real name)
• Omen: “There was a prophet here, at one time…” --> interesting that the Cyclops is also a victim of hubris – he only thought a certain kind of man could defeat him / rob him of his sight

Page 101.
Vocabulary: livelong

• Cyclops’s prayer: do not let Odysseus get home alive, or if he must…

1. Takes a long time
2. Trouble on the way
3. Lose all of his men
4. Arrive in someone else’s ship
5. Trouble at home

Additional notes about book 9:

• Odysseus's adventureland is very different from the Phaeacians's world.
• Note how Athena is completely kept out of Odysseus's adventures.
• Odysseus is a hero of courage and versatility -- but also (obviously) with his problems as well (leadership, pride / hubris)
• Odysseus is known for his 'metis' or resourcefulness / cunning --> his intelligence and not brute force is inevitably what saves him (recall the Demodocus's song about Achilles and Odysseus arguing in book 8 -- the question asked was will cunning or force win Troy? -- INFER: if a hero like Achilles would have encountered the Cyclops, what would have been the end result?

Problems for books 9-12

• (1) the source / origin of the stories stems from Jason and the Argonauts
• both stories / myths share the stories of Circe, Sirens, Sun God, etc.
• the stories / adventures were adapted to fit with the story of the Odyssey
• the stories are "told" by Odysseus -- but are they completely true? how can we trust Odysseus as a narrator?
• (2) stories were told to the Phaeacians
• were the stories adapted by Odysseus to fit / appeal to their audience?

Bibliography

Odyssey, Book 8 Notes

Banquet in the house of Alcinous; the games


Major concepts:

• Alcinous's response to Odysseus's request for help
• Preparation of the black ship
• Song / storytelling of the bard; games; feasting; dance
• Demodocus, the bard
• Demodocus's song / effect on Odysseus
• Challenge of the Broadsea / Odysseus's response
• Gifts for Odysseus

Study Guide Questions:

1. Describe the activities that King Alcinous arranges to entertain Odysseus.
2. Who is Demodocos?
3. Why might his blindness be significant?
4. How is King Alcinous helping Odysseus to get home?
5. Who is Odysseus quarreling with in the first song?
6. What is Odysseus's reaction whenever Demodocos sings about the Trojan War?
7. How does Odysseus respond to the challenge of Broadsea?
8. Which qualities of Odysseus shine through in this episode of athletic competition?
9. How does Odysseus win the respect of the young Phaeacians?
10. What does Alcinous ask Odysseus at the end of book 8?

Page 79.
Vocabulary: none.

• "...the child of morning, rosy-fingered Dawn..." --> epithet
• "...while Athena took the form of one of Alcinous' servants..." --> Athena dons yet another disguise
• "...he looks like an immortal god...." --> simile
• "...for Athena had beautified him about the head and shoulders, making him look taller and stouter..." --> Athena improves Odysseus's appearance again, just like she did with Nausicaa -- now Odysseus has looks and authority

Page 80.
Vocabulary: chieftains

• "Let us draw a ship into the sea--one that has never yet made a voyage--and man her with two and fifty of our smartest young sailors...." --> Odysseus's ship would have carried 60+ men; again, Alcinous is boasting about the Phaeacians
• "...we will have Demodocus to sing to us...." --> Demodocus's name is of Greek origin, meaning 'welcomed by the people'
• "...famous bard Demodocus, whom the muse had dearly loved, but to whom she had given both good and evil, for though she had endowed him with a divine gift of song, she had robbed him of his eyesight...." --> physical blindness could suggest mental or spiritual insight (to a Greek)
• "...the muse inspired Demodocus to sing the feats of heroes, and more especially a matter that was then in the mouths of all men, to wit, the quarrel between Odysseus and Achilles..." --> this side-story does serve a purpose: it refers possibly to the time in the Trojan War after the death of Hector and Odysseus's confrontation with Achilles -- this story asks the question: will cunning (Odysseus) or force (Achilles) win the war? Agamemnon would have been happy with the two leaders fighting because it was prophecied that "Troy would fall when the best of Greeks came into conflict"

Page 81.
Vocabulary: none.

