ENGL220 Odyssey Books V-IX
description
Transcript of ENGL220 Odyssey Books V-IX
Odyssey
Book V
Next morning, Athena again plead Odysseus’ case to Zeus
Zeus sends Hermes to Calypso
Zeus tells Athena that Odysseus, along with many gifts, will be taken home by the Phaecians.
Hermes flew over the ocean to Calypso’s cave
Hermes tells Calypso that Odysseus is fated to return home
Calypso is furious that a double standard exists among the gods.
She has cherished Odysseus, and hoped to keep him with her
Still, she cannot disobey Zeus. She has no ship or rowers, but she will do what she can to see him safely off.
Calypso went to the beach to find Odysseus.
She found him staring out to sea
Calypso tells him to build a raft and she will give him provisions.
Odysseus fears Calypso is tricking him.
Calypso swears a great oath, then lunches with him in her cave
Calypso offers to make him immortal and ageless if he stays with her
Surely, she points out, she must be more attractive than old Penelope
Odysseus answers VERY carefully, and insists he must go home
They cuddle one last night
Odysseus builds his raft.
Calypso provides fine clothing and provisions
He sailed for 18 days until he saw the Phaecian coast
Angry at seeing Odysseus close to land, Poseidon brews up a storm.
Sea goddess Ino comes to the rescue
She tells Odysseus to get naked
Then put on her veil of immortality
Odysseus swims for his life
He barely makes it to shore
Ino needs her veil, Odysseus returns the veil.
Odysseus had to decide between spending the night on the cold beach or braving beasts and
sleeping in the woods
He chose the woods
Odyssey Book VI
Athena goes into the bedroom of Nausicaa, daughter of King Alcinous
She chides Nausicaa about all the dirty laundry on the floor, and suggest a washing day
Nausicaa asks her dad for a cart so she can do the family wash
As the laundry dries, the girls play ball
Athena makes sure Odysseus is wakened
Odysseus holds a branch in front of his package
He compliments and reassures Nausicaa
Nausicaa gives him something to wear
She devises a plan to get him into the city and palace
For both their sakes, she cannot be seen with him
She gives him directions to the palace, and tells him to go straight to her mother Arête
Odysseus prays to Athena for help, then heads after Nausicaa
Odyssey Book VII
Nausicaa returns with the laundry and goes up to her room
Odysseus arrives at the palace
The palace was splendid, and the gardens magnificent and magical
Hidden in Athena’s fog, Odysseus enters the palace and kneels at the feet of queen Arête
He asks her for help getting home
Then he sits in the ashes
All were in shock until an elderly servant reminded Alcinous of his duties as host
Odysseus was seated properly and brought food and wine
Alcinous promises to have a feast and then send this stranger, who might be a god, home in style
Odysseus protests that he is only a mortal man who has suffered much
Arête, who notices Odysseus is wearing family clothing, asks him who he is and where he is from
Odysseus tells of his 7 years on Calypso’s island, the raft, the storm, and his gift of clothing from Nausicaa
When Alcinous criticizes his daughter for poor hosting, Odysseus lies to take the blame
Alcinous would like the stranger to stay and marry his daughter, but will provide a ship gladly
A bed is provided for Odysseus in the palace
Odyssey Book VIII
At dawn, Odysseus and Alcinous meet at the place of assembly
Athene urged the citizens to come see the marvelous stranger
Alcinous calls for a ship and 52 men to be got ready
Then, a feast
Demodocus, the blind singer, sang of the quarrel between Achilles and Odysseus
The song made Odysseus weep
Alcinous notices his sorrow and begins sporting events
Footraces first, then wrestling
Jumping,
Discus, and boxing
Prince Laodamus invites the stranger to participate
When Odysseus declines, Euryalus accuses him of being a mere merchant
Odysseus scolds him, then picks up a disc
He throws it the furthest of all
Odysseus boasts of his sport skills
Alcinous calls for music
And a display of dancing
The Phaecians excelled at dance
The singer returned
He sang a comic song about Ares and Aphrodite
Aphrodite and Ares were infamous for their adultery
Aphrodite was the wife of Hephaestus, but had lots of sex with Ares
Aphrodite was in bed with Ares when the sun told her husband Hephaestus what was going on
Hephaestus forged a special net of chains and hung it over the bed
Hephaestus feigned a trip, and Ares lured Aphrodite into bed
The net fell, and Hephaestus called all the gods to witness the infidelity
The male gods laughed and made crude jokes
Hephaestus demanded payment, which Poseidon guaranteed
Hephaestus let the pair go
Next, Alcinous had his sons dance for Odysseus
When Odysseus complimented the Phaecians as the best dancers in the world, Alcinous asked each
of the 12 elders to donate gifts to the stranger
Arête arranged a warm bath and a chest of gifts
Nausicaa bids him farewell
He thanked her for saving his life
At the feast, the singer again performs
Odysseus gives the singer food, and asks him to sing of the Trojan Horse
Again, Odysseus weeps
Alcinous stops the singer, and urges the stranger to identify himself
He asks if the stranger is sad because he lost some dear one at Troy
Odyssey IX
Odysseus introduces himself by name to Alcinous, and describes Ithaca
He mentions that two goddesses, Circe and Calypso, desired him
After Troy, he took his 12 ships to Ismarus, the city of the Cicones
They sacked the city, and Odysseus would leave, but his men wanted to stay and enjoy
their takings
They were ambushed, and Odysseus lost 72 men
A series of strong storms took them next to the land of the Lotus-eaters
Odysseys sent 3 men to check out the local inhabitants
The men were given lotus to eat
The lotus made the men forget home, and Odysseus had to go and get the men and drag them onto the ship
They hurriedly sailed away
They came to the land of the Cyclops
The land was fertile, but the Cyclops had no civilization
No cultivation, no buildings, no ships, no organized governing system
The Cyclopes lived in caves
Odysseus and his men stay on an island in the harbor, killing goats for food and drinking Circonian wine
Odysseus decides to take one ship, 12 men, and a jar of exquisite wine to the land of the Cyclops
They enter a cave, find it empty except for lambs and cheese, and help themselves to
cheese
A huge Cyclops entered the cave and rolled a boulder to block the entrance
Odysseus tells the Cyclops they return as victors from Troy and asks for Zeus ordered hospitality.
Polyphemus picks up two men and eats them
The Cyclops drank milk and went to sleep
Next morning, he ate two more men for breakfast
Then he went out with his sheep and goats, trapping Odysseus in the cave
But Odysseus had a plan, involving putting out the Cyclops’ eye
He had his men sharpen a club into a sharp stake and draw lots for the four who would help him.
When the Cyclops returned, he milked his animals and ate 2 more men
Odysseus offered him wine
The Cyclops enjoyed the wine and asked for more
Odysseus kept refilling the cup
Odysseus told the Cyclops his name was Noman
When Polyphemus fell into a drunken sleep, the plan went forward
The spear was of olive wood.
His neighbors heard screams of pain, and asked who was hurting him
When he answered “Noman,” they went back to their caves
When Polyphemus rolled the stone away from the entrance, Odysseus devised a plan for
escape
The men hung under the bellies of the sheep
Odysseus clung to a ram
They got away and raced to the ship
Polyphemus threw rocks after them
Enraged, he tried to smash the ship
Odysseus boasted, revealing his name and homeland
Polyphemus called on his father Poseidon, cursing Odysseus with a late and pathetic
homecoming
Odysseus makes it back to the island, and all feast
Beware! Groan-producing cyclops cartoons follow