Book IX (Book 9) p. 91-101 1. How does Odysseus treat the Cicons? 2. What does Zeus do to Odysseus and his crew after they visit the Cicons? 3. Describe what happens in the land of the Lotus-Eaters. 4. What kind of society do the Cyclops have? How do you know? 5. Describe Circe and what she does to Odysseus men. Page 1 of 12
Monsters Odysseus encounters numerous creatures in books 9-12. As we read these books, take moment to think about what each of these represents. What could Homer be telling us about the perils of our lives? 6. List three qualities of the Lotus eaters: a. b. c. 7. What might the Lotus eaters represent? 8. How does Odysseus deal with the Lotus eaters? 9. List three qualities of the Cyclops: a. b. c. 10. What might the Cyclops represent? 11. How does Odysseus deal with the Cyclops? Page 2 of 12
Book X (Book 10) 12. What gift does Aeolus give Odysseus? 13. How did Odysseus end up on the Aeolian Island twice? 14. How does Aeolus react to Odysseus second visit? Why? 15. Describe what happened to Odysseus men when they approached the city of the Laestrygonians? Page 3 of 12
16. Where does Circe live? 17. What does Circe do to Odysseus men? How does Odysseus find out? Page 4 of 12
18. What does Hermes give Odysseus? 19. How long does Odysseus stay with Circe? Why does he leave? 20. Why does Odysseus go to Hades? Be specific. Page 5 of 12
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The Odyssey Summary of Book XI (Book 11) NOTE: Odysseus is telling his stories to King Alcinous I, Odysseus, sailed with my crew away from the safe shores of Aeaean, Circe s island. The ship sped all day across the sea until the sun sank, and we reached a city covered with mist and cloud, where the sun never rises. We beached the ship where night always reigns and walked to the place of which Circe had told us. There, Perimedes poured libations to the gods. We made prayers to the dead, then cut the throats of the rams and ewes and bled them over the trench. The souls of the dead came flocking up from Hades toward the bloody trench, souls that looked as they did in life. With unearthly cries, they came crowding around the trench until terror took hold of me. As Circe had told me, I held back the souls from the blood until I could question the prophet Teiresias. First came our comrade Elpenor s soul. We had not buried him properly because we wanted to leave quickly. I wept to see him and pitied him mightily. I asked him how he came here so quickly and he said that he had been led astray by a cruel god and by excess wine. He had lain on the top of Circe s house, and fell, drunk, as he saw us leaving her island. He seemed to know that our ships would stop at Aeaean, Circe s island, once more before we reached Ithaca, and he asked us to bury him properly there. He asked us to burn his body or he would haunt us forever. As Elpenor told his tale, I kept the other souls from touching the blood: then the soul of my mother Anticlea visited me. She told me who was still alive when I left Ithaca. Finally Teiresias appeared, holding a golden staff. 1 Son of Laertes, subtle Odysseus, he began, why did you leave the sunlight for this wretched place? But it doesn t matter. And I allowed Teiresias to taste the blood of the ram and ewe so that he could give us his prophecy. Noble Odysseus, Teiresias continued, Poseidon, the Earthshaker, will make your voyage home nearly impossible. He resents you for blinding his son, but even so, you may reach home if you are able to restrain your appetites on the Thrinacian Island. Leave his cattle unharmed, set your mind only on returning to Ithaca, and you may yet return. If you do get back to your home, you will find much mischief: men who are wooing your wife. You must kill these suitors; then you must leave Ithaca once again and travel until you are among people who know nothing of the sea. There you must make offerings to Poseidon, and when you return home, you must again make such offerings to all of the gods, one at a time. This is my prophecy. Then I spoke and said that these threads of Fate were certainly spun by gods; then I wondered aloud how I could speak with my beloved, dead mother, Anticlea. Teiresias explained that whichever souls tasted the blood in the trench would speak to us, and so I allowed my mother to drink. Anticlea wanted to know why I had not yet returned from the war, and I explained my long misery. She told me of Penelope and of her sorrow and patience. I heard that Telemachus was trying to take control of my lands from the suitors and that my father now stays at his own small farm, without even a bed or a rug to lie on. She also told me her concern for my return killed her: she died worrying. 1 Teiresias is a blind prophet. Page 7 of 12
After her tale, I tried to embrace my mother; three times she vanished beneath my arms, like a shadow, like a dream, and Anticlea explained: all people are like this when they are dead. The sinews no longer hold the flesh and bones together; these perish in the fierceness of consuming fire as soon as life has left the body, and the soul flies away as though it were a dream. (118-119). And she bid me return to the daylight, to life. Meanwhile, there appeared a whole company of souls, including the wives and daughters of famous men. Each drank in turn and told her story. Many had slept with Zeus or Poseidon and bore their children; one, the mother of Oedipus, unknowingly married her own son after he had unwittingly killed his own father; some were faithful, others deceitful. Later came the soul of Agamemnon himself, who told me the story of his betrayal by his wife Clytemnestra and her lover Aegisthus. He warned me of the deadly traits of women, saying, there is nothing in this world more so cruel and shameless as a women when she has fallen into such guilt as hers was (122). He further warned, her [Clytemnestra s] abominable crime has brought disgrace on herself and all women who shall come after even the good ones (122). I shared Agamemnon s grief, and he gave me this advice: be not too friendly even with your own wife. Do not tell her all that you know perfectly well yourself. Tell her only part, and keep your own counsel about the rest. Not that your wife, Odysseus, is likely to murder you (122) Then Agamemnon asked about his son, Orestes. Of course, I had not heard any news, but began to wonder about my own son, Telemachus. Then to the trench of blood came other war heroes, and I spoke at length with Achilles, telling him of the last days of the war, and of our triumph, and of our miseries at sea. Achilles scolded me for celebrating his honor in death: Say not a word in death s favor; I would rather be a paid servant in a poor house and be above ground than a king of kings among the dead (123). He then asked me about his son and father. I knew not of his father, but I told him about his son s bravery and success in battle. And I saw Tantalus, tormented by standing in a pool from which he could not drink and by reaching for fruit which he could not touch. And Sisyphus who must endlessly push a rock up a hill, only to watch it roll back down. And noble Heracles 2, who spoke to me about his own evil fate. Even though his father was Zeus himself, he was forced to master terrible tasks. He urged me to remember Athena s help and Hermes. I stood long, awaiting other heroes, when suddenly there came before me a hideous clamor of the multitudes of the dead. I ran to our ship at once, and we sailed swiftly away, rowing at first, and then skimming along the wind. 2 Heracles is commonly known in the West by his Roman name: Hercules. Page 8 of 12
Book XII/Book 12 (p. 127-135) 21. Why does Odysseus return to the Aeaean Island, Circe s island? 22. How do Odysseus, his men, and Circe behave differently on this second visit? 23. Describe the TWO navigation options Circle reveals to Odysseus. 24. What must Odysseus and his men NOT do on Thrinacian Island to get home safely? Page 9 of 12
25. Describe what Odysseus and his men do to avoid the temptation of the Sirens. 26. How does Odysseus demonstrate arête as a leader in Book XII? Page 10 of 12
27. What does Odysseus claim is the most sickening of all his voyages? 28. What happens to Odysseus s crew at the end of Book XII? 29. What happens to Odysseus at the end of Book XII? Page 11 of 12
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