Book One: Athena Inspires the Prince

Characters• Aegisthus (talked about)• Antinous• Eurycleia• Eurymachus• Mentes

• Pallas Athena• Penelope• Phemius• Poseidon (talked about)• Odysseus• Telemachus

• Zeus

Settings• Mount Olympus• Ithaca

Thought Questions• Why do you think Homer begins the work by having Zeus discuss Aegisthus' murder? Is he planting the idea of the unfaithful wife waylaying her husband, since Aegisthus, the lover of Agamemnon's wife Clytemnestra, has just been killed by the son of Agamemnon? Or is he setting up a revenge motif?

• What customs can we see dealing with how one is to treat strangers?

• What does Telemachus' treatment of his mother show about the views of the Achaeans toward women?

• What kind of limits do the gods of Homer have?

• Many people question whether the Achaeans believed there was such a thing as free will. Reread Zeus' comments on Aegisthus. Did Aegisthus choose what he did or did a god choose it?

Homer’s Technique

Homer uses the epic form: a long narrative poem about a national hero, heroic exploits and the gods. He begins his story ‘in medias res,’ meaning that we start in the middle of the story, not at the beginning (that is, not with Odysseus leaving at the fall of Troy). Since Homer’s poem was originally sung, there are lots of repetitions. Remember his story was not written down until almost 400 years after his death. Also Homer uses what are called ‘stock epithets’— adjective phrases that are associated with the person or thing described. Athena, for example, is often ‘grey-eyed,’ Menelaus is always ‘red haired,’ Poseidon is ‘blue-haired,’ Calypso is ‘lustrous goddess,’ etc.

Book 2: Telemachus Sets Sail

The illustration, taken from a red-figure vase painting, shows Penelope and Telemachus before the shroud weaving which Penelope uses to trick the suitors.

Characters Halitherses Mentor Pisenor

Setting Ithaca

Thought Questions What kind of person does Telemachus appear to be? Does he appear to be someone who is 20? Why hasn't he take over his

father's kingdom?

Book 3: King Nestor Remembers

Characters• Clytemnestra [talked about].• Nestor• Orestes [talked about].• Pisistratus

Setting• Pylos

Thought Questions• Telemachus is learning that people do things differently in other countries. What kind of customs do we see among the people of Pylos?

• In what way is the story of Orestes reflecting the dilemma of Telemachus' situation?

Book 4: The King and Queen of Sparta

Above, appearing ‘like the golden Aphrodite’ who caused her to lose her head over Paris, Helen confronts Menelaus. During the nine years of the war, Helen lived as Paris’ wife. When he was killed, she lived with his brother Deiphobus as his wife. Menelaus' men wanted him to kill her at the end of the war; but when he faced her, she supposedly showed him her breasts and he was overtaken by her beauty and took her back. Since Helen is the daughter of Zeus, how might that have figured into Menelaus’ decision? The illustration above is based on a black-figure vase.

Characters• Eidothea (in Menelaus’ story)• Helen• Herminone (talked about)• Iphthime (phantom)• Medon• Megapenthes (talked about)• Menelaus

• Noëmon• Proteus, Old Man of the Sea (in Menelaus’ story)

Settings• Sparta in Lacedaemon• Pharos (in Menelaus’ story)• Ithaca

Thought Questions• Ancient Greek children were taught morals and manners from this book. What is the continuing message about treatment of the stranger?• Helen of Troy was a fascinating subject for the ancient Greeks. How is she described in the book? Is she someone we are to feel sorry for or someone we are to hate for all she did? She is "golden" like Artemis. Does this mean she has yellow hair, a favorite of the ancient Achaeans?• In Menelaus' story about Helen at Troy, he says she came with Deiphobus. Deiphobus was a son of King Priam and the brother of Paris. After Paris' death, Helen lived with him as his wife. Why do you think Menelaus adds that detail to his story?• How do you think the ancient Achaeans viewed Egypt? Look how important it is in this book.• Since the Achaeans knew the story of the Trojan heroes, the Old Man of the Sea's recitation of what happened to them would be of interest. How is it important to the story?• Why is Menelaus considered Zeus' son-in-law?• How does Telemachus describe Ithaca when refusing the gift of the horse?• One critic has pondered what kind of marriage Helen and Menelaus must have if she has a drug handy which will keep him from crying about the men lost at Troy. Does she give him this often?

