character chart Flashcards
(21 cards)
odysseus
The hero of the epic is both smart and brave. He uses these traits to return to Ithaca, defeat the men trying to take his place, and become king once more.
Penelope
Wife of Odysseus and mother of their son, Telemachus, She’s clever and loyal in keeping the suitors away.
Laertes
Odysseus’ father, the old king lives humbly and in solitude on a small farm where he mourns the absence of his son; once reunited with Odysseus, he is restored
to dignity.
Anticleia
Odysseus’ mother, she dies grieving her son’s long absence and sees him
only during his visit to the Land of the Dead.
Eurycleia
Faithful old nurse to Odysseus (as well as Telemachus), she identifies her master when she recognizes an old scar on his leg.
Eumaeus and Philoetius
Odysseus’ loyal swineherd (takes care of pigs) and cowherd (takes care of cows), they assist him in his return to Ithaca and stand with the king and prince against the suitors.
Argos
Trained by Odysseus some twenty years before, the discarded old dog, dying on a dung heap, recognizes his master as Odysseus, and Eumaeus approaches the palace.
Antinous and Eurymachus
The two leading suitors, they differ in that Antinous is more physically aggressive while Eurymachus is a smooth talker.
Eupithes
Father of Antinous, he leads the suitors’ families and friends who seek
revenge for the slaughter and is killed by Laertes.
Melanthius and Melantho
The goatherd (goat-keeper) and a rude maidservant were disloyal to Odysseus. They represent bad servants, and both were gruesomely killed for it.
Agamemnon
King of Mycenae and commander of the Greek expedition to Troy, he was
assassinated by his wife and her lover upon his return home. Homer frequently refers to him, comparing Penelope favorably to Agamemnon’s wife, Clytemnestra. Odysseus sees him in the Land of the Dead.
Tiresias
The blind seer of Thebes, he meets Odysseus in the Land of the Dead, warns him of impending dangers, offers advice, and foretells a later quest and a long life.
Alcinous
King of the Phaeacians, he encourages Odysseus to tell the story of his wanderings and helps the hero return to Ithaca.
Nausicaa
Daughter of Alcinous and Queen Arete, she finds Odysseus when he washes ashore on Phaeacia and expresses an attraction toward him.
Zeus
He’s the King of the gods, and while you can’t always predict him, he typically supports people who are traveling, shows kindness to guests, and agrees with his daughter Athena about Odysseus.
Athena
Sometimes called “Pallas Athena” or “Pallas,” she frequently intervenes on
Odysseus’ or Telemachus’ behalf, often in disguise and sometimes as Mentor, the prince’s adviser.
Polyphemus
Also known as “the Cyclops,” the one-eyed cannibal giant who traps
Odysseus and a scouting party in his cave and is blinded when they escape.
Poseidon
God of the sea and father of Polyphemus, he seeks revenge on Odysseus for blinding his son.
Calypso
A goddess-nymph, she holds Odysseus captive for seven years, sleeping with him, hoping to marry him, and releasing him only at Zeus’ order.
Circe
A goddess-enchantress who turns some of Odysseus’ crew into swine, she reverses the spell and becomes Odysseus’ lover for a year, advising him well when he departs.
Aeolus
Master of the winds, he helps Odysseus get within viewing distance of Ithaca but later abandons the voyager, concluding that anyone so unlucky must be cursed.
