The Odyssey Points of Discussion Discussion The Enchantress

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

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

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

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