The odyssey books 1720 summary and analysis gradesaver. At the manor, penelope tearfully embraces her son and asks what news he learned. First, all go and wash, and put your tunics upon you, and tell the women in the palace to choose out their clothing. Athena cloaks odysseus and telemachus in darkness so that no one will see them as they walk through the town. Even when eurycleia tells her that all the suitors are dead, penelope thinks some strange hero has come to deliver her, not her husband. It is an epic poem, effectively a sequel to the iliad, written in ancient greek but assumed to be derived from earlier oral sources, telling the story of odysseus wanderings and. What was penelopes test of odysseus in book 23 of the odyssey. The first excerpts that you will read depict some of the wanderings of odysseus after his departure from troy with a fleet of 12 ships carrying about 720 men. Homers epic poem the odyssey tells the story of odysseus, greek hero of the trojan war, and his adventures a. Even odysseus could not hold vengeful kinfolk at bay. Eurycleia wakes up penelope to tell her odysseus has returned and killed the suitors.
In book 22, odysseus kills penelopes suitors and in book 23 eurycleia, penelopes maidservant, awakens penelope, who has been sound asleep. Find a summary of this and each chapter of the odyssey. The internet classics archive the odyssey by homer. Odysseus, the hero of ithaca this translation to english by samuel butler 18351902 was first published in 1900. Penelope was talking to odysseus and told her maid to move odysseus bed so this beggar odysseus could stay the night. She tells a servant to make up his bed in the hall. Penelope tells her not to play tricks on her and eurykleia is surprised that penelope would joke about such a thing. To assure herself of odysseus identity, penelope tests him. Material for teaching a class on books 21 23 from the odyssey.
Telemachus instead tells her to make a sacrifice to the gods to help them with their revenge. Odysseus goes to talk to his father who doesnt initially recognize him until odysseus shows him the scar and points out all the trees in the garden that laertes gave to odysseus. Penelope brings out odysseus s bow, and telemachus tries and fails to string it three times. Eurycleia the nurse happily runs to penelopes room and wakes her up. She tells penelope that her husband, odysseus, is back and has killed all the suitors. Odysseus also plays a key role in homers iliad and other works in that same. Rendered into english prose for the use of those who cannot read the original partly a sequel to iliad, odyssey is the epic mythological journey of odysseus his roman name is ulysses. The odyssey book 23 notes the nurse went upstairs to tell penelope that odysseus had finally returned home. Odysseus son telemachus is about 20 years old and is sharing his absent fathers house on the island of ithaca with his mother penelope and a crowd of 108 boisterous young men, the suitors, whose aim is to persuade. The odyssey begins after the end of the tenyear trojan war the subject of the iliad, and odysseus has still not returned home from the war because he angered the god poseidon. What was penelopes test of odysseus in book 23 of the. Study 68 terms odyssey books 2324 flashcards quizlet. Summary and analysis book 22 slaughter in the hall summary tearing off his beggar rags, odysseus boldly catapults himself onto the halls threshold, utters a brief prayer to apollo, and fires an arrow straight through a new target. Summary and analysis book 23 the great rooted bed summary now that the battle has ended and the house has been cleaned, good nurse eurycleia scurries up to penelopes quarters to tell her all that has happened.
Hermes leads the suitors who squeal like bats into hades, where they encounter the ghosts of achilles and agamemnon. The nurse mentions the telltale boar tusk scar on odysseuss knee, but penelope refuses to believe the story. Homer, odyssey book 23 theoi classical texts library. If the iliad is the worlds greatest war epic, the odyssey is literatures grandest evocation of an everymans journey through life. Ulysses, ulixes, is a legendary greek king of ithaca and the hero of homers epic poem the odyssey. The odyssey, the second of the epic texts attributed to homer, and also a major founding work of european literature, is usually dated to around the 8th century bc. Penelope does not believe that it is really her husband who has returned. This mini odyssey, coupled with odysseus need to escape the town and see his father, keeps the audience engaged for the final episode. Book 23 eurycleia informs penelope of odysseus return and tells of his deeds, but penelope remains suspicious lest the stranger be some other or a god but not her husband.