Book 5: Odysseus — Nymph and Shipwreck

Hermes, patron of merchants and thieves, with his caduceus. In The Odyssey Hermes acts as the messenger of the gods. In The Iliad, that job is given instead to the female goddess Iris, leading some critics to suggest the two books were written by different authors.

Characters• Calypso• Hermes• Ino

Setting• Mt. Olympus• Ogygia• Ocean• Phaeacia

Thought Questions• Why doesn’t Athena go to Calypso and just tell her to release Odysseus?

• How does our first sight of Calypso supply evidence about the importance of weaving and the loom to the Achaeans?

• Can you see the Achaean double standard that required women to be faithful to men, but allowed Odysseus to remain honorable even while sleeping with Calypso?

• When Odysseus reaches Phaeacia, how does he show himself a pious man?

• One critic has pointed out that Odysseus' trial in the ocean is similar to a baby being born, with him arriving weak and naked, ready for his new life. Would you agree?

• Compare the descriptions of Ogygia and Phaeacia.

Book 6: The Princess and the Stranger

Grabbing an olive branch to cover himself, naked Odysseus meetsNausicaa at the beach where Athena has inspired her to go. Here she wears Minoan style clothing and the background is inspired by a Minoan fresco. While some statuettes like the Cretan Snake goddess appear to show a flounced skirt, paintings from Thera and statues, such as the two goddesses with child, suggest the skirt was actually more like modern coulottes. In frontal based art, the center of the skirt would literally be at the visual center of the garment, so we are not actually seeing a side view but a front view of just the skirt.

Characters• Alcinous• Arete (Nausicaa's mother)• Nausicaa

Setting• Phaeacia in Scheria

Thought Questions• What connection do the Phaeacians have to the Cyclops?

• How does this book add to our understanding of views of marriage in the Achaean world?

• Throughout Homer’s The Iliad, warriors assume a position of supplication—on their knees with the right hand raised to the chin of the person from whom they are begging and the left hand clasped around their knee. In almost all cases, the warriors are beheaded or stabbed while they beg. Does this perhaps suggest why Odysseus is so hesitant to assume the position with Nausicaa?

Book 7: Phaeacia's Halls and Gardens

Athena lifts the fog hiding Odysseus just as he holds white-armed Arete’s knees in an act of supplication. Here Arete holds a spindle forspinning wool. Even queens worked.

Characters• Laodamas

Settings• Phaeacia

Thought Questions• How is the theme of hospitality to strangers again reinforced?

Book 8: A Day for Songs and Contests

Characters• Broadsea• Demodocus• Halius

Settings Phaeacia

Thought Questions• In what way does Demodocus' second song reinforce the theme of the unfaithful wife?

• Homer is noted for his similes. Look at the stanza following Demodocus' song of Troy regarding Odysseus' crying. What other examples can you find?

• Some critics believe that the character of Demodocus is based on Homer himself and thus have attributed his blindness to him. How is the bard described? How does Odysseus describe him?

Book 9: In the One-Eyed Giant's Cave

Characters Polyphemus

Settings• Phaeacia• Ismarus [in flashback].• Land of the Lotus-eaters [in flashback].• Cyclops' Island [in flashback].

Thought Questions• In what way do the men show that coming from Troy they are still in the mindset of "sackers of cities"?

• In what ways does the Cyclops go against all the tenets of hospitality we have seen? How does he parody that same hospitality?

• Why do you think Homer goes into such graphic detail about the killing and cannibalism of the Cyclops?

Book 10: The Bewitching Queen of Aeaea

Aeolus, the Laestrygonians & Circe offer differing views of hospitality.

Characters• Aiolos• Antiphatês• Circe• Elpenor• Eurylochus

Settings• Phaeacia• Aiolia, Aiolos' island [in flashback].• Land of the Laestrygonians [in flashback].• Aeaea [in flashback].

Thought Questions• What kind of woman does Circe represent?

• If Odysseus is such a faithful husband, how do you explain his year with Circe? What does that say about how Achaean men viewed themselves verses how they viewed their women?