The Odyssey Group at eNotes

They were greedy for money and started looting the fallen city for gold...

Thu, 2 Jul 2009 08:01:01 PST

They were greedy for money and started looting the fallen city for gold but a lot of people were killed when a neighboring army came and invaded the city.

sunnygirl, Modern scholarship suggests that the Odyssey was written...

Fri, 26 Jun 2009 17:56:59 PST

sunnygirl, Modern scholarship suggests that the Odyssey was written about a generation after the Iliad but by a different poet who knew the Iliad very well and patterned this poem on the earlier one. It features a hero who more than anything else wants to make a name for himself and achieve enduring fame. This is the primary motivation for the warriors at Troy.Sometimes it involves sacrificing the good of one’s community or family....

"There was a bard with her, to whom Agamemnon had given strict orders...

Wed, 24 Jun 2009 08:15:10 PST

"There was a bard with her, to whom Agamemnon had given strict orders on setting out for Troy, that he was to keep guard over his wife;" Agamemnon gave orders to a serving person, probably a storyteller or singer. The word "bard" means poet or songster. So, this person was given charge over Clytemnestra until Agamemnon's return. However, "Aegisthus carried this bard off to a desert island and left him there for crows and seagulls to batten...

Who did Agamemnon leave to look after Clytemnestra?

Wed, 24 Jun 2009 07:40:19 PST

Who did Agamemnon leave to look after Clytemnestra?

I have never thought of Odysseus as a hero in the modern sense. He is...

Tue, 23 Jun 2009 20:19:57 PST

I have never thought of Odysseus as a hero in the modern sense. He is nothing like what modern (late 20th and early 21st century which is, it can be argued, postmodern) sensibilities require in a hero. For every instance of his wiliness or feats of strength there are several of venality, vice, cruelty, or selfishness. The episode of the Cyclops (Book IX) is one example. The only reason why Odysseus stays to see the Cyclops is that he...

Why is Odysseus a great hero or not? What do you think?

Tue, 23 Jun 2009 06:38:35 PST

Use examples form Odyssey to support your answer.

What are three reasons why Odysseus' arrogance is a character flaw for...

Tue, 9 Jun 2009 16:22:40 PST

What are three reasons why Odysseus' arrogance is a character flaw for him and provide three specific episodes from the book.

Odysseus did not go because he had a great desire to see this new...

Sun, 7 Jun 2009 10:29:33 PST

Odysseus did not go because he had a great desire to see this new creature. It was curiosity what lead him and his man into the troubles with the Cyclops

Odysseus had a deep desire to see the Cyclops, which overrode his common...

Wed, 3 Jun 2009 22:37:03 PST

Odysseus had a deep desire to see the Cyclops, which overrode his common sense. When they saw all this, my men begged me to let them first steal some cheeses, and make off with them to the ship; they would then return, drive down the lambs and kids, put them on board and sail away with them. It would have been indeed better if we had done so but I would not listen to them, for I wanted to see the owner himself, in the hope that he might give...

In the book The Odyssey, why did Odysseus refuse to take Cyclops things...

Wed, 3 Jun 2009 11:30:00 PST

In the book The Odyssey, why did Odysseus refuse to take Cyclops things and leave? Why couldn't Odysseus and his men get out of the cave?

Calypso was the daughter of one of the Titans, and she was in love with...

Tue, 2 Jun 2009 07:38:36 PST

Calypso was the daughter of one of the Titans, and she was in love with Odysseus. He stayed with her for 7 years weeping and crying for his home. He still loved his own wife Penelope. After a time Zeus sent Hermes with a message to let Odysseus go. So Calypso did let him go and gave him wood to build a raft on which to sail home to his wife Penelope. Even though Calypso loved Odysseus, she sent him of in a good way not on a vengeful way. ...

Why did Calypso tell Odysseus he could go free?

Tue, 2 Jun 2009 06:09:52 PST

Why did Calypso tell Odysseus he could go free?

Circe is important because she is the one who tells Odysseus where he...

Tue, 2 Jun 2009 04:25:33 PST

Circe is important because she is the one who tells Odysseus where he must go in order to reach home. Without her help, he would not know how to get home. She is also important because she is a witch/goddess and Odysseus is able to "defeat" her powers (with the help of the god Hermes). It shows how blessed he is with the gods' help and it shows the strength of his overall character. He is the hero of the epic, and this book proves his...

Why is Circe an important character in The Odyssey? Why does Odysseus...

Mon, 1 Jun 2009 14:26:00 PST

Why is Circe an important character in The Odyssey? Why does Odysseus have only one ship at this point in the journey?

Isn't Calypso a nymph? I think that the nymphs serve the purpose of a...

Sun, 31 May 2009 18:07:11 PST

Isn't Calypso a nymph? I think that the nymphs serve the purpose of a foil to Odysseus and brings out the qualities of what it is to be human and to long for something, in this case home. To stay with Calypso for so long, shows his more human side and qualities that a person can do something like that with a wife at home if he has no alternative but to persuade someone to let him go.

what do the nymphs do in the odyssey?

Sat, 30 May 2009 10:33:20 PST

what do the nymphs do in the odyssey and when do they come in? how do they help odysess with his adventure

According to Nestor, in Book 3 of the Odyssey, Athena stirs up the...

Mon, 25 May 2009 13:36:27 PST

According to Nestor, in Book 3 of the Odyssey, Athena stirs up the quarrel between the two brothers, Menelaus and Agamemnon. “Athena set them feuding, Atreus’ two sons” (Book 3:153) Her anger at the Greeks stems from an incident before the fall of Troy. A Greek warrior tries to rape Cassandra, King Priam’s daughter, who is hiding in a temple of Athena’s. When the Greeks do not punish this misdeed, Athena dooms them to a long,...

Poseidon is mad at Odysseus because he blinded his son.

Sun, 24 May 2009 15:51:36 PST

Poseidon is mad at Odysseus because he blinded his son.

What are Menelaus and Agamemnon fighting about after the war in Book 3?

Sun, 24 May 2009 15:46:12 PST

What are Menelaus and Agamemnon fighting about after the war in Book 3?

what motivtes, drives, or inspires athena?

Sat, 23 May 2009 13:34:28 PST

what motivtes, drives, or inspires athena?