EPIC DATA SHEET |Homer’s The Odyssey
Name: ________________________________________
Period: _____
Date:__________________
Book #(s) & Title(s): Book 1: “Ithaca and Olympus”; Book 2: “Counsel”
Literary Devices and Terms (in this book):
Book 1:
 Epithet
o “wily hero”, “blissful gods”, “shameless
suitors” (4)
 Metaphor
o “to resist that pack of wolves—the
shameless suitors who harass his mother”
(4) – comparing the suitors to predatory
animals.
 Personification
o “what strange remarks you let escape
your lips” (4) – words cannot be held
captive nor can they escape.
 Theme
o (6-10) Always be hospitable because you
never know when you may be entertaining
a god.
Book 2:
Characters and Roles (Describe the character’s
emotional, physical, & mental qualities; major or
minor?):
Book1:
 Zeus (minor character) – chief god; annoyed by
mortals complaints.
 Athena (major character) – goddess of wisdom;
cares much for O.; guides T to search for O.
 Telemachus (T, PROTAGONIST) – O’s son (he’s
about 17); misses his dad.
 Penelope (Pe, major character) – O’s wife & T’s
mom; misses her husband, seems (understandably)
depressed.
Book 2:
Settin(s)g & Summar(-y/-ies):
Book 1:
Setting 1: Mt. Olympus, the gods are talking about the
humans & Athena is focused on Odysseus, who’s a favorite
of hers.
Setting 2: Ithaca, many of the men from Ithaca are at
war, including Odysseus, the king. There are suitors trying
to take Odysseus’ place by trying to date his wife,
Penelope. Telemachus is worried.
Summary: Begins on Mt Olympus. Gods are talking about
how humans blame all their troubles on the gods. Athena
is worried about her favorite human, Odysseus (O), who
has been banished from his home by Poseidon (Po; O
blinded Po’s son, Polyphemus the cyclops). Athena goes to
Ithaca to encourage Telemachus, O’s son, to withstand
the suitors’ pursuits of his mom, Penelope. In Ithaca,
Athena meets with T trying to keep him from giving up
hope about his dad. She tells T to banish the suitors & go
in search of his father, & then disappears right in front of
him (indicating she is a god, but not revealing her true
identity). At the end of the book, we’re left to believe
that T is calling an assembly.
Book 2:
EPIC DATA SHEET |Homer’s The Odyssey
Internal Conflicts
Book 1:
 T wants to believe his dad is still alive, but thinks
it’s more realistic to believe that he’s dead since
O’s been gone for so long.
 T wants the suitors out, but knows that it would
offend the gods if he refused hospitality toward
them.
External Conflicts
Book 1:
 Zeus is annoyed by the humans.
 Athena wants Po to release O from his
banishment.
 T wants & later in Book 1 tells suitors to leave.
 Pe wants bard to quit singing because the song
reminds her of O. T tells her that music is inspired
by muse & to blame gods for men’s fates.
Book 2:
Book 2:
Description of Visuals (Discuss what you feel are the most important ideas the artist presents & explain why):
Book 1:
 Gods are depicted as mult-colored & seem to be large when on Olympus. Uses a lot of blue for their
background.
 Ithaca uses a lot of earth tones – emphasizing the difference between the gods’ home & the mortals’ home.
 P. 7 has no text – it emphasizes the Greeks hospitality (you never know when you’re in the presence of a god).
 Pp. 7-9 - when gods are depicted in human disguise/form (as Athena is) there is a blue outline around them.
 Pp. 8-9 – T & Athena are presented as distant from the suitors, emphasizing how different they are. The suitors
pay no mind to the son of the king while in the king’s palace (rude).
 P. 11 – Pe seems very sad – no smile on her face & shoulders almost slumped. Sadness in her eyes.
 P. 13 – T calls an assembly & we see a long shot of Ithaca & it seems pretty big (but not as big as Olympus).
Book 2: