10 questions on plot, characters, and themes. Free to take, so you can see exactly what to review before class.
1. What is Telemachus doing at the beginning of the poem, and why does Athena intervene?
2. Why does Odysseus blind the Cyclops Polyphemus, and what is the consequence?
3. What does Penelope do when the suitors pressure her to remarry?
4. How does Odysseus prove his identity to Penelope after the suitors are killed?
5. What happens to Odysseus's crew when they land on the island of Helios, the sun god?
6. What is the main reason Odysseus refuses Calypso's offer of immortality?
7. How does the theme of cunning over brute force appear in Odysseus's escape from the Cyclops?
8. What role does loyalty play in determining who survives and who dies in the poem?
9. Why does Odysseus spend most of the poem in disguise, and what does this reveal about the theme of identity?
10. How do the gods and human choices work together in the poem's view of fate and responsibility?
0 of 10 answered
How this guide is built
This guide is built from the original text to help you get oriented fast. It is designed for recall, paper planning, and getting unstuck, but it is still a paraphrased guide, not a substitute for the reading itself. Double-check anything important before you turn in formal work.
