Ms. Nguyen
Honors Eng 9
Discussion Questions for The Odyssey by R. Fitzgerald Translation
These are focus/study questions, which will help guide you throughout our reading of The Odyssey.
Because our protagonist Odysseus travels to so many places and we meet so many characters, it may also
be helpful to take notes in your notebook as you read along. USE A SEPARATE SHEET OF PAPER.
YOUR READING QUIZZES WILL DIRECTLY REFLECT THESE QUESTIONS
BOOK I: Historical Background
CLASS DISCUSSION…don’t worry about it! You’re welcome 
BOOK II: The Assembly at Ithaca & the Departure of Telemachus
Pay attention to: Omen, the suitors’ attitudes
*What was the omen (symbol of prediction that good/evil will come) that was sent by Zeus? What were
the peoples’ reactions to it? WHAT DOES IT SYMBOLIZE? 23
*Who’s Athene/Athena, and what is her role/purpose?
*At the end of book II, Eurycleia and Telemachus talk about his leaving. What does Telemachus ask
Eurycleia to do? 29
BOOK III: At Pylos--Pay attention to: Hospitality and godly intervention
* Why is it important for Telemachus to meet King Nestor (King of Pylos)? 37
* Story flashback/interweaving plot: King Nestor tells a story of the Trojan War and then of
Agamemnon’s demise 38-43
*Why is it significant for Telemachus to meet Nestor’s son, Peisistratus?
*Through this experience, what does T learn about himself and what it means to be a son?
*Why do you think there is such detailed description of the sacrifices to Poseidon and Athena?
BOOK IV: What Happened in Lacedaimon--Pay attention to: Hospitality and Disguise and
Transformation
*Why did Helen drug the wine? 59
*How does Helen recognize Telemachus?
*What animals does King Menelaus compare the suitors to? 63
*Who is Proteus? Why is he important? What will happen to Proteus when he’s captured, according to
Menelaus? What does Proteus morph into? 64
*What does Antinous plan to do to Telemachus? 72
*Transformation: who comes to visit Penelope while she’s sleeping? 77
*Why do you think Penelope weeps more for Telemachus than for her husband?
BOOK V: Hermes Is Sent to Calypso’s Island; Odysseus Makes a Raft and Is Carried to the Coast
of Scheria
Pay attention to: The role of Hermes and godly intervention
*What deceptions (remember SUBTERFUGE) do you find in this chapter? Which character(s) use lies?
85
*Why do you think Odysseus would rather be with Penelope than Calypso? 86
*Who’s Ino, and what does she do to help Odysseus? 91
Book VI: How Odysseus Appealed to Nausicaa, and She Brought Him to Her Father’s House
Pay attention to: innocence, godly intervention, hospitality, and disguise
*Compare and contrast laundry washing from how it’s described in the book to contemporary ways of
washing clothes. 100-101
*What techniques does Odysseus use in his speech to Nausicaa to please and flatter her?
*How does Odysseus “transform” in appearance? Explain.
*What’s Nausicaa’s initial reaction to Odysseus? What about the maidens?
*What does Nausicaa tell Odysseus to do when he sees her mother?
Book VII: What Happened to Odysseus in the Palace of Alcinous
Pay attention to: godly intervention and hospitality
*How does Athena intervene here? What shape does she take this time? 111
*What are specific hints that tell the reader Alcinuos and Arete are rich? 114
*How does Odysseus get to Alcinuous’ palace without being seen? 115
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Book VIII: How They Held Games and Sports in Phaiacia
Pay attention to: Demodocus, the games, hospitality, and song/storytelling of the bard.
