The Odyssey Points of Discussion

Discussion “The Enchantress Circe” ◦ Calypso and Circe - Similarities….  Both are first seen weaving Weaving was an important part of women’s work in Ancient Greece  Both are beguiling “The Land of the Dead” ◦ Teiresias (blind prophet from Thebes) warns Odysseus to stay away from the cattle of Helios (the sun god) ◦ Tells Odysseus when he gets home, he will find his home in disarray and that after slaying his wife’s suitors, Odysseus must make sacrifices to Poseidon

Discussion “The Land of the Dead” continued Return to Circe’s Island ◦ She tells him how to avoid the Sirens and Scylla and Charybdis. ◦ Odysseus ties himself down so that he can hear the Sirens but not succumbs to it. ◦ He plugs his men’s ears with beeswax to keep them from hearing the Sirens’ bewitching voices ◦ Odysseus loses 6 men to Scylla when they pass the straits of Scylla and Charybdis.

Discussion “The Cattle of the Sun God” ◦ Why doesn’t Odysseus order his men to bypass Thrinakia?  He feared that the men would not obey – they had just been through a lot and were emotionally and physically exhausted  Still, being captain, he should have insisted on bypassing ◦ Odysseus constantly takes credit when things go well.  Then, when tragedy occurs, he blames the gods for making him fall asleep  Odysseus has a large ego and takes responsibility only for successes; he can’t accept failure and must find someone or something else to blame

Discussion “The Meeting of Father and Son” ◦ Telemachus’s and Eemaeus’s hospitality ◦ Telemachus’s response to Odysseus’s transformation  Reveals the ancient Greeks feared their gods and felt that they had to be appeased and showered with gifts even if humans were not aware of having done anything wrong “The Beggar and the Faithful Dog” ◦ 2 nd stanza : Shows Odysseus’s sensitivity, but able to hide his feelings through self-control ◦ Irony: Eumaeus does not realize, although the reader does, that he is speaking to Odysseus about Odysseus.

Discussion Penelope ◦ Generous / hospitable / kind / loyal Why Odysseus continues to conceal his identity from Penelope ◦ He is afraid that she will not believe him; he is worried that she might accidentally spoil the plans he has made for the suitors Tomorrow after the binder check: ◦ We will wrap up discussion for the final three reading assignments

Discussion “The Test of the Great Bow” ◦ Penelope’s test  String her husband’s old bow and shoot an arrow through the sockets of 12 iron ax handles  Suitors try but fail; Odysseus (still disguised) tries and succeeds ◦ Conflict: Odysseus has a moment of conflict at the bottom of pg. 699 – he doesn’t know if he should reveal his identity / he’s not sure he can trust the men or if they will support him ◦ Why does he decide to reveal his identity to the two men?  Their prayers to the gods convince him that they are sincere; he needs their help to carry out his plan for the suitors ◦ Irony: Penelope’s acceptance of the beggar as a suitor is ironic because the suitor, Odysseus, is actually her husband.

Discussion “Death at the Palace” – Climax of the Odyssey ◦ Odysseus must fend off Penelope’s angry suitors to reclaim his kingdom.  The suitors have united against Odysseus with Antinous as their ringleader. ◦ Eurymachus’s speech  His attempt to save his own life by assigning all blame to Antinous shows that he is quick-thinking, deceitful, and cunning. ◦ Telemachus and his father, joined by the swineherd and the cowherd, trap the suitors in the hall and kill them.  He removes their weapons and locks the gates. ◦ Odysseus and his men are compared to falcons sweeping down from their high nests to attack prey.

Discussion “Odysseus and Penelope” ◦ Penelope’s reaction to her husband  So shocked she can’t speak or move / she implies that the stranger is not a man but a god disguised as a man / she wants proof  Why is she struggling to recognize him?  It’s been 20 years! / she may fear it’s an imposter or a test sent by the gods / she imagined him differently now / her judgment is clouded ◦ He proves his identity to her by revealing the secret that their marriage bed was built around the base of a tree  The detail in which he describes how he built the bedroom and bed demonstrates his dedicated to Penelope  Penelope embraces Odysseus and cries. ◦ Penelope mentions her “stiff heart” in lines 1407  Her heart is stiff from disuse because she has had no husband to love for so long; she has had to harden her heart to protect herself from anguish that he may never come home