• "...let us then proceed to the athletic sports..." --> not only was there a banquet, there also were games
• "Acroneos, Ocylaus, Elatreus, Nauteus..." --> weird names? weird for a reason -- they all have to do with (take a guess) sailing / the sea
• "...nor is he at all old..." --> actually, by this point, Odysseus would have been in his early-mid forties
• "Your return home will not be long delayed, for the ship is already drawn into the water, adn the crew is found...." --> this reassures Odysseus that no matter how (well or bad) he does in the contests, he will still have a way home

Page 82.
Vocabulary: reviled

• "I have been through infinite trouble, and am come among you now as a suppliant..." --> says Odysseus: leave me alone
• "I gather, then, that you are unskilled...you are one of those grasping traders..." --> people like Odysseus would have gained wealth through raiding other lands, like pirates; independently wealthy people (like the Phaeacians) would have found this to be primitive and unrefined
• "No god would make a finer looking fellow than you are, but you are a fool...." --> says Odysseus: you've messed with the wrong guy
• "Athena, in the form of a man, came and marked the place where it had fallen...." --> Athena appears before Odysseus makes a fool of himself by angering the Phaeacians; remember, he is still a guest and must "keep a low profile"
• "If anyone wants to have a bout with me let him come on, for I am exceedingly angry...." --> Odysseus challenges them

Page 83.
Vocabulary: intrigue, defiled

• Philoctetes inherited a bow from Heracles -- the bow never missed -- so of course he could outshoot Odysseus
• "...when we Achaeans were before Troy and in practice...." --> BIG hint at who he is -- is Odysseus ready to tell yet?
• "...for Apollo was angry with him and killed him because he challenged him as an archer..." --> jealousy of the gods -- anthropomorphism
• "Sir, we have had much pleasure in hearing all that you have told us, from which I understand that you are willing to show your prowess..." --> Alcinous acknowledges Odysseus's authority and stature
• "...singularly fleet of foot and are excellent sailors..." --> what?! good at sailing?!!! I never knew.
• "...the bard began to sing of the loves of Ares and Aphrodite..." --> this story tells about how the gods enjoy and condone adultery -- this is the only time mentioned in the Odyssey where the gods are not "morally sound"

Page 84.
Vocabulary: festooned, loth, vestibule

• "...and festooned the bed-posts all over with chains like cobwebs..." --> not because the trap looked like a spiderweb, but because it was invisible like a spiderweb (simile, by the way)
• "Father Zeus...and all you other blessed gods who live for ever..." --> he calls on Zeus for help, but Poseidon comes instead
• "See how limping Hephaestus, lame as he is, has caught Ares who is the fleetest god in heaven; and now Ares will be cast in heavy damages...." --> does brawn always win over brain?

Page 85.
Vocabulary: raiment

• "...if Ares goes away without paying his damages, I will pay you myself...." --> a better compromise: that way, if Ares cuts out without paying, Hephaestus will still get his retribution
• "...Ares to Thrace...Aphrodite to Cyprus and Paphos...." --> these are two totally different directions
• "I was astonished as I saw them...." --> just as much as the Phaeacians enjoy boasting, they also enjoy receiving praise -- Odysseus praises them again
• "...let us give him such proof of our hospitality as he may reasonably expect..." --> here, Alcinous tells the elders what they must give up to provide to Odysseus

Page 86.
Vocabulary: amiss, raiment

• "He was very glad of a warm bath..." --> this would have been a typical bathing scene in Greek times

Page 87.
Vocabulary: freighting

• "Nausicaa, daughter of great Alcinous..." --> Odysseus offers his blessings
• "Demodocus, there is no one in the world whom I admire more than you...." --> the ultimate praise for a performer / singer would be to praise the accuracy of his story
• this is yet another hint at who Odysseus is
• "the Trojans themselves had drawn the horse into their fortress..." --> the Trojans want to do one of three things with the horse: (1) destroy it immediately; (2) launch it off of a cliff; or (3) keep it as a souvenir / offering to the gods [they end up keeping it, causing the fall of Troy and ending the war]

Page 88.
Vocabulary: piteously

• "...how Odysseus went raging like Ares along with Menelaus to the house of Deiphobus...." --> Deiphobus is important because he was one of the Trojan leaders after Hector's death
• "He wept as a woman weeps...even so piteously did Odysseus weep..." --> Homeric simile describing Odysseus's sorrow / weeping for the story
• "...let Demodocus cease his song, for there are those present [ahem, Odysseus] who do not seem to like it...." --> only Alcinous notices Odysseus weeping like a baby
• "...it will be more polite in you to give me a plain answer...." --> does Alcinous suspect, at this point, that Odysseus has been hiding something?
• "Still I do remember hearing my father say that Poseidon was angry with us for being too easy-going in the matter of giving people escorts...." --> yet another prophecy: is this one about helping Odysseus? will their ship be wrecked after helping him home?

Page 89.
Vocabulary: none.

• "And now, tell me and tell me true...." --> Alcinous asks who Odysseus is
• Question: If the Phaeacians are so distant and isolated from all other areas -- would they have even heard of Odysseus? obviously, with bards like Demodocus, the answer would be yes, though they probably couldn't have related much to his sorrow and wouldn't understand why he would cry when the bard sang about Troy and the Achaeans

Book 8 divides into three main sections, each with a song:

1. Odysseus and Achilles's argument (Odysseus weeps at this)
2. Aphrodite and Ares (no weeping)
3. Troy / the Trojan Horse (Odysseus weeps at this one too)

Bibliography

Odyssey, Book 7 Notes

Reception of Odysseus at the palace of King Alcinous

Major concepts:

• Odysseus's prayer
• Odysseus's entrance to the palace
• Parallels: Odysseus / Scheria = Hermes / Ogygia
• Description of the palace
• Odysseus's greeting of Queen Arête
• Hospitality
• Phaeacians' familiarity with visits from the gods
• Odysseus's avoidance of introducing himself
• Alcinous's suggestion

Study Guide Questions:

1. 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?
2. What craft are the Phaeacians best known for?
3. How is Odysseus treated as a guest?
4. What is the difference between the way Odysseus greets Arête and the way he greeted Nausicaa?
5. What does this tell us about Odysseus's perception of the two women?
6. Why does Odysseus sit in the ashes?
7. What does Odysseus say when asked to identify himself?
8. What is Arête's role in helping Odysseus?
9. How does Odysseus explain why Nausicaa did not bring him directly to the palace?
10. 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

Bibliography

Odyssey Notes

The Telemachy.

Book 1. The gods in council; Athena's visit to Ithaca; the challenge from Telemachus to the suitors.
'07 Notes (links to other websites) '08 Notes (from the Prestwick House text) Read it Online
Labels: Agamemnon, Alcinous, Athena, Calypso, disguise, Euryclea, Eurymachus, Hermes, hospitality, in media res, notes, Odyssey, Penelope, Poseidon, pride or hubris, study guide, suitors, Telemachus

Book 2. Assembly of the people in Ithaca; speeches of Telemachus and of the suitors; Telemachus makes his preparations for Pylos with Athena disguised as Mentor.
'07 Notes (links to other websites) '08 Notes (from the Prestwick House text). Read it Online
Labels: Alcinous, Athena, disguise, Euryclea, Eurymachus, notes, Odyssey, omen, Penelope, study guide, suitors, Telemachus

Book 3. Telemachus visits Nestor at Pylos.
'08 Notes (from the Prestwick House text). Read it Online
Labels: Agamemnon, Athena, disguise, hospitality, Menelaus, Nestor, notes, Odyssey, Poseidon, Pylos, study guide, Telemachus, Trojan War

Book 4. The visit to King Menelaus, who tells his story; the suitors in Ithaca plot against Telemachus.
'08 Notes (from the Prestwick House text). Read it Online
Labels: Agamemnon, Antinous, Euryclea, Eurymachus, Helen, Hera, hospitality, Menelaus, notes, Odyssey, Penelope, study guide, suitors, Telemachus

Calypso in Ogygia / Alcinous in Scheria.

