5 - 8 Odyssey Summary Stuff

Athena convinces Zeus to help Odysseus get home. He sends Hermes with a message to Kalypso saying that she will let him go and help him build a raft with food until he washes up on the island of Scheria where the Phaiacians will transport him home. Kalypso is upset by the news because no one says anything about the male gods when they do stuff like this, but the second a women does they get all up in a tizzy. Poseidon finds out and sends a storm Odysseus's way which almost drowns him and sinks his raft. So he floats for two days before washing up on land. Athena convinces Princess Nausikaa to go to the streams to wash her linens so she can maybe find a husband. Odysseus is there and they talk and he gets some clothes. He needs her help so she tells him how to get to the palace and to convince the mother to the like him. The people there are sea people (hint hint, foreshadow to the fact that Poseidon is their god, and they helped his enemy, big no no!). Odysseus is disguised in a cloud mist by Athena so he doesn't draw attention to himself. Athena comes to him in the form of a little girl who he asks to help him find the palace and she leads him there. His mist protection eventually disappeared and then he makes his plea to Queen Arete. It works because the king rushes to his hospitality and the next day there will be a feast in his honor. The king Alcinoos offers up his daughter's hand to Odysseus, but he declines because he just wants to go home. Athena disguised as the town crier tells everyone about the stranger and the feast that will take place. The king has a ship prepared to take him home later in the day. Odysseus listens to stories about himself and sees many sports done by people in the kingdom. Theres singing songs that make him cry because they are about his life. After his bath he says he has a story to tell.

Theme: Loyalty, hospitality,

Foreshadow: poseidon is the god of these sea people who help his enemy

Libation and Precedence

At the ceremonial dinner, all the attendants poured their wine in libation and drank to the God Poseidon.

During the graduation ceremony, according the the precedence of things the 8th grade class walked out first.

Prudence and Baleful sentences

"I need you to treat this matter with great prudence. The killer can't know that we are onto him," the detective told his fellow colleagues on the case.

The baleful man with the scar over his eye haunted the little girl's dreams ever since she had been rescued by the detectives.

Last Vocab

Prudence

Noun

Quality of being cautious 

Baleful

adjective

menacing influences

Libation

noun

pouring wine or other liquid in honor of a deity

Precedence

noun

importance of priority

Glutton

noun

one who eats and drinks excessively 

Harangue

noun

scolding or long intense verbal attack

Rapine

noun

plunder

Scion

noun

a descendant 

Insidious

adjective

stealthily treacherous or deceitful

Chastise

verb

criticize severely

Succumb

verb

yield to disease

Auspicious

adjective

promising success

Lucid

adjective

clear perception

Audacity

noun 

boldness

1-4 Odyssey

What was BOOKS 1-4 about. Briefly write a summary of BOOKS 1-4, create a list of characters, a literary element in these books, and the major theme this section reinforces.

Summary: It's been 20 years since the Trojan war and Odysseus still hasn't returned home. The Gods are all having a feast telling stories. Athena wants her father to have mercy on her favorite mortal, Odysseus and help him get home after all this time; he's being held captive on an island by Kalypso. Athena decides to help Odysseus's son Telemachos find his father, so she goes to him disguised as Mentes. She sees all the suitors living at the house trying to get his mother. That night she sends him a vision of his father. The next day Telemachos calls for a town meeting to complain about the suitors. Antinoös one of the suitors says that it's Penelope who is delaying marrying a suitor and it's why they're still there. After the meeting, Telemachos prepares for a journey to find his father. He takes a group of trusted men and Athena disguised as Mentor (Odysseus's old friend) goes with him. Telemachos arrives in Pylos and is invited to a feast, everyone there is making sacrifices to Poseidon. Telemachos is nervous about making a speech to the noble Nestor, but Athena tells him the gods favor him, and takes over during his speech. He learns stories about his father. NEstor tells him not to be gone long because the suitor are all still at his house. Telemachos is now going to Sparta. When he gets there Menelaos is very welcoming and shares that he misses Odysseus more than anyone. Helen of Sparta drugs all the men to make them forget their sorrows, She tells funny stories about Odysseus. It is later learned Odysseus is Kalypso's prisoner and wants to get home. Telemachos goes back to Pylos. In Ithaka the suitors are upset because they didn't know about the journey, and set sail to ambush him. Penelope learns that her son has Athena on his side. 