*Why is Demodocus important? Why might his blindness be important? Think about the author…126
*Who mocks (makes fun of) and challenges Odysseus to throwing discus? 129-130
**Sum up the story of Area and Aphrodite with 2 details. How does Hesphaestus outsmart/out-wit
Aphrodite and Ares while they’re in bed? 132
*Toward the end of Book VIII, why does Odysseus cry when the blind minstrel is singing? How is it
similar to when Telemachus cried when visiting King Nestor? 141
Book IX: The Lotus-Eaters and the Cyclops
pay attention to: The shift in point of view, temptation, hospitality of Cyclops, what it means to be
“civilized,” wit vs. strength, “folly leads to falter”
*At the beginning of Book IX (9), what does Odysseus reveal to King Alcinuous about himself? 145
*After slaughtering the Kikones, what mistake do Odysseus’ men make? What’s the consequence of
making that mistake? “Folly leads to falter.” What do they do to the Kikones? 146
*As soon as the men tasted the “honey-sweet fruit,” they did not want to leave the island. How does their
situation relate to the idea of “temptation?” 147
*What is the Cyclops’ land like? 148
*After maiming/injuring Polyphemus, what does Odysseus say his name is? Wit vs. strength
Find a quote to reinforce the dichotomy of Wit vs. Strength
157
*How do the men escape Polyphemus’ cave? 157-158
Book X: Island of the Winds; the Land of the Midnight Sun; Circe
Pay attention to: Folly leads to falter (foolish actions of the men), transformation, prophecy
*Why did Odysseus’ men open the bag of winds? 166
*Odysseus and his men end up at Aeolus’ place again. What negative response do they get from him? Is
he superstitious? 167
*Who are the Laestrygonians? 168
*Why did Odysseus’ men open the bag of winds? Folly Leads to Falter
*Why does Circe agree to change the men back? 176
*Where do Odysseus and his men go after Circe’s island? What does Teiresias tell them that’s important?
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BOOK XI: How Odysseus Visited the Kingdom of the Dead (Hades)
*How does Elpenor die? What does he ask of Odysseus? 187
*Teiresias: Blind Prophet (blind man who sees the future--seen throughout Greek lit)
What’s Teiresias’ prediction? 188
*Odysseus sees his mother in Hades, Anticleia. How’d she die? What else does she tell him? 190
Find a quote
*What does the great warrior Agamemnon tell him when Odysseus sees Agy in Hades? 198
BOOK XII: The Singing Sirens, and the Terrors of Scylla and Charybdis; Helio’s Island
Pay attention to: temptation/folly leads to falter, disguise, deception (lies), and prophecy
*After Hades, why do Odysseus and his men go back to Circe’s island, Aiaia? 209
*What does Circe tell them to do, in order for the men to protect themselves from the Sirens? 210
*What does she say about Scylla (the 6-headed monster) and Charybdis (the whirlpool)?
212.
*What warning do both Circe and the blind prophet Teiresias (from the last book) give about Helio’s
cattle? 213
*Briefly summarize what truly happens (present tense) when the men encounter Scylla and Charybdis.
217-219
*Folly Leads to Falter-- The men are sailing for 1 month before they get to Helio’s island, the sun god.
Although they are warned by Tieresias, what do the men do anyway? What does Zeus do in retaliation (to
get back at Ody and his men)?
BOOK XIII: How Odysseus Came to Ithaca
(Flashback/interweaving plot ends; flashback from Books IV- XIII)
GODLY INTERVENTION, TRANSFORMATION, DISGUISE,
*Odysseus ends his narration/storytelling about his journeys and departs for Ithaca (back home). What
gifts does he receive from Phaeacian king, King Alcinuous and Queen Arete? 231
*What does Poseidon do punish the Phaeacians for being hospitable toward the stranger, Odysseus, at the
sea port? 233
*Athena presents herself to Odysseus as a shepherd after she transforms Odysseus. She asks him where
he is from, mostly likely as a test; he responds with a falsified (false) story. What does he say? Briefly
summarize Odysseus’ response. 238-240.
*After revealing the truth, Athena has an idea: Where does she take Odysseus, and what specifically does
she tell him while they are there? 241-243
*After scheming a plan, what does Athena transform Odysseus into? For what reason?