Book 5. Calypso; Odysseus reaches Scheria on a raft.
'08 Notes (from the Prestwick House text) Read it Online
Labels: Athena, Calypso, Hermes, Homeric simile, notes, Odyssey, Poseidon, study guide

Book 6. The meeting between Nausicaa and Odysseus.
'08 Notes (from the Prestwick House text) Read it Online
Labels: Alcinous, Athena, disguise, hospitality, Nausicaa, notes, Odyssey, Poseidon, Scheria, study guide

Book 7. Reception of Odysseus at the palace of King Alcinous.
'08 Notes (from the Prestwick House text). Read it Online
Labels: Alcinous, Arete, hospitality, Nausicaa, notes, Odyssey, Scheria, study guide

Book 8. Banquet at the house of Alcinous; the games.
'08 Notes (from the Prestwick House text). Read it Online
Labels: Alcinous, Arete, Athena, notes, Odyssey, Scheria, study guide, Trojan Horse

Odysseus tells his story.

Book 9. Odysseus declares himself and begins his story; the Cicons, Lotophagi, and Cyclopes.
'07 Notes (Cicones and Lotus Eaters) '07 Notes (Cyclopes) '08 Notes (Prestwick House text) Read it Online
Labels: Calypso, Cicons, Cyclops, hospitality, lotus, notes, Odyssey, omen, poke in the eye with a sharp stick (better than a), Poseidon, pride or hubris, study guide

Book 10. Aeolus; the Laestrygones; Circe.
'07 Notes (Aeolus) '07 Notes (Laestrygonians and Circe) '08 Notes (Prestwick House text) Read it Online
Labels: Aeolus, cannibals, Circe, Elpenor, Eurylochus, Hermes, Laestrygones, Land of the Dead, notes, Odyssey, pride or hubris, study guide

Book 11. The visit to the dead.
'07 Notes (Land of the Dead) '08 Notes (Prestwick House text) Read it Online
Labels: Achilles, Agamemnon, Anticlea, Elpenor, Land of the Dead, notes, Odyssey, omen, study guide, Teiresias

Book 12. The Sirens; Scylla and Charybdis; the cattle of the sun.
'07 Notes (Sirens, Scylla and Charybdis, the cattle of the sun god) '08 Notes (Prestwick House text) Read it Online
Labels: Circe, notes, Odyssey, omen, Scylla and Charybdis, Sirens, study guide, Sun God

Odysseus returns home to Ithaca.

Book 13. Odysseus leaves Scheria and returns to Ithaca.
'08 Notes (Prestwick House text) Read it Online
Labels:

Book 14. Odysseus in the hut with Eumaeus.
'08 Notes (Prestwick House text) Read it Online
Labels:

Book 15. Athena summons Telemachus home from Lacedaemon; he meets with Theoclymenus at Pylos and brings him to Ithaca; on handing he goes to the hut of Eumaeus.
'08 Notes (Prestwick House text) Read it Online
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Book 16. Odysseus reveals himself to Telemachus.
'08 Notes (Prestwick House text) Read it Online
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Odysseus and Telemachus both return to the Kingdom.

Book 17. Telemachus and his mother meet; Odysseus and Eumaeus come down to the town, and Odysseus is insulted by Melanthius; he is recognized by the dog Argos; he is insulted and presently struck by Antinous with a stool; Penelope desires that he shall be sent to her.
'08 Notes (Prestwick House text) Read it Online
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Book 18. The fight with Irus; Odysseus warns Amphinomus; Penelope gets presents from the suitors; the Braziers; Odysseus rebukes Eurymachus.
'08 Notes (Prestwick House text) Read it Online
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Book 19. Telemachus and Odysseus remove the armor; Odysseus interviews Penelope; Euryclea washes his feet and recognizes the scar on his leg; Penelope tells her dream to Odysseus.
'08 Notes (Prestwick House text) Read it Online
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Book 20. Odysseus cannot sleep; Penelope's prayer to Artemis; the two signs from Heaven; Eumaeus and Philoetius arrive; the suitors dine; Ctesippus throws an ox's foot at Odysseus; Theoclymenus foretells disaster and leaves the house.
'08 Notes (Prestwick House text) Read it Online
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Odysseus and Telemachus take their revenge.