Characters: Athena, Zeus, Poseidon, Mentor, Telemachos, Odysseus, Penelope, Menelaos, Nestor, Antinoos, Helen, Kalypso, Eurykleia, Hermes, Peisistratos

Major Theme: Hospitality and Loyalty

Odyssey Book 1&2

Book 1
It's after the Trojan War and Penelope's husband Odysseus hasn't returned. it's been 20 years. Poseidon is making his journey home difficult because of a grudge he has against him for poking out the eye of his son. All the gods are chilling having dinner together, except for Poseidon, he's probably getting his revenge. Zeus's daughter Athene asks her father to spare her favorite mortal Odysseus and have mercy. Zeus thinks Poseidon needs to grow up about it eventually because all the other gods like Odysseus so much. Meanwhile Odysseus is being held captive on an island with the witch name Kalypso because she loves him and wants to marry him or something. Athene goes to Odysseus's son disguised as Mentes where she sees many suitors laying around lazily, wasting away the family's food. The suitors aren't hospitable at all, which is a big No No in Greek culture. The son Telemachos implies that things would be different if his father were around to get rid of the suitors trying to get with his mother. Athene tells him not to give up finding his father, she fills him with a vision of his father and leaves. He tells the suitors they need to leave at dawn, one of the men protests saying that Ithaka needs a king. Telemachos goes to bed thinking about what Athene told him. 

Book 2 
Telemachos calls for a meeting with the suitors and all Ithakan men. Everyone wants to know why theres a meeting because it's been a long time and Telemachos complains about the suitors eating all his food, drinking his wine and trying to get with his mother. Antinoös argues this and says that Penelope delayed marrying one of the suitors even though it is her duty as queen to give her people a king. She said she wouldn't marry until she finished weaving a funeral shroud for Odysseus's father who isn't even dead. A maid blabbed that she wove all day and then unravels it at night. After his story he tells Telemachos to either get rid of Penelope or make her choose a suitor. Telemachos refuses and then Zeus sends down two eagles to attack the city people. He is done arguing with people about whether or not his father is dead and decides to sail to Pylos for news of his father. Mentor, a friend of Odysseus's speaks up and says it's a shame that such a large community hasn't spoken against the suitors.That night Telemachos prays to whichever God visited him. Athene hears his prayer and comes to him as Mentor and tells him that she will help find a boat and to get supplies ready for the journey. He leaves immediately with a group of trusted men and Athene as Mentor goes with him.

Study Questions—ACT 5

Scene 1

1) What do the nurse (gentlewoman) and the doctor see?

They see Lady Macbeth sleepwalking, talking about the choices her husband has made.


2) What does Lady Macbeth mean when she says, “Out, damned spot! Out, I say!...will these hands never be clean.”

She sees blood on her hands from killing Duncan and feels that her hands will never be clean from the sins she has committed.


3) What is wrong with Lady Macbeth at this point of the play?
Lady Macbeth has started to go crazy just like her husband because she feels so guilty about what they did.


Scene 2

1) What happens in this scene? What new characters are introduced? Why?

In this scene the soldiers are on their way to kill Macbeth and let Malcolm reign as king. Menteith, Caithness and Angus are soldiers introduced because they give us prospective of the soldiers.


2) What is the significance of the scene?

This scene tells what the soldiers are doing and who is leading them, as well as what everyone thinks of Macbeth.


3) What is meant when Caithness says, “Some say he’d mad; others that lesser hate him do call it valiant fury”? Some are saying Macbeth is crazy, but people who dont hate him as much call it brave anger.

Scene 3

1) How would you describe Macbeth’s attitude and mood in this scene?

He is trying to keep his cool, but calls for an army anyway and asks Seyton to get his armor because he is ready to fight.


2) Why isn’t Macbeth afraid? Do his soldier’s seem afraid? Why or why not?

Macbeth isn't afraid because the witches told him he could only be killed by someone not born from a mother or if they trees get up. So he's not worried because trees can't walk and everyone is born from a mother.


Scene 4

1) What does Malcolm order the soldiers to do?
He orders them to disguise themselves as trees, so that Macbeth thinks less men are coming.


Scene 5

1) What is meant when Macbeth says, “She should have died here-after”?

He is saying that she should have died after the battle was over so he would be able to mourn her.


2) What is the significant of the following quote, “Life’s but a walking shadow, a poor player, that struts and frets his hour upon the stage and then is told no more. It is a tale told by an idiot, full of sound and fury signifying nothing.”
It's saying that life is an illusion and we all just go by the days slowly until we die and it means nothing.


Scene 6

1) What is important about this scene?
Malcolm gives the order for the soldiers to start the fight.


Scene 7

1) Who does Macbeth kill in this scene? What is significant about this death?
Macbeth kills the Siward's son. He was born of a woman so Macbeth thinks that what the witches said was true and he is free from harm.


Scene 8

1) What happens in this scene?

Macduff comes into the castle and kills Macbeth.


2) Why does Macbeth lose heart in the fight against Macduff?

Macduff wasn't born of a woman, he was delivered by C-section, so he can harm Macbeth.


3) Who is named king at the end of the play?

Malcolm