Odyssey Review Game The Homecoming.

Who ‘Dat?  Characters in the Odyssey

100  Odysseus  The king of Ithaca

200  Removes the suitors’ weapons from the great hall.  Telemachus

300  The loyal swineherd who brings Odysseus his bow.  Eumaeus

400  Dies after seeing Odysseus make it home.  Argos

500  Recognizes Odysseus while giving him a footbath.  Eurycleia

That’s What Heroes Are Made Of  Epic Hero Traits Revealed in Quotes

100  “He draws between his thumb and forefinger / a sweet new string upon a peg: so effortlessly / Odysseus in one motion strung the bow.”  Battle Skills  Not one of the other suitors can string the bow, but Odysseus does it in one try!

200  “‘Now listen to your orders: / when the time comes, those gentlemen, to a man, / will be dead against giving me a bow or quiver. / Defy them. / Eumaeus, bring the bow / and put it in my hands there at the door. / Tell the women to lock their own door tight. / Tell them if someone hears the shock of arms / or groans of men, in hall or court, not one / must show her face, but keep still her weaving. / Philoeteus, run to the outer gate and lock it. / Throw the crossbar and lash it.’”  Authority/Leadership  Odysseus demonstrates authority as he tells Eumaeus to bring him the bow and Philoeteus to lock the gate when the fight begins.

300  “‘I am home, for I am he. / I bore adversities, but in the twentieth year / I am ashore in my own land.’”  Determination/Persistence  Even after 20 years of hardships, Odysseus never gives up and returns to Ithaca!

400  “Now from his breast into his eyes the ache / of longing mounted, and he wept at last, / his dear wife, clear and faithful in his arms.”  Loyalty/Persistence  Odysseus is finally home, happy to be reunited with his wife.

Name That Epic Characteristic  Applying Epic Characteristics to Quotes

100  “Athena / lent him beauty, head to foot, She made him / taller, and massive, too, with crisping hair in curls like petals of wild hyacinth / but all red-golden.”  Divine Intervention  Athena transforms Odysseus into a strong, young, good-looking man.

200  “‘Now watch me hit a target that no man has hit before.’”  Boasting  Odysseus is bragging that he can hit the target that no one else could.

300  “‘The stranger / you welcomed in your hall has not disgraced you. / I did not miss, neither did I take all day / stringing the bow. My hand and eye are sound, / not so contemptible as the young men say.’”  Boasting  Odysseus brags that it didn’t take him forever to string the bow and hit the target.

400  “‘I find / the two of you, alone among my people, / longed for my coming. Prayers I never heard / except your own that I might come again. / So now what is in store for you I’ll tell you: / If Zeus brings down the suitors by my hand / I promise marriages to both, and cattle, / and houses built near mine. And you shall be / brothers-in-arms of my Telemachus.’”  Hospitality Code  If Eumaeus and Philoeteus help bring down the suitors, Odysseus will reward them with ladies, cattle, and homes—not too shabby!

“My Name Is Nohbdy!”  More Characters from the Odyssey

200  She holds off the suitors with a weaving trick  Penelope

400  This suitor is the first to die because he was the ringleader.  Antinous

600  This suitor tries to get Odysseus’ forgiveness by promising to pay back wine and food.  Eurymachus

800  This character (the cowherd) is told to lock the outer gate.  Philoeteus

1000  A disloyal maid; calls the beggar a drunk  Melantho

I Know That Hero Trait  Applying Epic Hero Traits to Quotes

200  “Now flashed / arrow from twanging bow clean as a whistle / through every socket ring, / and grazed not one, / to thud with heavy brazen head beyond.”  Battle Skills  Odysseus is able to make his shot go through all the holes and not hit a one.

400  “‘You yellow dogs, you thought I’d never make it / home from the land of Troy. You took my house to plunder, / twisted my maids to serve your beds. You dared / bid for my wife while I was still alive. / Contempt was all you had for the gods who rule wide / heaven, / contempt for what men say of you hereafter. / Your last hour has come. You die in blood.’”  Authority/Leadership/Persistent  Odysseus tells the suitors they will pay for invading his home, taking advantage of his wife, and plotting to kill his son.

600  “‘Not for the whole treasure of your fathers, / all you enjoy, lands, flocks, or any gold / put up by others, would I hold my hand. / There will be killing till the score is paid, / You forced yourselves upon this house. / Fight your way out, / or run for it, if you think you’ll escape death.’”  Authority/Leadership/Cleverness  Odysseus refuses to accept any payment from the suitors for their despicable behavior; their payment will be death!

.The Bold, the Brave, and the Boastful  More Characters from the Odyssey

200  Calls the beggar a pig and kicks him on the way to town  Melanthius

400  Odysseus’s father’s name  Laertes

600  Calls Penelope “cold- hearted” for not taking Odysseus back immediately  Telemachus

800  Where Odysseus and Telemachus first go when they return to Ithaca  Eumaues

1000  Reassures Odysseus and gives him confidence that he can “whip those dogs.”  Athena

Prego—It’s in There!  It Could Be Anything!

200  Epic hero trait that applies to this event:  Penelope holds off the suitors for 2-3 years by unweaving a loom she told them she must finish before she can marry.  Intelligence/cleverness

400  Epic characteristic in this quote:  “Now flashed / arrow from twanging bow clean as a whistle / through every socket ring, / and grazed not one, / to thud with heavy brazen head beyond.”  Exaggeration  Odysseus can shoot an arrow through twelve tiny holes and not hit a one?

600  Name this character:  Throws a stool at Odysseus  Antinous

800  Epic characteristic in this quote:  “He draws between his thumb and forefinger / a sweet new string upon a peg: so effortlessly / Odysseus in one motion strung the bow.”  Exaggeration  Odysseus can string the bow in one try, yet the suitors could barely even bend it.

Gods, Goddesses, and Mortals, Oh My!  Characters in The Odyssey

200  This king takes in Odysseus as a stranger, and Odysseus tells him about his travels  Alcinous

400  Warns Telemachus that the suitors plan to ambush him  Athena

600  Hangs the disloyal maids  Telemachus

800  Devises a bow and arrow contest  Penelope

1000  Tells Penelope that Odysseus is back and has defeated the suitors  Eurycleia