Book 21. The trial of Axes, during which Odysseus reveals himself to Eumaeus and Philoetius.
'08 Notes (Prestwick House text) Read it Online
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Book 22. The killing of the suitors; the maids who have misconducted themselves are made to cleanse the cloisters and are then hanged.
'08 Notes (Prestwick House text) Read it Online
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Book 23. Penelope eventually recognizes her husband; early in the morning Odysseus, Telemachus, Eumaeus, and Philoetius leave the town.
'08 Notes (Prestwick House text) Read it Online
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Book 24. The ghosts of the suitors in the Land of the Dead; Odysseus and his men go to the house of Laertes; the people of Ithaca come out to attack Odysseus, but Athena concludes a peace.
'08 Notes (Prestwick House text) Read it Online
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Odysseus's Adventures (Chronological Order)

1. Troy
2. Ismarus (Land of the Cicons)
3. Land of the lotus eaters
4. Land of the Cyclops, Polyphemus
5. Aeolia (Home of Aeolus, the wind god)
6. Laestrygonia (Home of the giant cannibal Laestrygones)
7. Aeaea (Home of the enchantress Circe)
8. Land of the Dead (Home of Hades and Persephone)
9. Aeaea (Home of the enchantress Circe)
10. Island of the Sirens
11. Scylla and Charybdis
12. Thrinacia (Home of Hyperion / Helios, god of the Sun and his cattle)
13. Ogygia (Home of the nymph Calypso)
14. Scheria (Home of King Alcinous and the Phaeacians)
15. Ithaca (Odysseus's home)

Odyssey, Book 6 Notes

The Meeting between Nausicaa and Odysseus

Major Concepts:

• Phaeacians / their relationship with the gods
• Athena's disguise / message to Nausicaa
• Nausicaa's description / her beauty / her age
• Nausicaa being of marrying age
• Odysseus's awakening
• Differing reactions to Odysseus and his frightful appearance
• Odysseus's tact / Nausicaa's hospitality
• Bathing / annointing with oil
• Odysseus's changed appearance
• Athena's presence

Study Guide Questions:

1. What 'subliminal' message does Athena give to Nausicaa while she sleeps?
2. Who is th eonly person who doesn't run away from the terrifying Odysseus? Why doesn't she run away?
3. What does Odysseus choose not to do when he sees Nausicaa? Explain.
4. What does Odysseus say to Nausicaa?
5. Is it pure luck that Nausicaa helps Odysseus? Explain.
6. Why does the fact that Odysseus won't bathe in front of the girls tells us about the kind of person he is?
7. Does Nausicaa believe her parents will help Odysseus?
8. Why won't Nausicaa let Odysseus ride in her cart?
9. Why instructions does she give Odysseus?
10. Who has ties to the city which might be a warning sign for Odysseus?

Page 63.
Vocabulary: none.

• "...near the lawless Cyclopes...." --> the city obviously has ties to the Cyclopes, Odysseus's enemies. a warning sign?
• "...King Alcinous, whose counsels were inspired of heaven, was now reigning...." --> this is Odysseus's last stop before he returns to Ithaca
• "...in which there slept a girl who was as lovely as a goddess..." --> note that many of the descriptions / similes about the Phaeacians compare them to gods / godddesses
• "...yet you are going to be married almost immediately..." --> the first of many references to Nausicaa's age and ability to be married soon -- is Homer suggesting that after all he went through, Odysseus will marry Nausicaa?
• "Athena took the form of the famous sea captain Dymas' daughter..." --> Athena dons yet another disguise to speak to a mortal and instructs Nausciaa to spend a day washing clothes by the river so she will encounter Odysseus

Page 64.
Vocabulary: want, cruse

• "...and you are not going to remain a maid much longer..." --> again, Nausicaa is of marrying age
• "...Nausicaa, who began wondering about her dream..." --> Nausicaa goes to find her mother, weaving purple yarn at her loom (purple yarn = very rare / expensive); and her father about to attend a meeting
• Nausicaa's father Alcinous gives her a wagon so she can wash the clothes

