classics odyssey

• Poseidon pursues Odysseus


  Because of a prayer from his son, Polyphemus, whom Odysseus blinded
• Cyclops Polyphemus


  Calls upon his father, Poseidon
• Antiphates


  Has a daughter
• Nostos


  To reach his family, is the point of all Odysseus' adventures and hardship
• The Palace of Ithaca


  • Presents a strong family unit
  • Penelope, Telemachus and the loyal slaves are all viewed as the one household
  • Eurycleia was nurse to both Odysseus and Telemachus and is Penelope's main support
  • Melantho was raised by Penelope like a daughter
• Helen deserted her husband


  Clytaemnestra killed hers
• Penelope's fidelity is emphasised by Odysseus' encounter with Agamemnon as he tells Odysseus of his wife's (Clytaemnestra) infidelity
• Penelope draws a veil across her cheeks and stands by a pillar with her maids on either side


  This is a common depiction of Penelope
• The veil


  Perhaps is concealing cunning plans rather than female modesty
• Weaving


  Represents the first of Penelope's attempts to deceive the Suitors
• Penelope told the Suitors she would marry one of them once she finished weaving a shroud for Laertes yet she rips out her work every night
• Penelope is as shrewd, cunning and thoughtful as Odysseus
• Athene puts Penelope into a deep sleep and cleanses her face using Aphrodite's own cleanser


  She capitalises on the effect she has on the Suitors and manipulates them with a cunning worthy of Odysseus
• Telemachus is used by Homer as a plot device to propel the story and is the incentive for action in the epic
• At the beginning of Book 1 Telemachus is no longer a boy and the race is on
• Athene tells Telemachus in the guise of Mentor


  That he is no longer a child and he must change his ways
• Telemachus is seen to bed by Eurycleia


  She folds his tunic and closes his bedroom door – a reminder that he is still something of a child
• Telemachus is careless in leaving the door of the armoury unlocked


  Leading his enemies to weapons
• Telemachus' killing of Amphinomus is awkward


  As he cannot work out how to remove his spear from the body without making himself vulnerable
• Telemachus exercises self-control


  When the 'beggar' is being mistreated
• Telemachus is masterly in asserting his authority


  Over his mother and when he shouts loudly and menacingly to the Suitors
• Telemachus has not yet learnt to distinguish justice from revenge


  He hangs the maids rather than stabbing them like Odysseus said
• Telemachus' punishment of Melanthius


  Isn't heroic either and the Suitors get off lightly in comparison
• Telemachus does not understand


  That Penelope must test Odysseus too and instead calls her cold-hearted
• Zeus says men should accept the consequences of their actions
• Zeus also tells Poseidon


  "as for mankind, if anyone in the pride of his power treats you with disrespect, you have all the future in which to take your revenge" This would insinuate that every god has the right to act in pure revenge against a mortal who has offended them explaining Poseidon’s tireless pursuit of Odysseus and the gods punishing Odysseus and his men for hunting the sun god’s cattle
• Telemachus is told by his father to execute the maids with his sword


  But Telemachus refuses and executed them via hanging as he did not want to give them a 'decent' death
• Their crime was not disobeying Zeus like the Suitors, but being disloyal to a man, and their punishment was much worse
• The Suitors


  • 108 Suitors
  • Initial introduction characterises them as arrogant and greedy
  • In Book 13 when Odysseus returns, their destruction is planed
  • Odysseus' plan relies on him remaining unrecognised and the Suitors are fooled
• Homer creates great irony


  When the Suitors pray to the gods to grant the 'beggar' his dearest wish; when they play happily with javelins before their fatal dinner; when they attempt to woo Penelope in front of her husband
• The Suitors are victims of Odysseus' deception


  When the weapons are removed from the hall he attacks them with his bow
• The Suitors are also victims of Penelope's deception


  They consumer her wealth and throw presents at her yet they really have no grasp of how successful they are
• The line between justice and revenge is fine
• It's clear throughout that the Suitors have offended Zeus yet the pay the price at the hands of Odysseus
• Antinous


  • Always the first to speak and he is the first to be killed
  • Openly hostile to Telemachus and proclaims that he hopes he will never be king
  • Angering Zeus: Penelope reminds him that Odysseus had once saved his life and it is sacrilegious to plot against his saviour
  • Throws a stool at the 'beggar'
  • Laughs at the prospect of the beggar fighting Irus
  • Calls Eumaeus and Philoetius 'snivelling peasants' and blames them for upsetting Penelope
  • Cowardly: knows he cannot win the contest of the bow so suggests to postpone the challenge to the next day and Apollo can choose the winner
  • Shot through the neck as a stream of insults leaves his mouth causing blood to flow from his nostrils as he dies
• Eurymachus


  • "The words on his lips were soothing, but in his heart he wished for Telemachus' death"
  • Same evil intentions of Antinous but he conceals them with a friendly exterior
  • Makes a reassuring speech to Telemachus in Book 1 and later reassures Penelope that he would never hurt her son
  • Disreputable: friendly with disloyal servants Melanthius and Melantho
  • Egotistic: when he loses the contest of the bow he is not upset about losing Penelope, but he is upset about the damage it will cause to his reputation
  • Tries to explain that the now-dead Antinous was the ringleader and tries to calm Odysseus by pledging to replace the cattle and gold
  • His death is as swift as that of Antinous
• Amphinomus


  • Homer tells us that he is a man of honour and that Penelope finds his conversations pleasant
  • He dissuades the Suitors from further attempts on Telemachus' life
  • He wishes the 'beggar' good luck and warns the Suitors of the perils of not practising Xenia
  • Odysseus urges him to go home and stirs his feelings of guilt
  • But he remains and dies by Telemachus'
• Disreputable


  Friendly with disloyal servants Melanthius and Melantho
• Penelope


  A match for Odysseus as when he flatters her looks, she tells him that only the most serious Suitors give her presents
• Penelope outsmarts Odysseus with words


  Says he has no reputation to damage