Odyssey Flashcards
(22 cards)
Odysseus is the true villain of the Odyssey
Crooks
His attitude to Penelope and Telemachus is that of a good husband and father. Such a man does not throw his life away for glory.
Griffin
Odysseus is an anti-hero / using deceit to achieve immoral aims.
Jones (Odysseus)
When he trembles and fears - as all men do - he becomes more plausibly human
Schaefer (Odysseus’ humanity)
His courage and fighting ability make him invincible.
Schaefer (Odysseus’ strength)
His need for cunning is enforced by his own recklessness.
Bowra
Odysseus compensates for his lack of physical impressiveness by means of verbal skills.
Clayton
The Odyssey is a poem about the triumph of the mind over force.
Davenport
His self-introductions when in disguise are masterpieces of fiction.
Schaefer (Disguise)
Polyphemus’ blinding was justified in Homeric and any other morality.
Brown
The Suitors, despite divine warnings, take what they have no right to in Odysseus’ palace, something that will lead to punishment.
Jones (Suitors)
No Greek would have argued that he did not have the right to take it.
Jones (Revenge)
The Suitors are terrible guests, and clearly violate the code of xenia.
Morrison
The marriage between Odysseus and Penelope is a partnership of intellectual equals.
Fagles
The Odyssey gives prominence even to slaves and beggars. A whole society, in all its ranks, welcomes Odysseus home.
Jenkyns
Eumaeus and Eurycleia represent what the palace used to be like, and will be again when its master is restored.
Rieu
Empowered femininity in the Odyssey is conveyed not in the mortal world, but in that of the gods.
Wilson (Mortal vs Divine Women)
The silencing of female voices and the dangers of female agency are central problems in the poem.
Wilson (Role of Women)
In Homer, the gods only help those who are worthy of it
Jones (Divine Intervention)
Their relationship is unique in Homer for the closeness of relationship it depicts between god and mortal.
Jones (Athene and Odysseus)
That Zeus guarantees Athene’s interventions reveals his eventual responsibility for everything that happens on Earth.
Kelly
Supernatural powers are at work everywhere and always.
Camps
