1. Themes
Plot Events
Characters
Epic Hero
Potpurri
100
100
100
100
100
200
200
200
200
200
300
300
300
300
300
400
400
400
400
400
500
500
500
500
500

2. The Theme you see in the following example:
Odysseus cannot leave the Cyclops without stopping to yell his real name and letting the Cyclops know that, if anyone asks, it was Odysseus who took his eye.

3. Having too much pride is a dangerous thing

4. The Theme you see in the following example: Instead of letting the suitors live and pay him back for what they’ve eaten,
Odysseus kills all 100 men

5. Revenge is justified and ok.

6. The Theme you see in the following example:
To escape from the Cyclops cave, Odysseus and his men launch a brutal attack on Polyphemus’ eye; then, they come up with a clever scheme to get out of the cave undetected.

7. In battle, a warrior must have both cunning (tricky smarts) and strength.

8. The Theme you see in the following example:
The Sirens’ voices seduce everyone who passes them, but anyone who listens to their song will be destroyed.

9. Possible answers: Women can be seductive and dangerous.
Giving in to temptation is dangerous; only those who resist temptation will make it home alive.

10. Theme you see in the following example:
Odysseus warns his men not to eat Helios’ cattle; however, the gods cast a spell on Odysseus, and the men eat the cattle. As a result, Zeus agrees to destroy the men to avenge Helios’ loss.

11. Possible Answers: Both fate and free will control a person’s destiny
Revenge is justifiable and sometimes necessary
Giving in to temptation is dangerous and destructive

12. When Odysseus’ men first approach Circe’s house, why are the mountain lions they see acting so strangely?

13. They are really men, but Circe has cast a spell on them and turned them to animals.

14. What are the three parts of the curse Polyphemus puts on Odysseus?

15. 1. He never makes it home. 2. If he does make it home, the journey is long and miserable. 3. When he gets home, he finds hostile forces against him.

16. Explain why Odysseus chooses not to tell his men about Scylla and Charybdis.

17. He knows they will get terrified if they know what’s coming
He knows they will get terrified if they know what’s coming. If the men get scared and stop rowing, the boat will stop or drift into Charybdis. Instead, he shows his strong leadership skills and encourages them to row hard and get past the challenge.

18. What are two things Penelope does that show her cunning (her tricky smarts)?

19. She designs the test of the bow
She designs the test of the bow. She doesn’t think anyone will be able to bend it, so she’ll be able to get rid of all the suitors. She tests to see if it’s really Odysseus by asking the servant to move the bed. She knows only Odysseus will know the bed can’t move.

20. Why do Odysseus and his men finally leave Circe’s palace?

21. The men remind Odysseus that it has been a year, and they want to go home.

22. The fake name Odysseus uses to trick the Cyclops.

23. Nobody

24. One way Athena plays a role in this epic.

25. She tells Odysseus to disguise himself as a beggar when he returns to face the suitors.

26. The three characters who show their loyalty to Odysseus when he returns home.

27. The two servants (the cowherd and the swineherd) and his son, Telemachus.

28. The character described using the following epithets:
“Master mariner and soldier”
and
“Raider of cities”

29. Odysseus

30. The God who helps Odysseus resist Circe’s spells, and how he does it.

31. Hermes, the messenger god, comes to Odysseus and brings him a plant, moly. The moly makes it so that Circe’s drugs won’t work on him.

32. Bad quality in Odysseus that makes him yell his real name to the Cyclops.

33. Cockiness. He has too much pride to leave without letting the Cyclops know it was Odysseus who blinded him.

34. Two places where we see Odysseus’ bad temper

35. When he rages at Penelope for mistrusting him
When he threatens to cut his man’s head off for challenging him

36. Two examples of Odysseus’ great cunning

37. Telling the Cyclops is name is “Nobody”
Getting the Cyclops drunk
Escaping on the sheep
Following Athena’s advice and carefully planning his attack on the suitors
Testing his servants’ loyalty to him

38. One example of Odysseus’ great leadership skills

39. When he leads his men past Scylla, Charybdis, and the Sirens When he leads the attack on the Cyclops

40. An epic hero is a mix of what kinds of traits/qualities?

41. He has good qualities that people in the culture clearly valued, but he also has flaws that make his journey much harder.

42. Two characteristics of an epic poem

43. Takes place in a vast setting
Is very long
Takes place in a vast setting
Has a hero who is both the best qualities in the culture and flawed
Is written in a fancy style, with epithets and epic similes

44. What is one example of a dangerous temptation in the story?

45. Listening to the Sirens Opening the bag of wind

46. When does Odysseus refuse to leave men behind?

47. In the land of the Lotus eaters When they are turned to pigs by Circe

48. What is the biggest mistake Odysseus’ men make, the one that ultimately leads most directly to their deaths?

49. Eating Helios’ cattle

50. When the poem ends, Penelope and Odysseus are both feeling _________________________ because they are finally reunited.
Melancholy
Disdain
Wary
Elation

51. D) Elation