1 The Odyssey Study Guide Book 1 1. What does the invocation (the first 12 lines) say the poem as a whole will emphasize? Odysseus journey home from the Trojan War will be emphasized according to the introduction. What first impression does this book give us of the gods? How much of a role do they play in human affairs?

HOMER THE ODYSSEY TRANSLATED BY Robert Fagles. Book I Athena Inspires the Prince Sing to me of the man, Muse, the man of twists and turns driven time and again off course, once he had plundered the hallowed heights of Troy. Many cities of men he saw and learned their minds.

What seems to motivate their actions? The gods like to meddle in the lives of humans; they can be moody and vengeful and definitely have their favorites.

What is our first introduction to various characters? The suitors, for instance. Are they a homogeneous group, or are there differences among them? What qualities does Telemachus possess at the outset? The suitors seem to be very like-minded; there are two who stand out as leaders, however: Antinous and Eurymachus. Telemachus seems to possess a lot of his father s thoughtfulness, but sometimes he acts like a child.

How, according to Antinous, do the suitors view Penelope's reluctance? Why do they think they are justified in behaving as they do? They believe that Penelope is toying with their emotions.

Since she is leading them on, they are justified (in Antinous mind at least) in staying and eating all of her food until she makes up her mind. How well does Telemachus handle the suitors' chief Antinous and his selfjustification? Telemachus handles Antinous fairly well in this scene. He cites the laws of the gods in saying that he has to allow his mother to stay and do as chooses because it would go against the gods not to. How does Athena help Telemachus prepare to meet the old King Nestor?

She arranges a crew and ship for him, and gives him confidence that he will say the right things. What is the purpose of this book? Why is it important that Telemachus go and visit old Nestor, aside, of course, from the fact that he's out for news of his father Odysseus?

He has to leave Ithaca in order to allow other events to unfold such as the suitors plotting his death. What exactly does Nestor tell Telemachus about the War and the return home? Why does he dwell upon the fate of Agamemnon, killed by Aegisthus, the lover of Clytemnestra? How to import autocad file into illustrator. The story of Aegisthus is mentioned repeatedly because Telemachus is supposed to be drawing inspiration from it.

Aegisthus killed Agamemnon and is eventually killed by Orestes (Agamemnon s son) in an act of vengeance. How does Menelaus represent himself as responding to his wanderings on the way home to Sparta? He explains that even though he came home very rich he would have given it all up to save some of his comrades who died on the way home. (including his brother, Agamemnon) 10. Why does Menelaus still value and accept Helen, even though her elopement with Paris led to the Trojan War? She is still very beautiful; he also blames the gods for her actions and not her.

How might Menelaus' story about the Old Man of the Sea, Proteus, be instructive to Telemachus in his quest to find his father? Why, for that matter, would Menelaus' response to the knowledge Proteus gives him be instructive for Odysseus? 3 The story could help Telemachus find his father if he could find the Old Man of the Sea; he also now knows that his father was still alive during that conversation.

Odysseus should learn to trust on occasion he secondguesses many of the gods who try to help him. Book What sort of character is Calypso? How long does Odysseus stay on her island? What is the source of Calypso's power over Odysseus? To what extent does she help Odysseus or hinder him once the decision to let him go is forced upon her by Hermes? Calypso is a nymph; she has been keeping Odysseus on her island as her husband even though he longs for home until Zeus, via Hermes, orders her to release him.

Odysseus has been on Calypso s island for seven years because she does not give him the means to return home. She aids him by giving him supplies and materials to build a raft.

How does Odysseus respond to the shipwreck that he meets upon leaving Calypso? Follow the motions of his spirit as he struggles to save himself - that is, track how the poet represents Odysseus' emotions and thoughts during and after the shipwreck. Odysseus is initially afraid and wishes that he would have died at Troy, so he could have had a hero s death. He then becomes suspicious when the gods try to help him and shows his intransigent nature by not listening. He, however, does end up listening to the gods; he then prays to the gods for help, showing his humility, and he is saved, Book 6 4 14.