Specified Books in Homer's Odyssey

Brief questions on the major instances occuring in each of the set Books. Intended as a brief overview to highlight Books that are a bit gappy.

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  • Created by: Min
  • Created on: 04-06-14 21:30

1. What happens in Book 8?

  • Odysseus' men turned up at Phaeacia from Hades Hall to get their revenge on Odysseus for not stopping them eating the cattle of the Sun God Hyperion
  • Leodamas challenged Odysseus to a duel which Odysseus lost - this severely damaged his kleos and his chances of returning with lots of treasure
  • The Phaeacian Games and Odysseus is asked to reveal his identity so that they will know which country that they can return his too
  • Athene disguised Odysseus as a fish so that he was able to escape the 'dread' Scylla - unfortunately this failed and Odysseus was devoured
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Other questions in this quiz

2. What happened in Book 23?

  • Athene disguised as Mentor appears and gives Penelope and Odysseus her blessing
  • Odysseus and Penelope moarn the death of their son and build an enormous burrial mound for him
  • Penelope tests Odysseus on the marriage bed and finds that Odysseus has really returned. They sleep together and the tale of Odysseus' return to an extent finishes here
  • The family of the dead Suitors find out what had happened in the palace and rushed up and a second battle occurs, but Athene and Zeus tell them to make peace

3. What happened in Book 14?

  • Odysseus goes to Eumaeus' hut disguised as a beggar. He is recieved well by Eumaeus and Odysseus test Eumaeus' loyalty towards Odysseus
  • Eumaeus notices the scar on Odysseus' leg and realises that his master has returned
  • Odysseus goes to Eumaeus' hut and tests him. Athene then calls him outside and prompts him to reveal his true identity
  • Telemachus arrives at Eumaeus' hut not long after Odyseeus himself. Whilst Eumaeus tells Penelope of Telemachus' return Odyseus reveals himself to his 'noble son'

4. What happened in Book 12?

  • Odysseus returns to Circe after visiting the relm of the dead and remains there for another year at the insistance of his men
  • Odysseus returns to Aeaea and gets further instructions from Circe. He then faces the Sirens, Scylla and Charybdis, and gies to Thrinacia and his men eat the cattle of the sun. His men are drowned as punishment and Odysseus floats to Ogygia
  • Odysseus meets the Sirens and Scylla but he and his men fail to navigate Charybdis. Odysseus only manages to survive because he grabs a hold of the fig tree on the rock and waits for some reckage to be 'spewed' back up to float upon
  • It was Odysseus' 40th birthday and Calypso give Odysseus the gift of immortality to mark it

5. What happened in Book 21?

  • Eurycleia reveals Odysseus identity to Penelope, who rushes down to Odysseus as soon as she finds out and gives the game away
  • Penelope sets up the contest of the bow and axes to finally choose her Suitor. All of them and Telemachus fail to string the bow. Odysseus tries and succeeds to the horror of the Suitors to string the bow
  • Antinous and Eurymachus both succeed in string in the bow to their delight as it proved that they were worthy of taking over as king from Odysseus
  • Odysseus falis to string the great bow to his distress because of suffering hardships for the last 20 years

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