Study Questions, Odyssey 9-11
Odysseus and his men blind the Cyclops Polyphemus. For their Escape, see below...
ODYSSEY 9
0. How does Odysseus introduce his name to the Phaeacians?
1. What foolish thing did Odysseus' men do when they visited the Cicones? How did these "fools" turn about and become wise in the Cyclops scene (at 215ff)?
2. How did Odysseus rescue his men from the land of the Lotus Eaters?
3. What kind of social life do the Cyclopes have?
4. What do the Cyclopes NOT have?
5. What prompts Odysseus to explore Polyphemus' cave? (167, 219)
6. How are the customs of xenia (hospitality) parodied in the Cyclops scene?
7. Who is to blame for the death of Odysseus' men at the hands of the Cyclops? Why?
8. How did a pun save Odysseus and his men from the other Cyclopes?
9. What mistake does Odysseus make at the end of book 9 that costs his men their lives? Why does he make this mistake?
Odysseus Escapes from the Cyclops' cave.
Here he goes again....
Which ancient image best represents what Iliad 9 tells?
ODYSSEY 10
10. What kind of place is the island of Aeolia?
11. Why does Aeolus not grant Odysseus and his men hospitality upon their second arrival at the floating island?
12. What kind of xenia (hospitality) do Odysseus' men encounter among the Laestrygonians? How does it compare to their meeting with Polyphemus?
13. What kind of xenia (hospitality) does Circe offer to Odysseus' men?
14. How does Hermes help Odysseus? What does he look like?
15. What is Odysseus' response to Circe's invitation to make love? What does this say about the power of an oath?
16. Why does Odysseus briefly consider killing his own friend and kinsman Eurylochus? What does this tell us about Odysseus' character?
17. How is the decision for Odysseus to leave Circe's island different from his departure from
Calypso's island in book 5?
18. Why must Odysseus seek the ghost of Theban Tiresias?
19. What caused Elpenor's death?
ODYSSEY 11
Here's a picture of Elpenor's ghost appearing to Odysseus. See the sacrificial animals? Who is that person behind Odysseus? How does this scene "match" the Odyssey you read?
20. What kind of sacrifice does Odysseus offer to the dead?
21. Why do you think that Elpenor is the first shade (psyche) which Odysseus encounters?
22. What does Teiresias tell Odysseus he must do to rid himself of the anger of Poseidon?
23. How is Odysseus' reaction to his mother's shade similar to Achilles' reaction to Patroclus' shade in Iliad 23? What does his mother tell him about the nature of the dead?
24. What is the point of the scene when the shades of women appear to Odysseus? Why do you suppose that Odysseus tells his hosts that he must stop his story at this point? (336) Why does he agree to continue his story (385ff)?
25. How does the shade of Agamemnon reinforce information in books 1 (40ff) and 4 (543ff) when he tells Odysseus of his homecoming (420ff)?
26. What advice does Agamemnon's shade offer to Odysseus? How does he compare and contrast Clytemnestra and Penelope?
27. What is Achilles' shade most concerned about, and how does Odysseus make him happy?
28. Why did Telemonian Ajax' shade refuse to speak to Odysseus?
29. What do Tityos, Tantalus, and Sisyphus have in common?
30. How does Heracles differ from the other shades in this book? What did he look like?
31. What causes Odysseus' interview with the dead to end so abruptly?