The epic focuses, of course, on odysseuss nostos return home or homeward voyage, a journey whose details a greek audience would already know because of their rich oral mythic tradition. Telemachos calls a meeting of all the ithakan men, which includes the suitors. Agamemnon and achilles argue over who had the better death. The odyssey quiz that tests what you know about important details and events in the book. 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. Hermes leads the souls of the suitors, crying like bats, into hades. The suitors are confused and believe this shooting to be an accident. The account of his wanderings now finished, odysseus looks forward to leaving scheria. Books 12 books 34 books 56 books 78 book 9 books 1011 books 12. Before the suitors realize what is happening, odysseus shoots a second arrow through the throat of antinous. Odysseus finally reveals himself, and the suitors become terrified. Homers epic poem the odyssey tells the story of odysseus, greek hero of the trojan war. Rather than open the story with the culmination of the trojan war. He praises telemachus for stepping into his fathers shoes, noting that this occasion marks the first time that the assembly has been called since odysseus left.
When the assembly meets the next day, aegyptius, a wise ithacan elder, speaks first. Check out our revolutionary sidebyside summary and analysis. Ten years have passed since the fall of troy, and the greek hero odysseus still has not returned to his kingdom in ithaca. In many respects, this story parallels those that he told to athena and eumaeus in books and 14, respectively, though it is identical to. The odyssey is an epic journey, but the word journey must be broadly understood. Page 1 page 2 like homers other epic, the iliad, the odyssey begins in medias res, or in the middle of things. Quick and easy odyssey synopsis, analysis, and discussion of major characters and. See a complete list of the characters in the odyssey and indepth analyses of odysseus, telemachus, penelope, athena, calypso, and circe.
The next day, alcinous loads his gifts on board the ship that will carry odysseus to ithaca. The odyssey quizzes about important details and events in every section of the book. He commends the citizen who was bold enough to call for the meeting. Preparation for battle must include intervention by the gods. Lord aigyptios not to be confused with aigisthos, the man whose murder the gods were earlier discussing, want to know why. Check out part ii of homers the odyssey video sparknote. Like homers other epic, the iliad, the odyssey begins in medias res, or in the middle of things. They have no way out, since philoetius has locked the front door and eumaeus has. They see the suitors coming in and ask how so many noble young men met their end. All of the greek heroes except odysseus have returned home. Heres where youll find analysis about the book as a whole, from the major themes and. When the assembly gathers the next day, wise old aegyptius points out that the group has not met in session since king odysseus left for the trojan war some 20 years before.
The story begins ten years after the end of the trojan war, the subject of the iliad. Rather than open the story with the culmination of the trojan war, homer begins midway through odysseuss wanderings. Book 2 telemachos calls a meeting of all the ithakan men, which includes the suitors. We quickly see that he is ashamed and outraged at the suitors behavior in his lords house. Athena comes to odysseus in the night and guarantees success even if he were to face fifty bands of mortal fighters 20. He greets the beggar warmly and notes his resemblance to odysseus. Read an overview of the entire poem or a line by line summary and analysis. He sleeps the whole night, while the phaeacian crew commands the ship. The odyssey by homer book 2 summary and analysis youtube.
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