Page 65.
Vocabulary: unkempt, begrimed

• "When they had done dinner they threw off the veils that covered their heads and began to play at ball, while Nausicaa sang for them...." --> all unmarried women would have always had two things when going out in public: a veil to cover their face and other people accompanying them. Note that here, the young girls are vulnerable and about to meet a man, rather dissheveled in appearance.
• "As the huntress Artemis goes forth upon the mountains...even so did the girl outshine her handmaids...." --> another Homeric simile
• "...see the handsome girl who was to conduct him to the city of the Phaeacians...." --> again refers to Nausicaa's beauty and how Odysseus should take note of it
• "What kind of people have I come amongst?" --> Odysseus wakes and wonders what kind of people the Phaeacians will be
• "...to hide his nakedness...." --> Odysseus would have appeared very frightening to Nausicaa and her handmaids, especially being unclothed. Does he pose a threat to their safety?
• "He looked like some lion of the wilderness that stalks about exulting in his strength and defying both wind and rain...." --> another Homeric simile
• "...the others scampered off along the spits..." --> all of the other handmaids abandon Nausicaa, who holds her ground; her strength comes from Athena
• "...he doubted whether he should go up to her, throw himself at her feet, and embrace her knees as a suppliant, or stay where he was and entreat her to give him some clothes and show him the way to the town. In the end he deemed it best to entreat her from a distance in case the girl should take offense at his coming near enough to clasp her knees, so he addressed her in honeyed and persuasive language...." --> yet another Greek custom, supplication involved the act of falling onto ones knees in front of another (god or mortal) and begging for help; was supposed to be very demeaning and embarrassing for the person begging for help; in order for the act of supplication to be complete (and accepted) there also needed to be some sort of physical contact between the person asking for help and the assumed helper (usually grasping the knees); here, Odysseus realizes his ravaged appearance and how approaching a lone female and grasping onto her knees might be misconstrued; he decides to merely ask for help through flattery; note his language on the next page

Page 66.
Vocabulary: scion, discomfits

• "...and who takes you to his own home...." --> Odysseus flatters Nausicaa by saying how lucky everyone is who knows her (family, friends, future husband)
• "I dare not clasp your knees..." --> recall, for supplication to be complete there needs to be physical contact; Odysseus is substituting this for his explanation why he won't do that
• "May heaven grant you in all things your heart's desire..." --> ends supplication by blessing the person who he's asking for help
• "...we are called Phaeacians..." --> Nausicaa introduces herself
• "Neither he nor anyone else can come here to do us Phaeacians harm..." --> Nausicaa scolds the other maids for running away from Odysseus; she reveals that Scheria is isolated, and, in a sense, protected from intruders

Page 67.
Vocabulary: cruse, ravenously

• "...for strangers and foreigners in distress are under Zeus' protection...so, girls, give the poor fellow something to eat and drink, and wash him in the stream at some place that is sheltered from the wind...." --> explains Zeus's code for hospitality / guests; Nausicaa commands her servants to wash Odysseus (common practice for women to bathe men)
• "...told him to go and wash in the stream...." --> Nausicaa told her servants to wash Odysseus and here, they tell him to do it himself -- defiance? -- in his response, Odysseus makes is seem like it was his decision to wash alone (shame), allowing Nausicaa to retain her control over her servants
• "Athena made him look taller and stronger than before..." --> why does it matter that Odysseus look nice? Nausicaa notices the change: "the girl gazed on him with admiration."
• Nausicaa vs. Calypso: Calypso bathed, fed, and slept with Odysseus herself; Nausicaa commands her servants to bathe and feed him, and merely looks at him in wonder and appreciation
• "I should like my future husband to be just such another as he is, if he would only stay here and not want to go away...." --> does Nausicaa want to marry Odysseus? Will she marry Odysseus?

Page 68.
Vocabulary: disparaging, scandalized

• "You will see the market place with a temple of Poseidon..." --> isn't Poseidon Odysseus's sworn enemy? is this another warning sign?
• "...but are a sea-faring folk, and pride themselves with their masts..." --> what does Odysseus need more than ever right now? a boat! how convenient these people are well-known for their ships / knowledge of the sea
• "I suppose she is going to marry him..." --> here, Nausicaa presents what people may say when they see her with Odysseus -- does she want people to think this? what is the importance of what other people think?
• "You will find her sitting by the fire and spinning her purple wool by firelight...my father, on which he sits like an immortal god...." --> Nausicaa tells Odysseus how to approach her parents and ask for help; he should supplicate before her mother and win her over; apparently, she will play an important role in his returning home

Page 69.
Vocabulary: unweariable

• "...she would not show herself to him openly..." --> apparently, even Athena fears Poseidon's wrath