Here begins the tale of the odyssey, as sung by the blind minstrel homer. The problem came when i sat down to write my summary of books 1 through 6 and couldnt work out the exact playbyplay. Summary and analysis book 10 the bewitching queen of aeaea. When odysseus shows up polyphemus eats 6 of his crew mates. About the odyssey the odyssey summary character list glossary themes quotes and analysis books 14 books 58 books 9 12 books 16 books 1720 books 2124 symbols, allegory and motifs metaphors and similes irony imagery the fractal structure of epics literary elements related links essay questions quiz 1 quiz 2 quiz 3 quiz 4 citations. Read an overview of the entire poem or a line by line summary and analysis. See a complete list of the characters in the odyssey and indepth analyses of odysseus, telemachus, penelope, athena, calypso, and circe. Commentary translations the original crowd pleaser. Heres where youll find analysis about the book as a whole, from the major themes and. Just as odysseus is tempted by the allure of calypso and nausicaa, so are his men tempted by the lure of forgetting that comes with ingesting the lotus.
The closest the greeks came to the gods, one could argue, was through their writers for they, too, had complete control over their characters, and none had it. The odyssey study guide contains a biography of homer, literature essays, a complete etext, quiz questions, major themes, characters, and a full summary and analysis. Odysseus names himself and begins telling the story of his long travels after leaving troy. Book 9 of the odyssey essaysin this book odysseus is retelling his trip home as a flashback.
Ive been listening to ian mckellen read the epic to me on audio, which is fantastic. Granted, its likely not every contemporary readers favorite work although you probably would have felt differently 2,000 years. We learn that poseidon, god of the sea, holds a grudge though we dont know exactly why against odysseus and is making the guys voyage home a pretty difficult one. The epic begins with the invocation of the muses, requesting inspiration and the beginning of odysseuss story. You should be able to cite examples of a few of these in. Chapter summary for homers the odyssey, book 9 summary. After leaving troy, odysseus and his men sail to ismarus, which they attack and plunder. Students familiar with some of the legends of the odyssey but new to the epic itself might be surprised to see that the section on the lotuseaters is only about twentyfive lines long 9. The men plunder the land and, carried away by greed, stay until the reinforced ranks of the cicones turn on them and attack. As the book begins it tells of his travels and where he winds up during this time. Many cities of men he saw and learned their minds, many pains he suffered, heartsick on the open sea. The odyssey books 912 summary and analysis gradesaver.
Lord alcinous, renowned above all men, verily this is a good thing, to listen to a minstrel such as this man is, like unto the gods. Find a summary of this and each chapter of the odyssey. The odyssey by homer book 9 summary and analysis duration. Im a bit late with my first post about the odyssey for trishs readalong. Eager to move on, odysseus receives an oxskin pouch from aeolus. Calypso, the sweet nymph athena pleads to the gods and zeus at mount olympus to release odysseusheld captive by the immortal nymph calypso calypso is the daughter of the titan atlas and was forced to live on the island ogygia as a punishment for siding with her father and the.
The odyssey books 2124 summary and analysis gradesaver. Achilles, son of peleus, athena, daughter of zeus, menelaus, son of atreus, etc. Women had less power and occupied a subordinate status. The episode resembles odysseuss encounter with the cyclops, whom he defeats using. Book 1 book 2 book 3 book 4 book 5 book 6 book 7 book 8 book 9 book 10 book 11 book 12 book book 14 book 15 book 16 book 17 book 18 book 19 book 20 book 21 book 22 book 23 book 24 themes all themes fate, the gods, and free will piety, customs, and justice cunning, disguise, and selfrestraint memory and grief glory and honor. The odyssey book 9 presentation by crystal an on prezi. And ulysses answered king alcinous it is a good thing to hear abard with such a divine voice as this man has. Heres where youll find analysis about the book as a whole, from the major.
Calypso, the sweet nymph athena pleads to the gods and zeus at mount olympus to release odysseusheld captive by the immortal nymph calypso calypso is the daughter of the titan atlas and was forced to live on the island ogygia as a punishment for siding with her. Athena also prepares him for a great journey to pylos and sparta, where the kings. These are some of the greatest works of epic literature in the western canon. Moreover, they are complex pieces of work with many twists and turns. Apr 15, 2017 the odyssey by homer book 9 summary and analysis duration. In it are captured all the winds that might drive the ships off. Odysseus reveals his identity to the phaeaceans, and then begins recounting his tales from the time of his departure from troy. Greek society was patrilineal lineage traced through the father and patriarchal ruled by men. On the land of the cicones odysseus and his men killed all the men of the island. Though the hero himself is still offstage in book one, we find out about his situation by listening in on a conversation that takes place on mount olympus. Odysseuss narrative makes up books 9 through 12 of the odyssey.
Homer notes that, stroking him gently, powerful polyphemus murmured, dear old ram, why last of the flock to quit the cave. He had no family and he lives a little father away from the other cyclops. Book 1 the first book informs the reader of the imprisonment of odysseus on calypsos island, ogygia, in the tenth year after the trojan war. Homer, odyssey, book 9, line 500 perseus digital library. Lotus eaters and temptation they fell in, soon enough, with lotus eaters, who showed no will to do us harm, only. The odyssey is not only a great romantic, adventure epic, but its terribly realistic in its depiction of human nature and a brilliantly crafted narrative. Odysseus, captive to the nymph, calypso, wants desperately to return home to ithaca. The story of hephaestus and ares is a variant on the parable of the weak outwitting the strong.
