The Odyssey by Homer
The Trojan War
• As the story begins, the 10-year Trojan War has just
ended, and Odysseus is ready to return to his beloved
home, faithful wife, Penelope, and their
son, Telemachus. r---- ..
• Odysseus, one of
the heroes of the
war, built the Trojan
Horse that won the
war.
• A strong leader, he
is also proud and
arrogant.
The Odyssey
A Story
told
in
Three
Stages
PART ONE
A story of what happens in Ithaca to
Odysseus’s wife (Penelope) and his son
(Telemachus) as they await his return.
PART TWO
A story of Odysseus’s wanderings after the Trojan
War (the war lasted 10 years and his wanderings
lasted another 10 years!)
PART THREE
A story of how Odysseus returns home to
Ithaca and joins forces with his son to
destroy his enemies (suitors of Penelope).
The Land of the Lotus-Eaters
Odysseus' men
explore a mysterious
island and join the
Lotus-Eaters, losing
their drive and
forgetting all their goals
and ambitions.
The Land of the
Cyclopes
Odysseus' arrogance causes problems.
He disrespects the Cyclopes' lifestyle and customs.
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Aeolus' Gift
Aeolus' gift helps
speed Odysseus
and his men back
home to Ithaca.
The men disobey
Odysseus'
command and
become lost at sea.
Circe the Sea-Witch
Circe turns Odysseus' men into
pigs and entices him to stay
with her for a year instead of
returning home to Penelope.
Tiresias, the Blind Prophet
The wisdom Odysseus
needs in order to
survive is only available
from Tiresias, who is
dead and in the
Underworld.
This is the most fearsome
journey of all.
What is the irony of a
blind prophet?
The Sirens
From Circe, Odysseus
learns the trick to get his
ship past the Sirens.
The Sirens were fantastic
creatures (bird-fish
woman) whose song was
irresistible to all men.
Once a man was caught, he
was lured onto their
island and killed or
destroyed--or even eaten!
Scylla & Charybdis
Scylla, a 6-headed
monster, would
eat 6 men if the
ship came too
close.
Charybdis, the
whirlpool, would
swallow the
whole ship.
What's a captain to
do?
The Cattle of the Sun-God, Helios
Tiresias had warned
Odysseus that his
men had to learn
self-discipline and
not take what was
not theirs.
But when they land
on Helios' island,
they're hungry and
steal Helios'
sacred cattle.
Calypso
Odysseus is washed
ashore alone and nearly
dead on Calypso's
island.
She loves him and keeps
him captive for 5 years-
although he longs for
home and Penelope.
Athena finally intervenes,
and Zeus makes
Calypso release him.
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The Land of the Phaeacians
Odysseus' raft washes
up in the Land of the
Phaeacians where he
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is recognized as the
great hero of the war.
He tells his story to King
Alcinous and is given
a ship to take him
home to Ithaca.
(This retelling, or flashback, is the section of the book
we read in class.)
The Test of the Bow
Disguised as an old
beggar, Odysseus finds fl"
that his home has been .(rtf! Y,
over-run by suitors who want to
marry Penelope and take his
kingdom.
Penelope hates them, but they
won't leave.
She finally creates a test I
she hopes no one will
•
Win.
The Blood-Bath
With Telemachus at his side, Odysseus slays the
suitors in a terrible blood-bath.
Penelope's Test
Although Penelope wants
to believe Odysseus
has returned, she
needs to be sure, and
has one last test for
him.
Penelope's Test
Penelope has not seen her
husband for many years.
When Odysseus returns,
Penelope doesn’t
recognize him and
cannot be sure that
Odysseus is really who
he says he is. She tests
Odysseus by ordering
her servant Eurycleia to
move their marriage bed.
Odysseus gets angry.
Penelope's Test
He explains that he built their
bedroom around an ancient
olive tree, and used the top of
the tree to make their
bedpost. He is angry because
he believes Penelope must
have replaced this bed with a
movable one. His anger, and
the fact that he knows the
story of the bed, proves his
identity.
The End of the Odyssey
After 10 years of war and 10 years of travel, Odysseus
finally finds peace in his beloved home, Ithaca, with
Penelope and Telemachus.
- H o me r, T h e Odyssey, 725-675 B.C.
1" 11R A C . £
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