Literary works dont come much more venerable or influential than the odyssey, a 12,000line poem written in ancient greek and composed sometime in the eighth century b. An american odyssey from the inner city to the ivy league. The poem is commonly dated to between 800 and 600 bc. Here begins the tale of the odyssey, as sung by the blind minstrel homer. Spark publishing a division of sparknotes llc 76 9th avenue, 11th floor new york, ny 10011.
About the odyssey the odyssey summary character list glossary themes quotes and analysis books 14 books 58 books 9 12 books 16 books 1720 books 2124 symbols, allegory and motifs metaphors and similes irony imagery the fractal structure of epics literary elements related links essay questions quiz 1 quiz 2 quiz 3 quiz 4 citations. The odyssey sparknotes literature guide paperback jan 10 2002 by homer author, sparknotes author 4. Home english literature classic books the odyssey book xiv navigate here introduction book i book ii book iii book iv book v book vi book vii book viii book ix book x book xi book xii book xiii book xiv book xv book xvi book xvii book xviii book xix book xx book xxi book xxii book xxiii book xxiv. As he begins his narrative, he relates that the cyclopes are a lawless people, which should. In book 9, odysseus makes a crucial mistake that causes him to incur the wrath. The key moments for this change, i would say, appear in book 9, books 5 and 6, and book. The odyssey books 7 9 summary the odyssey by homer books 7 9 summary and analysis. In book 11 of homers the odyssey, odysseus continues to share the story of his difficult journey with alkinoos and the phaiakians. Jul 18, 2017 the odyssey book summary in under five minutes. Chapter summary for homers the odyssey, book 9 summary. Homers epic poem the odyssey tells the story of odysseus, greek hero of the trojan war, and his adventures at sea during his travel home. The odyssey sparknotes literature guide volume 49 sparknotes literature guide series 9781411469761.
Eager to move on, odysseus receives an oxskin pouch from aeolus. The new odyssey brings to mind the original epic with which this book has many parallels. Read an overview of the entire poem or a line by line summary and analysis. The odyssey is one of the two major ancient greek epic poems the other being the iliad, attributed to the poet homer. Cite this study guide have study documents to share about the odyssey. The poet invokes the muse to help him tell the story of odysseus.
Learn vocabulary, terms, and more with flashcards, games, and other study tools. Odysseuss narrative makes up books 9 through 12 of the odyssey. Home english literature classic books the odyssey book xiv. In book ten odysseus is still recounting past adventures to the phaecians. The odyssey books 1012 summary the odyssey by homer books 1012 summary and analysis. Chapter summaries with notes analysis book one chapter 1 something to push against chapter 2. See a complete list of the characters in the odyssey and indepth analyses of odysseus, telemachus, penelope, athena, calypso, and circe. In book seven odysseus is welcomed by king alcinous into his palace and is asked to tell the story of how he arrived on the island of the phaecians. We learn that poseidon, god of the sea, holds a grudge though we dont know exactly why against odysseus and is making the guys voyage home a pretty difficult one. We personally assess every book s quality and offer rare.
In book 9 of homers odyssey, the title character tells about his adventures in the land of the cyclopes. Years after the end of the trojan war, the greek hero odysseus still hasnt come home to ithaka. It also describes the insolence of the young nobles in ithaca led by antinous and eurymachus who, in the absence of odysseus, live off his wealth and woo his wife, penelope. He greets the beggar warmly and notes his resemblance to odysseus. May 25, 2011 check out homers the odyssey video sparknote. To link to this the odyssey books 79 summary page, copy the. Calypso, the sweet nymph athena pleads to the gods and zeus at mount olympus to release odysseusheld captive by the immortal nymph calypso calypso is the daughter of the titan atlas and was forced to live on the island ogygia as a punishment for siding with her father and the. Home english literature classic books the odyssey book ix. Chapter summary for homers the odyssey, book 10 summary. Homer has touched on a universal theme, the lure of oblivion through drugs. After the achaeans defeated troy, he and his men sailed to a different city, which they plundered. Perfect for acing essays, tests, and quizzes, as well as for writing lesson plans.
