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 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 2 Notes

The Meeting of the Council


Major concepts:

• Athena's involvement in the lives of Odysseus's family
• Economic importance of the household
• Bird omen / reactions to bird omen
• Telemachus's change
• Telemachus's departure / suitors' reactions

Study Guide Questions:

1. Describe the trick that Penelope plays on the suitors.
2. What, specifically, does Athena do to help Telemachus in this book?
3. How do the suitors, according to Antinous, view Penelope's reluctance? Why do they think they are justified in acting as they do?
4. How well does Telemachus handle the suitors' chief, Antinous, and his self-justification?
5. What are the two difference interpretations of the bird omen?

Page 19.
Vocabulary: criers, comeliness

• "...child of morning, rosy-fingered Dawn..." --> literary device: epithet -- word or phrase associated with a person or thing, often present in epic poetry as a mneumonic device
• "...looking like an immortal god..." --> literary device: simile
• "Aegyptius, a man bent double with age..." --> elder from Ithaca questions why someone called a council meeting and who called it

Page 20.
Vocabulary: omen, convened, aggrieved, ere, abetting, remedy, braggart, artful, tambour frame

• "...turns on two great misfortunes which have fallen upon my house..." --> Telemachus's two chief complaints: (1) the loss of his father and (2) the unending presence / tyrrany of the suitors
• "No estate can stand such recklessness; we have now no Odysseus to ward off harm from our doors..." --> Telemachus asks the elders for their help / support because Telemachus feels he cannot do the job of protecting his household by himself
• "With this Telemachus dashed his staff to the ground and burst into tears...." --> still struggling between childhood / adulthood, Telemachus is not mature enough to "hold his own" with the suitors or even the elders
• "...Antinous, who spoke thus..." --> here, Antinous begins to explain why they (the suitors) blame Penelope for their over-extended stay
• "And then there was that other trick she played us...." --> Penelope sets up a loom in her quarters and began creating a rug / piece of needlework in honor of Odysseus's father(continues on next page)

Page 21.
Vocabulary: pall, plaguing, rigorously, creditable

• "...we could see her working on her great web all day long, but at night she would unpick the stitches again by torchlight...." --> Penelope said she would not choose a new husband until she had finished the needlework; however, each night she undid that day's work; this continued for four years until one of her maids revealed her secret to the suitors
• "Understand, then, that we will not go back to our lands, neither here nor elsewhere, till she has made her choice and married some one or other of us...." --> Antinous tells Telemachus how things will be
• "It will be hard on me if I have to pay Icarius the large sum...heaven will also punish me..." --> Telemachus reveals the two reasons why he shouldn't do as the suitors say: (1) he will need to repay the dowry to Penelope's father if he sends her back; and (2) he will be punished by heaven and the Erinyes
• "...Zeus sent two eagles from the top of the mountain..." --> birds were often seen as omens / foreshadowing during Greek times; interpretations of the eagles follow on the next page

Page 22.
Vocabulary: omen, prating, vying

• "I see mischief brewing for them...." --> Halitherses (the best prophet; foresaw Odysseus's trouble in going to Troy / the journey home) interprets the two eagles as an ill omen for the suitors: Odysseus will return home soon and seek revenge
• "...birds are always flying about in the sunshine..." --> Eurymachus (one of the suitors) says that the eagles were merely birds flying and should not be interpreted in any way
• "As for Telemachus, I warn him in the presence of you all..." --> Eurymachus also tells Telemachus that the suitors will not change their patterns and boasts how the suitors fear no man or omen
• "Give me, then, a ship and a crew of twenty men..." --> Telemachus asks for a ship and crew, just as Athena directed him

Page 23.
Vocabulary: barrow, henceforward, victuals, bade

• "...people often hear things in this way)..." --> this may sound familiar; see Athena's directives on page 16
• "...I am shocked at the way in which you all sit still without even trying to stop such scandalous goings on..." --> Mentor, left in charge of the kingdom by Odysseus, displays his frustrations with the other elders
• "Even though Odysseus were to set upon us..." --> another suitor makes note here that even if Odysseus returned, there would be little he could do to punish the suitors without receiving punishment, himself
• "...prayed to Athena..." --> Telemachus asks for help from a higher source
• "As he thus prayed, Athena came close up to him in the likeness and with the voice of Mentor...." --> again, Athena dons a disguise to speak to Telemachus

Page 24.
Vocabulary: henceforward, discernment, flaying

• "Sons are seldom as good men as their fathers; they are generally worse..." --> Athena (as Mentor) continues to encourage Telemachus to continue on his journey and to draw upon the strength he must have since he is Odysseus's son
• "...give no thought to death and to the doom that will shortly fall on one and all of them..." --> Athena foreshadows Odysseus's return and the slaughter of the suitors
• "...come with you myself...." --> Athena will accompany Telemachus on his journey
• "I will run my eye over them and will choose the best..." --> Athena will go and pick out a boat for Telemachus
• "...bear no more ill blood neither in word nor deed, but eat and drink with us as you used to do...." --> Antinous tries to pretend to be Telemachus's friend
• "Telemachus means to be the death of us..." --> the suitors begin talking about Telemachus's intentions; they also hope that Telemachus will die on his journey (continues on the next page)

Page 25.
Vocabulary: barren, drawing, tackle

• "...divide up his property amongst us..." --> the suitors hope Telemachus will die on the journey so they may take his things
• "Get these things put together at once..." --> here, Telemachus tells his nurse / servant Euryclea to help him gather his things but not to tell Penelope about it, because she will be upset
• "Your poor father is dead and gone in some foreign country nobody knows where..." --> Euryclea worries about what will happen if Telemachus leaves
• "The old woman swore most solemnly that she would not..." --> Euryclea promises not to tell Penelope that Telemachus is leaving

Page 26.
Vocabulary: hawsers, forestays, hoisted, watches

• "...threw the suitors into a deep slumber...." --> Athena puts the suitors under a spell so Telemachus could leave safely
• Telemachus leaves Ithaca to go to Pylos, to visit Nestor

Parts of a Greek Ship: mast, yard-arm, sail, oars, rudder oar

Bibliography