Book Nine
Odysseus is "formidable for guile," a trait he seems proud of. In what way is guile a trait appropriate to a hero? When they left Troy, how did Odysseus and his men act? Does it seem heroic? How do the gods respond? Where is Malea?
In what way do the Lotus Eaters tempt Odysseus's men? Odysseus lives up to his reputation for guile in the land of the Kyklopes, but he makes a big mistake. What is it? Does his action seem heroic? If you answer yes, in what sense? (By the way, ever see a "dark violet" sheep?) Why does Zeus disdain the offering of Odysseus?
Book Ten
The Aiolos episode seems simple, but it isn't. What do you think of the way Odysseus handles the situation? Why isn't Aiolos sympathetic when the mariners return? Do you get the feeling that the winds are used repeatedly in a metaphorical kind of way? Do you suspect that their treatment at the hands of the Laistrygonians is a punishment for what went wrong in the previous episode?
Kirke (Circe, pronounced sirsy) has become a proverbial term for a witch (a bewitching female). (Notice that witchcraft is very different from the superhuman actions of the gods.) Does her initial treatment of Odysseus's men seem symbolic to you? Notice that their animal forms seem a direct result of their losing "desire or thought of our dear father land." At this point the gods seem to take pity on Odysseus (by sending Hermes). Why, do you think? Kirke identifies Odysseus by--what?
What temptation does Kirke offer Odysseus? We are repeatedly told about Odysseus's state of mind? Why? What is it at this point? What power does he have over Kirke that she agrees to do his bidding? What do you make of Odysseus's first response to Eurylokhos's refusal to leave the ships and go to Kirke's house? Why does Odysseus react so fiercely? What do you think of Odysseus's conduct overall on Kirke's island? Why must Odysseus face death (the underworld) before he dies?
Book Eleven
Who is Persephone? Why does Odysseus "hold off" his mother in order to talk first to Teiresias? Who is Teiresias? Pay careful attention to his advice; Odysseus follow it at the end of the poem. Care to take a stab at what it "means"? Pay attention to the various ways this trip to the underworld functions; for instance, why is it "convenient" for Odysseus's mother to have died while he was away from Ithaca? The Greek world is one of profound physicality (are you aware of the many absolutely realistic details that you can see, hear, smell, taste, feel: sunlight, wine, flowers, houses, smoke, ships, etc., etc.?). One of the most disturbing experiences Odysseus has in the twenty year span of the epic is his attempt to embrace his mother. Why?
Read the story of Leda and the swan in Hamilton; she is mother of Helen and Clytemnestra (a very interesting pair), wife of Agamemnon. Why does Homer interrupt Odysseus's story with a (brief) return to the hall in Phaiakia? Why does he do it at this point in the story?
What do you make of Agamemnon's statements about women, based on his experience with his wife? Akhil- leus (Achilles), in a very famous speech, expresses an attitude (in response to Odysseus's laudatory speech) that makes great sense in the context of the Greek view of the world. Why does he disdain his current position? Notice Aias (Ajax); you will encounter him again in Dante's Inferno.
What do you know about Orion? Where does the English verb "to tantalize" come from? Sisyphos, too, is proverbial. Herakles is Hercules.
Book Twelve
The Seirenes (Sirens) are likewise proverbial. Who are they? Why is it appropriate that Odysseus hear their song? Repeatedly in the epic, we get a prediction or explanation of something that will happen, then a complete description when it happens. Why? (Think about the fact that this is a work heard rather than read.) What exactly is the temptation of the Sirens (what do they sing about)?
Skylla and Kharybdis (pronounced Karibdes) are also proverbial. If Odysseus is forced to undergo this experience in order to teach him something, what do you think he is supposed to learn?
The cattle of Helios provide another test. What is being tested? How do they come through it? Why is their "mistake" so terrible? Is the punishment just? What do you make of Odysseus's attempt to appease the gods with sacrifice?