Telemachus excuses himself from eumaeus to see his mother, and instructs him to lead odysseus to town so he can beg. In book 23 of the odyssey, how do the nurse and telemachus try to convince penelope that the. This was her way of putting her husband to the test. Book 23 of the odyssey begins after odysseus has cleaned the palace of the foulness of battle and fumigated it. Quite a few comments have been posted about the odyssey. The nurse goes upstairs excited by the news and she wakes penelope telling her that her husband has returned. Learn vocabulary, terms, and more with flashcards, games, and other study tools. How does athena change odysseus s appearance in book 23. Chapter summary for homers the odyssey, book 23 summary. The odyssey by homer book 23 summary and analysis youtube. Book 1, lines 160168 in this scene, telemachus welcomes the strangerathena disguised as mentorto share the households lavish banquet, one of many feasts in the odyssey. When the nurse told penelope that her husband had finally returned home, penelope didnt believe her.
Book 23 eurycleia goes upstairs to call penelope, who has slept through the entire fight. Book twentyfour begins with the dead suitors going to hades and telling the other dead souls how so many of them died at once. Homers epic poem the odyssey tells the story of odysseus, greek hero of the trojan war. Why is book 23 of the odyssey called penelopes book and what is eurycleias role in. Odysseus is here, and has come home, late though his coming has been, and has slain the proud wooers who vexed his house, and devoured his substance. Interpreting information verify that you can read and correctly interpret information in book 23 about what odysseus has to do to prove.
Odysseus shoots antinous through the throat just as the suitor is about to take a sip of wine. Odysseus removes his rags, prays to apollo, and then shoots an arrow through antinouss throat. The heroic story of odysseus the odyssey deals with odysseus adventures as he makes his way home from troy and with events that take place on ithaca just before and after his return. Course heros video study guide provides indepth summary and analysis of book 23 of homers epic poem the odyssey. Odysseus bids phemius play wedding music so that the suitors kin will not suspect the slaughter but will think, rather, that penelope has chosen a husband. The odyssey books 2124 summary and analysis gradesaver. Odysseus tells everyone to dress in their finest and dance, so that passersby wont suspect whats happened. The fact that odysseus must leave his nowpeaceful home yet again demonstrates the.
When penelope awoke and heard the news, she could not believe the old woman and accused her of playing tricks on her. Her knees moved nimbly, but her feet trotted along beneath her. He meets up with the fugitive theoklymenos in town and brings him home, where they. Homer, odyssey book 22 theoi classical texts library. Odysseus is said to have a younger sister, ctimene, who went to same to be married and is mentioned by the swineherd eumaeus, whom she grew up alongside, in book 15 of the odyssey. Eurycleia tells penelope that odysseus has finally come home and killed the suitors. Penelopes test of odysseus in book 23 of the odyssey. Then i found odysseus standing among the bodies of the slain, and they, stretched all around him on the hard floor. Such generosity represents the positive side of the ancient greek custom of xenia, or hospitality, which required respectful behavior between host and guest. Penelope doesnt believe her, thinking shes gone mad. But odysseus far away has lost his return to the land of achaea, and is lost himself.
Penelope still wont accept that its truly her husband returned unless he gives her some secret sign. Penelope still wont accept that its truly her husband without some secret sign. The nurse mentions the telltale boar tusk scar on odysseuss. Murray 1 but odysseus of many wiles stripped off his rags and sprang to the great threshold with the bow and the quiver full of arrows, and poured forth the swift arrows right there before his feet, and spoke among the wooers. Odysseus friendsphemios, medon, and halithersestell the council that the gods are on odysseus side and warn the townspeople not to spill blood over this. Penelope resists odysseus because she fears that the gods want to trick her into disloyalty. Homer, odyssey, book 23, line 181 tufts university. Then let the inspired singer take his clearsounding lyre, and give us the lead for festive dance, so that anyone who is outside, some one. So i will tell you the way of it, how it seems best to me. Awake, penelope, dear child, that with thine own eyes thou mayest see what thou desirest all thy days. The odyssey book 9 the cyclops lyrics in this passage, odysseus and his men have just escaped the land of the lotuseaters, where they given fruit causing the crew to forget about going home. Penelope doesnt believe anything that eurycleia says, and she remains in disbelief even when she comes downstairs and sees her husband with her own eyes. Her son telemachus also assures her that it is truly his father, but odysseus doesnt mind her doubt.
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