Odysseus introduces himself and begins his story, starting with the moment his men leave troy. Most agree that the wanderings of odysseus took him to the vicinity of italy and sicily, although speculation has carried him as far afield as iceland. Authors today could learn from how homer lays out his plot and plays the characters off against each other for maximum reader involvement. Odysseus finally reveals his identity to alkinoos and the phaiakians. Its been 10 years since the conclusion of the trojan war and everyone but odysseus and his comrades has returned from their service in troy. The odyssey book 1 lyrics the gods in councilminervas visit to ithacathe challenge from telemachus to the suitors tell me, o muse, of that ingenious hero who travelled far and wide after. It is the gods who decide the fate of the humans, the gods who can declare war, and the gods who can make peace. Having escaped the cyclops, odysseus and his men arrive at the home of aeolus, master of the winds, where they are greeted warmly and hosted for a month. Here is this stranger, i do not know who he is, come wandering suppliant here to my house from the eastern or western people. Learn vocabulary, terms, and more with flashcards, games, and other study tools. The basic geographic orientation of the odyssey begins with troy, which was on the coast of the country known today as turkey.
When autoplay is enabled, a suggested video will automatically. Homer has touched on a universal theme, the lure of oblivion through drugs. Odysseus praises achilleus for having earned so much honor and glory in his life. This is a special kind of homeric epithet used frequently in the iliad and the odyssey. Literary works dont come much more venerable or influential than the odyssey, a 12,000line poem written in ancient greek and composed sometime in the eighth century b. At dawn, athena in the guise of alcinous gathers people to the meeting grounds. The cyclops had a great club which was lying near one. Dec 04, 2011 50 thoughts on week of 124 the odyssey book 9 nick k 4 december 5, 2011 at 3. Enter a perseus citation to go to another section or work. List the ten story elements that are common to all stories of a heros journey, such as star wars, the lion king, the wizard of oz, or the odyssey. Book i athena inspires the prince sing to me of the man, muse, the man of twists and turns driven time and again off course, once he had plundered the hallowed heights of troy. Litcharts assigns a color and icon to each theme in the odyssey, which you can use to track the themes throughout the work. Learn exactly what happened in this chapter, scene, or section of the odyssey and what it means.
Telemachus and his mother meetulysses and eumaeus come down to the town, and ulysses is insulted by melanthiushe is recognised by the dog argoshe is insulted. Book one the poem begins with an invocation, or prayer, to the muse. The notion of hospitality is so strong in the world of the odyssey that guests can even be considered part of ones family. Cyclops, if any one of mortal men shall ask thee about the shameful blinding of thine eye, say that odysseus, the sacker of cities, blinded it, 505 even the son of laertes, whose home is in ithaca.
It also describes the insolence of the young nobles in ithaca led by antinous and eurymachus who, in the absence of odysseus, live off his wealth and woo his wife, penelope. The poet invokes the muse to help him tell the story of odysseus. When everyone arrives, alcinous asks his people to bring a ship down to the sea and to find a crew of fiftytwo men to transport odysseus home. In the end i deemed it would be the best plan to do as follows. Full search options are on the right side and top of the page. Chapter summary for homers the odyssey, book 11 summary. Then he tells of the arrival at the land of the wild and lawless cyclopes, giants with a single eye who dwell alone and have no. Invision employees share their remote work secrets. Home english literature classic books the odyssey book ix navigate here introduction book i book ii book iii book iv book v book vi book vii book viii book ix book x book xi book xii book xiii book xiv book xv book xvi book xvii book xviii book xix book xx book xxi book xxii book xxiii book xxiv. From troy, the winds sweep him and his men to ismarus, city of the cicones. He tells of the battle with the cicones at ismarus and the luckless nineday detour to the land of the lotuseaters, where two of his men are narcotic fruit and forgot their homes. He proceeds to tell the phaeacians stories of his long and arduous journey since the fall of troy. This lesson will summarize book 5 of homers epic poem, the odyssey, in which the gods finally decree. In book 9 of homers the odyssey, we learn more about his travels after the trojan war ended and why he still has not made.
It also describes the insolence of the young nobles in ithaca led by antinous and eurymachus who, in the absence of odysseus, live. The episode with the lotuseaters shines a light on a recurring theme in the odyssey. In the beginning of the journey, he and his men sacked the city of the cicones and carried away many spoils. Perfect for acing essays, tests, and quizzes, as well as for writing lesson plans. Reluctantly, odysseus tells the phaeacians the sorry tale of his wanderings. This is an edit of the hallmark channels made for tv movie, the odyssey. The new odyssey brings to mind the original epic with which this book has many parallels. About the odyssey book 1 this text is taken from the translation by samuel butler, first published in 1900. The odyssey book 9 characters polyphemus polyphemus is a cyclops. Cliffsnotes study guides are written by real teachers and professors, so no matter what youre studying, cliffsnotes can ease your homework headaches and. Read a character analysis of odysseus, plot summary, and important quotes.