Homers the odyssey barrons book notes by margaret a. These free notes consist of about 95 pages 28,479 words and contain the following sections. The odyssey book 111 characters and places 39 terms. Heres where youll find analysis about the book as a whole, from the major themes and. About the odyssey the odyssey summary character list glossary themes quotes and analysis books 14 books 58 books 912 books 16 books 1720 books 2124 symbols, allegory and motifs metaphors and similes irony imagery the fractal structure of epics literary elements related links essay questions quiz 1 quiz 2 quiz 3 quiz 4 citations. Find a summary of this and each chapter of the odyssey. The odyssey books 16 summary and analysis gradesaver.
After leaving the cyclops, the men travel to the islands of aeolus, the god of winds, who gives odysseus a bag containing all of the bad winds so that his journey will send him directly to ithaca. Though the hero himself is still offstage in book one, we find. Odysseus introduces himself and begins his story, starting with the moment his men leave troy. Odysseuss tale begins with the gods having a meeting, talking about the death of aegisthus, when athena says that aegisthus earned his punishment, but odysseus did not.
Summary and analysis book 10 the bewitching queen of aeaea. The laestrygonians in book 10 are the giant type cannibals that eat the crew, but the cyclops in book 9 also eats people, as well as the monster scylla in book 12. Book 1 the first book informs the reader of the imprisonment of odysseus on calypsos island, ogygia, in the tenth year after the trojan war. Quick and easy odyssey synopsis, analysis, and discussion of major characters and themes in the epic poem. Geared to what todays students need to know, sparknotes provides chapterbychapter analysis. Homer, odyssey book 9 theoi classical texts library. Through mazy thickets of the woodland shade, and cavernd ways, the shaggy coast. The poem is, in part, a sequel to the iliad, and concerns the events that befall the greek hero odysseus in his long journey back to his native land ithaca after the fall. In book eight after a nights sleep, they had the entertainers tell odysseus. The singer begins this epic song with an invocation to the muses referring to odysseus long journey home and introducing the main themes of the text. Sparknotes books list of books by author sparknotes. Quiet odyssey is the story of mary paik lees life of struggles and conquering the many daily struggles of her life. Lord alcinous, renowned above all men, verily this is a good thing, to listen to a minstrel such as this man is, like unto the gods in voice.
Granted, its likely not every contemporary readers favorite work although you probably would have felt. After leaving troy, odysseus and his men sail to ismarus, which they attack and plunder. The odyssey book 1 summary book one, athena inspires the prince, starts out with someone asking a muse to tell the story of odysseus. Students familiar with some of the legends of the odyssey but new to the epic itself might be surprised to see that the section on the lotuseaters is only about twentyfive lines long 9. He proceeds to tell the phaeacians stories of his long and arduous journey since the fall of troy. Granted, its likely not every contemporary readers favorite work although you probably would have felt differently 2,000 years. Having escaped the cyclops, odysseus and his men arrive at the home of aeolus, master of the winds, where they are greeted warmly and hosted for a month. What is an epic simile from book 9 of the odyssey answers. Created by harvard students for students everywhere, sparknotes is a new breed of study guide. Then he tells of the arrival at the land of the wild and lawless cyclopes, giants with a single eye who dwell alone and have no. We quickly see that he is ashamed and outraged at the suitors behavior in his lords house.
As he begins his narrative, he relates that the cyclopes are. The odyssey books 912 summary and analysis gradesaver. Now that alcinous and the phaeacians know odysseuss identity, they ask him to relate where hes been since the war ended. Calypso, the sweet nymph athena pleads to the gods and zeus at mount olympus to release odysseusheld captive by the immortal nymph calypso calypso is the daughter of the titan atlas and was forced to live on the island ogygia as a punishment. In it are captured all the winds that might drive the ships off. Book one the poem begins with an invocation, or prayer, to the muse. Odysseus becomes the first mortal to live to tell the tale, because he has his men tie him to the mast while they plug their ears and sail on by. We personally assess every books quality and offer rare, outofprint treasures. The odyssey spark notes literature guide by sparknotes. Learn exactly what happened in this chapter, scene, or section of the odyssey and what it means. These are the dangerous ladies who lure men to their deaths with their voices.
641 557 1307 170 846 262 1401 95 123 100 1370 1446 493 471 127 1235 450 182 564 939 409 1034 740 112 617 1321 935 1630 1369 1258 1202 1072 408 505 1247 98 854 1315 1252 99 150