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BOOK XIV: Odysseus and the Swineherd
Pay attention to: Loyalty and hospitality (of Eumaeus)
*How’s Eumaeus connected to Odysseus? What’s Eumaeus’ relationship to Odysseus? 249, 251-252
*Because Odysseus is in disguise as a beggar, he doesn’t want to reveal his true identity just yet. What
parts of Ody’s long story are made up? Which parts real? Be specific. 253-258
*What does Eumaeus do for Ody at the end of the Book? 264
BOOK XV: How Telemachus Sailed Back to Ithaca
Pay Attention to: SHIFT in point of view (goes from Book II to Book XV- back to Telemachus AND
shift back to Odysseus at Eumaeus’), storytelling, OMEN
*What gifts did Menelaus give to Telemachus before he left? 271
*What’s the omen? What does it foreshadow? 272-273
*Who’s Theoclymenos? Why does he want to go with Telemachus back to Ithaca? 276
CHANGE IN POINT OF VEW -- FROM TELEMACHUS BACK TO
ODYSSEUS in ITHACA
*Eumaeus tells Odysseus his story. How did Eumaeus get to Ithaca? How did he become associated with
Odysseus?
BOOK XVI: How Telemachus Met His Father
Pay Attention to: degenerate mass = suitors, Altinuous = alpha suitor. Eumaeus doesn’t know that
Odysseus is Odysseus, because he’s in disguise as a beggar.
*Why does Telemachus call Eumaeus “Uncle?” 290-291
*After Athena changes/transforms Odysseus, what does he look like? 294-295
*Describe the meeting between father and son. Use at least 1 quote to reinforce your answer.
295-296
*What is their (Odysseus, Telemachus, and Eumaeus’) plan to overcome the suitors? 298-
*Penelope finds out about the suitors’ plan to kill Telemachus, for Medon, a polite suitor tells her 303
What does she say to Antinuous and Eurymachus, the 2 main suitors in response? 304
Book XVII: How Odysseus Returned to His Own Home
Pay attention to: Disguise, identity, godly intervention, hospitality
*Argos is the first character to truly recognize Odysseus. Who is Argos? What happens to him? 319-321
*Melanthius is Melantho’s brother; he is one of the few suitors who stands up for Odysseus. However,
how do the other suitors treat Odysseus, or what nasty things do they say to him? 322
Find a quote and interpret (explain its meaning).
*Antinous does not know Odysseus is a beggar in disguise. What does Antinous, the alpha suitor and son
Eupeithes, do to Odysseus that is violent and rude? 325-328
*What’s Odysseus’ verbal response to Antinous’ lack of hospitality? 326
*Penelope thinks that the beggar (true Odysseus) has information about Odysseus. When are the two
planned to meet and discuss how the beggar knows (Odysseus)? 330
Book XVIII: How Odysseus Fought the Sturdy Beggar
Pay attention to: godly intervention
*Who’s Iros, and what’s his attitude toward Odysseus (still a beggar)? What do the 2 beggars argue
about? 335-336
*What is the outcome of Odysseus, beggar in disguise, and Iros’ fight? What happens to Iros?
Find a quote to exemplify (show) what happens to him. 338
*After Odysseus’ fight with Iros, Odysseus speaks to a noble, good suitor Amphinomous. Odysseus says,
“ Of mortal creatures, all that breathe and move,/earth bears none frailer than mankind” (18. 164-165).
Interpret this quote. What’s Odysseus mean? What’s he saying about mankind?
*How does Athena intervene, yet again, to help Penelope? 341-342
*Penelope comes down after being beautified by Athena; Penelope says that before Odysseus left for the
Trojan War, he said to take care of his parents while he was gone; when Telemachus grows into a man,
pick a suitor to marry and move far away. Thus, the suitors now bring a plethora of gifts to impress her so
that Penelope may choose a suitor
Give a specific example of what the suitors bring 345
*Melantho, the rude alpha maid servant and Eurymachus’ girlfriend, is the nastiest. What does she say to
Odysseus (still in disguise as a beggar) in the hall, and what’s his response? 347
*Eurymachus then makes Odysseus an offer for Odysseus to be his servant. What’s Odysseus’ response
and Eurymachus’ reaction to Odysseus’ threat? 348-349
Book XIX: How the Old Nurse, Eurycleia Knew Her Master; Penelope Meets the Old Beggar -Pay attention to: Storytelling, Disguise, Omen, godly intervention
*At the beginning of Book XIX, how do Odysseus and Telemachus begin to prepare for the slaughtering
of the suitors? 353
*What story does Penelope tell Odysseus in disguise? Why is she so worried? 357-358
*What fake story does Odysseus (in disguise) tell Penelope about how he was hospitable to him? And,
what’s Penelope’s reaction to Odysseus made up story? 359-360, 363-364
*Odysseus, still a beggar, requests that he gets a footbath only from an old nurse (Eurycleia). When she
gives Odysseus a footbath, she remarks that he beggar “I swear, who seemed/ so like Odysseus--body,
voice and limbs--/as you do” (19. 445-446)
How does Eurycleia recognize Odysseus at first? What confirms her presumption
about Odysseus)?
