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The Odyssey Summary - The World of the Hero OCR Classics
Chapter by chapter summary of the Odyssey including key events and key quotations in bold Each book is also briefly summarised before the in-depth summary.
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The OdysseyBook 1 - Athene beginning to mentor Telemachus
Book 2 - Assembly and getting ready for a voyage
Book 3 - Visiting Nestor at Pylos
Book 4 - Visiting Menelaus at Sparta
Book 5 - Odysseus on Calypso’s island
Book 6 - Odysseus arrives at Phaeacians land + interaction with Nausicaa
Book 7 - Odysseus sees the palace , Arête recognises the clothes Odysseus are
wearing , Odysseus recounts his tale with Calypso
Book 8 - Phaeacian feast , 3 bard songs, sport competition
Book 9 - Cicones , Lotus eaters , Cyclops
Book 10 - Bag of winds, Laestrygonians , Circe’s island
Book 11 - Journey to the underworld
Book 12 - Back to Circe’s island , Sirens , Scylla + Charybdis , Cattle of the Sun-god
Book 1
Invocation, Transgressions, Mentes , Advice, Orestes comparison, Penelope and
Phemius, Telemachus’ rebuke, Telemachus and Suitors
Invocation from the Muse - Odysseus as ‘resourceful’ and ‘suffered great
anguish on the high seas’, ‘their own transgressions that brought them to
their doom’
Starts with gods discussing fate of Agamemnon and Clytemnestra
‘What a lamentable thing it is that men should blame the gods and regard us as the
source of their troubles, when it is their own transgressions which bring them
suffering’
Established Poseidon is working against Odysseus’ return - Zeus praises
Odysseus as ‘wisest man alive’ and ‘most generous in his offerings’
Athena goes to help Telemachus call an assembly and send him to Pylos and
Sparta to get news about his father and win praise of men - presents herself
as Mentes
Suitors as ‘insolent’ and Telemachus is ‘the godlike youth’ who is ‘sitting
disconsolate’
Phemius is the minstrel - forced into service
Telemachus complains of the suitors and that Odysseus has come to a
dreadful end - asks Mentes many questions
Athena’s Cretan tale and then inspires hope by saying Odysseus will come
back as he is ‘endlessly resourceful’
Telemachus doubts his parentage and says Odysseus ‘is the most unfortunate
man that ever lived’, describes suitors behaviour
, Athene gives him advice - Call assembly and send Penelope to her fathers
house , set out on a voyage to learn more about Odysseus, comparison to
Orestes who killed Aegisthus, ‘future generations will sing your praises’
Athene vanishes ‘like a bird’ and ‘In Telemachus’ heart she has implanted
spirit and daring’
Penelope hears song about Achaean return from Trojan War and asks
Phemius to choose a different one ‘bursting into tears’ ‘her shining veil’ but
Telemachus interjects and says they mustn’t blame Phemius as Odysseus was
one of many not to return
‘Go back to your quarters and attend to your own work, the loom and the spindle’
‘Making decisions must be men’s concern … I am master in this house’ Penelope
goes back upstairs
Telemachus tells suitors about assembly and claims ‘I pray Zeus will bring a
day of reckoning when in this house I will destroy you’
Antinous is leader of suitors - bold - hopes that Telemachus is never king
Eurymachus is another of the suitors - sneaky - asks about the guest and
Telemachus deceives that his father will never come back
Eurycleia is Telemachus’ nurse - Laertes never slept with her
Book 2:
Assembly, Shroud, Reckoning, Eagles, Eurymachus, Deal, Eurycleia, Volunteers
An assembly is called by Telemachus
Aegyptius asks who called the assembly
Telemachus makes speech and then ‘burst into tears and flung the staff on
the ground’ eloquently addresses the assembly of the injustice he’s suffering
Antinous reveals Penelope’s trickery with the funeral shroud for Laertes -
lasted almost four years and also says that Penelope made private promises to
the suitors she had no intention of keeping therefore she must marry or else
they will stay
‘Thoughtful’ Telemachus refuses to force his mother to marry and repeats
that ‘Zeus will bring a day of reckoning’
Zeus’ eagles are sent that stay near the meeting place and ‘clawed at each
other’s cheeks and neck’ and Halitherses predicts that the suitors will suffer
as Odysseus will soon return
Halitherses (bird lore and soothsayer) is disrespected by Eurymachus who says
that he is a a better soothsayer and wishing Halitherses had met his fate
Telemachus asks for a ship - if he hears his father is returning he will wait a
year but if his father is dead , he will concede to the suitors
Mentor criticises others for sitting in silence and he is criticised by Leocritus
Telemachus prays to Athena and receives encouragement
Suitors are angry at Telemachus’ insolence and think he is trying to kill them
, Telemachus swears Eurycleia to secrecy - she ‘burst into tears’ when hearing
about the plot and worries about Telemachus
Athena gathers volunteers while disguised as Telemachus - she leaves the
way and Telemachus ‘followed in the footsteps of the goddess’
Pour libations to Athena
Book 3:
Libation, Telemachus nervous, Praise , Sailing, Story of Orestes, Vulture,
Peisistratus
Arrive at Pylos as Nestor makes a libation to Poseidon
Telemachus nervous to talk to Nestor
Peisistratus is Nestor’s son
Telemachus and Athene eat before being questioned - Telemachus explains
Nestor speaks of Odysseus’ eloquence with words, strategies , good
judgement ‘not a man who dared to match his wits against the admirable
Odysseus’
Nestor and Odysseus sailed in two different groups and Nestor doesn’t know
of what happened to Odysseus
Nestor tells Telemachus to be as brave as Orestes. Then future generations
will sing your praises.’ and says he has never seen a bond like that of Athena
and Odysseus
Nestor tells story of Agamemnon’s return and Orestes’ revenge
Telemachus sleeps in the palace , Athene returns to boat and transforms into
vulture (indicator of divine aid) , Nestor makes a sacrifice to Athena ,
Telemachus receives provisions as he goes on a chariot with Peisistratus to
Sparta
Book 4:
Cloak, Artemis, Drugged, Trapped, Lion and fawns, Guest gift, Suitors, Medon and
Iphthime, Lions
Menelaus celebrating marriage of his daughter as they arrive
Menelaus talks of Odysseus’ admirable achievements , Telemachus tears up
and holds up his cloak
Helen comes down looking like Artemis with her golden distaff - mentions that
guest must be Telemachus due to resemblance to Odysseus
Peisistratus confirms that Telemachus is son of Odysseus - speaks for him
because he’s too ‘modest’
Menelaus calls Odysseus a ‘well loved friend’
All begin to cry and grieve for lost ones
Helen drugs the wine - tells story of seeing Odysseus in disguise and knowing
his identity , Menelaus mentions endurance of Odysseus, Menelaus mentions
Helen and her trickery with the voices of the wives
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