CliffsNotes on

The Odyssey

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Poem Summary

Homer Biography

About The Odyssey

Summary and Analysis

Book 1: Athena Inspires the Prince
Book 2: Telemachus Sets Sail
Book 3: King Nestor Remembers
Book 4: The King and Queen of Sparta
Book 5: Odysseus — Nymph and Shipwreck
Books 6–8: The Princess and the Stranger; Phaeacia’s Halls and Gardens; A Day for Songs and Contests
Book 9: In the One-Eyed Giant’s Cave
Book 10: The Bewitching Queen of Aeaea
Book 11: The Visit to the Dead
Book 12: The Cattle of the Sun
Books 13–14: Ithaca at Last; The Loyal Swineherd
Books 15–16: The Prince Sets Sail for Home; Father and Son
Book 17: Stranger at the Gate
Book 18: The Beggar-King at Ithaca
Book 19: Penelope and Her Guest
Book 20: Portents Gather
Book 21: Odysseus Strings His Bow
Book 22: Slaughter in the Hall
Book 23: The Great Rooted Bed
Book 24: Peace

Character List

Character Map

Character Analysis

Odysseus
Penelope
Telemachus
Athena (Pallas)
Polyphemus (the Cyclops) and King Alcinous
Circe and Calypso

Critical Essays

Major Themes in The Odyssey
Literary Devices of The Odyssey
Major Symbols in The Odyssey

Study and Homework Help

Glossary
Quiz
Essay Questions
Practice Projects

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Study and Homework Help

Quiz

1:  What is Penelope and Telemachus’ home filled with?

a. Creditors

b. Angry servants

c. Suitors

d. Locusts
2:  What is Penelope supposedly weaving at the beginning of the epic?

a. A shroud for Laertes

b. A wedding dress

c. A blanket for Odysseus’ grave

d. A robe for Telemachus
3:  From what war is Odysseus attempting to return home?

a. The Peloponnesian War

b. The Trojan War

c. The war with Sparta

d. The war with Assyria
4:  How many years does the goddess-nymph Calypso hold Odysseus captive?

a. 2

b. 7

c. 15

d. 20
5:  To what civilized people does Odysseus tell the story of his wanderings?

a. The Ithacans

b. The Mycenaens

c. The Lotus Eaters

d. The Phaeacians
6:  Whose son is the blinded Cyclops, Polyphemus?

a. Poseidon’s

b. Zeus’

c. Tiresias’

d. Prometheus’
7:  What does Circe turn several of Odysseus’ men into?

a. Dogs

b. Goats

c. Swine

d. Giants
8:  Who is Tiresias?

a. Odysseus’ father

b. Odysseus’ only son and heir to his kingdom

c. A blind seer who gives Odysseus advice in the Land of the Dead

d. Odysseus’ loyal swineherd who assists in his return to Ithaca
9:  On Ithaca, Athena helps Odysseus disguise himself as what?

a. A beggar

b. A suitor

c. A woman

d. Odysseus’ best friend
10:  How does the loyal nurse Eurycleia recognize Odysseus?

a. By a scar on his leg

b. By his voice

c. By his hands

d. By the name that he calls her
11:  Who says the following: “There you will find the grazing,/ herds and fat flocks, the cattle of Helios,/ god of the sun who sees all, hears all things./ Leave the beasts unharmed…”

a. Telemachus

b. Poseidon

c. Tiresias

d. Circe
12:  Who says the following: “Woman -- your words, they cut me to the core! / Who could move my bed? Impossible task, /even for some skilled craftsman…I know, I built it myself…

a. Eurymachus

b. Odysseus

c. Antonius

d. Alcinous



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