(beliefs
*According to Eurycleia, the good nurse, how did Odysseus get the scar on his foot? His name?
367-368
*Why does Odysseus say, “ I warn you, and I meant it, too/...I’ll kill you, nurse or not, when the time
comes--/when the time comes to kill the other women” (XIX. 566, 567-568).
*What’s Eurycleia’s loyal response? 369
*OMEN: Penelope comes to say goodnight to the beggar and tells him of her dream. What is her
significant (important) recurring dream? And, what’s this symbolize? 370
*According to Penelope, how will she determine who she’ll marry? And, how does the end of Book XIX
end? 371-372
BOOK XX: How God Sent Omens of the Wrath to Come
Pay attention to: Godly Intervention, omen, corruption of hospitality, and prophecy
*At the beginning of Book XX, what is Odysseus thinking to himself? What are the maids and suitors up
to? 375
*As Odysseus is tossing and turning before falling asleep, Athena comes. What do they discuss? Find a
quote to reinforce your answer. 376
*What is Penelope’s death wish, and why does she hope to die? (XX. 70-75, 90-92)
*What was the Omen sent by Zeus, and what does this symbolize or predict? (378)
What is the maiden’s response to the omen?
*As the suitors are preparing for the big contest, Odysseus (still a beggar) meets Philoitis. Why is he
important? 382
*What is the next prophecy that Amphinomos and other suitors see in the field? What’s this omen
symbolize? 382
*Athena strikes the suitors with a fit of laughter which swiftly changes into the men wheezing and
choking for air. Theoclymenos thinks this is an omen sent from the gods. What does he say? 386
BOOK XXI: Contest with the Great Bow
Pay attention to ownership of Telemachus and hospitality (how the suitors treat Odysseus as a
beggar)
*Where’d Odysseus’ bow come from? 391-392
*When Eumaeus and the other herder leave Odysseus’ bow at the suitors’ feet, they begin to cry. What is
Altintous’ response? 393
*Why can’t Telemachus bend the bow? 395
*Shortly thereafter, Odysseus reveals his true identity to Eumaeus and the cowherd; what does he tell
them? 398
*After many attempts at stringing the bow, the suitors are not able to do it; what happens when Odysseus
(still a beggar in disguise) ask the suitors if he can try? 400-401
*Right before he strings his bow, he gives Eurycleia specific orders. What are they? 403
BOOK XXII: Battle in the Hall
Pay attention to: REVENGE! Identity, Disguise (Athena comes in disguise as Mentor)
*Odysseus shrugs off his rags and Who’s the first suitor to get killed? How is he murdered? 409
*After Odysseus explains the terrible wrongdoings of the suitors and why he’s upset. Who does
Eurymachus, one of the main suitors, blame? 410-411
*After the slaughter of the suitors, what does Odysseus instruct the nurse and maids to do? What are the
maids’ punishments, and how do they die? 423-424
*Melanthius, a bad goatherd and Melantho’s brother, sneaks into the weapons storeroom and gathers arms
and weapons for the suitors (413-414). He dies the worst of all; how is Melanthius killed? 424
*Find one excerpt from the reading that shows imagery of how the suitors are slaughtered
BOOK XXIII: Odysseus Finds His Wife Again; Olive Tree
Pay attention to: reunion, reactions of characters, transformation of Odysseus
*in the beginning of the book, Eurycleia the nurse tells Penelope to wake up because Odysseus is here.
