An Eye for Eye Makes the Whole World Blind?

In Book 22  of the Odyssey Odysseus -- with the help of Athena and Telemachus -- exacts his revenge on the suitors, killing them all, as well as his disloyal servants and maids.  Yet, after Odysseus and Penelope are reuinited the book does not end.  Odysseus and Telemachus retreat to the countryside to fight the kin of the slaughtered suitors who are themelves seeking vengeance.  Only with the intervention of Athena is a bloodbath averted.  What is the ending of the story telling us about the value of vengeance?  Is is necessary to restore order but dangerious?  Is it a foolish and counterproductive practice?  Does it make the whole world blind or is it the only way to establish a just society?

Is the Slaughter Justified?

In Book 22 Odysseus with the aid of his son and loyal servants slaughters all the suitors (despite the pleas of mercy from some of them), all the maids, and even the priest Leodes. Are these killings justified? Could he have punished them without killing them? Could he have driven them from the house. Are some of the killings justified, but others not? What about the people they spared (Phemius and Medon) -- what was Telemachus' reasoning? Was it wise or prudent to kill them all?

She Loves Me, She Loves Me Not

In Book 19, Penelope shares an intimate moment with her guest, Odysseus disguised as a beggar. From the things they discuss is there any hint that Penelope suspects the beggar is her long lost husband? Does Odysseus think she may suspect him? Why doesn't he openly reveal his identity? Does he still doubt her fidelity, her loyalty or her love?

In Medias Res: Narrative v. Chronological Order

In class we observed that the narrative order of the Odyssey, the order the event are retold in the epic, is different from the chronological order, the order the events occur in time. The epic begins in medias res, literally in the middle of things. What is ONE reason that the story begins in this way? Why doesn't the story begin with Odysseus leaving Troy?

I'll Follow You to Hell and Back: Odysseus As a Leader

Odysseus leaves Troy with nine ships full of men. By the time he is rescued by Calypso, however, all his men have perished. His men are killed by Ciconians, Polyphemus and the Laestrygonians. Yet at the same time, he rescues his men from Polyphemus' cave and Circe's enchantment. Is Odysseus a good leader who is just cursed by the gods? A good leader with a mutinous crew? Or is he a poor leader who causes his own problems because of misplaced ideals, or reckless behavior or poor leadership skills? Or perhaps somewhere in between or none of the above? Explain your answer using examples from the text to support your point.

Fame -- I Want to Live Forever

Odysseus demonstrates a passionate desire for kleos or fame through much of the Odyssey. Consider, for example, his taunting Polyphemus with his name as he escapes his island (and there are other examples) Yet, is it presented as an unequivocally good pursuit? Does the search for kleos help or hinder his journey? What about situations in which he disguises his identity? What is the importance of kleos to Odysseus and the Odyssey (the two may not be the same answer)?

It's Like, You Know, Artemis With Her Arrows . . .

One prominent feature of the Odyssey is the epic or Homeric simile.  These similes are long, ornate, detailed and complex and a careful unpacking of them can tell us a lot about the characters and themes of the epic.  Chose one epic simile, quote it in full, cite it (book and lines) and explain the significance of the comparison.

The Real Couples of the Odyssey

By the time we encounter Odysseus in Books 5 and 6, we are introduced to several couples in the story:  We meet Odysseus and Penelope, although they are apart; Odysseus and Calypso, although Odysseus is held against his will; Agamemnon and Clytemnestra, although not directly; Menelaus and Helen, and, potentially at least, Odysseus and Nausicaa. What is the significance of these couples?  Do some of these couples show the ideal of love and marriage while others show flawed and problematic relationships?  According to the story, what should you look for in a relationship and what should you avoid?  Do you agree?

Fathers and Sons

During Telemachus' journey to Pylos and Sparta in Books 3 and 4, he meets or hears about several fathers and sons. He encounters Nestor and his son Psistratos, meets Menelaus as he celebrates his son's wedding and hears about the story of Agamemnon and his son Orestes. From these relationships what can we learn about the proper relationship between father and son in Bronze Age Greece? What are a father's duties to his son -- and a son's duties to his father? What does a father teach his son?

Growing Up

At the beginning of the Odyssey, Telemachus seems young and powerless. He is completely passive in the face of the suitors abuses and they treat him like a pushover. As he embarks on a journey and the epic wears on, how and why does the character of Telemachus change?

Whose Fault Is It Anyway?

Zeus complains in Book I of the Odyssey:
Ah how shameless--the way these mortals blame the gods.
From us alone, they say, come all their miseries, yes,
but they themselves, with their own reckless ways,
compound their pains beyond their proper share (1.37-40).

What is Zeus saying? Is he right? Whose fault is it anyway that Odysseus has been wandering for ten years -- that the suitors are eating him out of house and home? From what we know of the story so far (think of the story of Agamemnon, Ajax, Menelaus and Nestor as well as Odysseus), are the gods to blame for our suffering and successes-- or are we?