What’s Penelope’s initial (first) reaction? 429-431
* What’s Penelope’s initial reaction when she actually sees Odysseus for the first time in 20 years? What’s
she say to Telemachus? 432
*In what way does Odysseus transform? And who helps him? 434
*What does clever Penelope do to see if Odysseus is really Odysseus? And, what’s Odysseus’ response to
Penelope’s request to have Odysseus’ bed moved outside of their bedroom? 435
*What is special and unique about Odysseus’ and Penelope’s bed? 435
*Pelenope tells Odysseus her story of events while he was gone away; Odysseus tells his story to
Penelope. Is his story all true? 439
*At the end of the Book after the two have shared love and stories, Odsseus says he must see one
particular man. Who is he? Why’s he important? 440
Book XXIV: How Odysseus Found His Old Father and How the Story Ended
Pay attention to relationships among the men and godly intervention
SCENES CHANGE BETWEEN HADES AND ITHAKA AT LAERTES HUT
*At the beginning of Book XXIV, the suitors are all dead and are led into Hades by which character? 445
* The dead suitors see a number of Greek war heroes; which Greek warrior asks the dead suitors how
they died? 448
*Agamemnon speaks with Amphimedon, a suitor of Penelope. Who do the suitors blame for their death?
449
(*448-451 Amphimedon reiterates the basic story line of Penelope’s situation and the homecoming
of Odysseus to Agamemnon)
*What is Agamemnon’s rely to Amphimedon’s story? What does he say about womankind? 451
*Why is King Laertes (O’s dad) shabby-looking and living on a farm? 452*At first Odysseus pretends he’s a strange from a foreign land. But, then he reveals his true identity to his
father. How does Odysseus prove to his father that he is really Odysseus? 455
*Odysseus and his father Laertes go back to Odysseus’ homestead to prepare for the presumed attack.
Dolios, Penelope’s slave, and his 6 sons prepare to arm against men (and the suitors’ fathers) who come to
avenge the suitors’ deaths.
“Meanwhile to the four quarters of the town/ the new ran: bloody death had caught the suitors;/and men
and women in a murmuring crowd/gathered before Odysseus’ hall” (XXIV. 455-458)
*In the mean time, Athena flies up to Mount Olympus talk to her father, Zeus. What does she say to him
about Odysseus and the events that have just taken place? 460
*Who’s Eupeithes? How does he die? Find a quote to show this. 461
*How does Athena mediate (keep peace in discussion) between the 2 feuding sides? Find a
quote to exemplify Athenaʼs request. How does Zeus come in to play to reinforce her wishes of
peace? 462
LITERARY SOCIO-CULTURAL TERMS ANCIENT GREECE
ODYSSEY-- (N) A long wandering journey (especially filled with hardships and notable
experiences).
HISTORY
1. Takes place circa 1250 BCE
2. Told through oral tradition for hundreds of years until the Greek alphabet writing system was
invented about 1000 BCE
3. The Odyssey wasnʼt written down until about 650 BCE
ORAL TRADITION-- story telling prior to the invention of the Greek Alphabet; generations of
myths, cultural history, and legends passed down by word of mouth
MINSTREL- Professional singer/story teller; oral tradition with a lyre (an old acoustic stringed
instrument)
BARD- Professional story teller who mastered in the art of storytelling/oral tradition (no lyre)
EPIC POEM
*Narrative poem that is significant to the culture
*Typically about an epic hero, super hero
*Much lineage (family tree, charactersʼ heritage) told through use of metaphors and epithets
*Hero battles monsters, fictional creatures
*Sometimes has a specific rhyme and meter (blank verse/ free verse)
EPITHET- A character trait tied to particular characters that exemplify charactersʼ looks,
behaviors, or lineage.
EX: Clear-headed Telemachus, Grey-eyed Athena, Dawnʼs rosy fingertips, Earth Shaker
Poseidon, witty Odysseus, wise Penelope
IN-TEXT CITATION FOR EPIC POEM-- Notate the part (of the work, i.e. chapter, book), period,
and the line numbers. use a hyphen to indicate more than 1 consecutive lines quoted.
EXAMPLE
“And Odysseus looked around him, narrow-eyed, for any others who had lan hidden/ while
deathʼs black fury passed./ In blood and dust/ he saw that crows all fallen, many and many
slain” (XXII. 429-433).