1. Odysseus does not appear until Book V. Does he seem from the beginning to be the protagonist of the poem? Would the story be more effective if he appeared earlier? Explain.2. Summarize in chronological rather than narrative order the main events of the Odyssey.What would be lost or gained if the time-scheme were more straightforward?
3. Books I and V open with the council of the gods. What is the main item on their agenda in the two books? What is the significance of the parallelism of the two councils?
4. Why is the story of the House of Atreus--Agamemnon's homecoming from the Trojan war-- so essential to our understanding of the heroic actions of Telemakhos, Penelope, and Odysseus?
5. In Book VIII, the bard Demodokos sings of the adultery of Ares and Aphrodite and of Hephaistos' vengeance. Does the story have a meaningful application in the plot of the Odyssey or is it just a comic diversion?
6. As he puts out to sea after blinding Polyphemos (Book IX), Ody shouts out his real name to the Kyklops. What importance does this self-revelation have?
7. Are there any girls, women, or supernatural females in the Odyssey who are not clever or capable? Explain.
8. Name the three most significant gods in the Odyssey.
9. What are the key thematic or moral values of the Odyssey and what do these values have to do with the development of our notions of civilization and community?
10. In Homeric culture, the aesthetics of the banquet include the ritual of wine. Comment briefly on the significance and purpose of wine in the Odyssey?
12. Scholars generally agree that Homer wrote the Odyssey after The Iliad. Explain why.
13. In Book V, before he makes it to shore in the land of the Phaiakians, the nearly drowned Ody resists the goddess's offer to help. Why does he hesitate, and what does the incident tell us about him?
14. What are the rules for treating guests in Homer?
15. Who is Aigisthos and what does he represent?
16. If you had to reduce the differences between the ancient Hebrews and the ancient Greeks to three formulas, each fewer than a dozen words, what formulas would you propose?
17. Would the Odyssey make a good movie? What things in it are cinematic? What would be lost?
18. Who is Eumaios and what are his qualities.
19. Compare and contrast Eumaios and Philoitios with Melanthois.
20.The tradition of misogyny? Who is the source of this tradition in the Odyssey? How believable is he? Why?
21. Explain Hegel's notion of the dialectic.
22.The vengeance of Odysseus includes the hanging of the unfaithful slave women. Is this justice? Explain.
23.Who is King Alkinoos and Queen Arete and why are they significant?
24. Some scholars say that Penelope, for her part, usurps Odysseus as the hero of the Odyssey. Is such a perspective justified? Why or Why Not? Give specific quotes from the text.
25. Who is Elpenor and why is he socially significant? How is he significant to the structure of the Ring Composition?
26.What is the relationship between agriculture and war?
27. Explain the difference between a Polytheistic relationship between mortals and gods and a Monotheistic relationship between mortals and God?
28. The Odyssey is not just a story, it's a story about telling stories. Why is this significant?
29. In Book XIV, Odysseus tells a false story to Eumaios about Odysseus who, at Troy, used deception to obtain a cloak for one of his comrades. Besides showing Odysseus' cleverness, how does this story function in the poem?
30. Identify three archetypal images of women in the Odyssey.
31.Compare Telemakhos with Nausikaa. In what ways are they similar and different?
32. What do we learn from Odysseus' visit to the underworld in Book XI that we would not have learned form the rest of the poem?
33. In the underworld scene, is Achilles the same person as he is in the Iliad?
34.Discuss the different recognitions of Odysseus: Telemakhos in XVI; the suitors in XXII; Eumaios and and Philoetios in XXI; Penelope in XXIII; Laertes in XXIV; Argos the dog in XVII; Eurycleia XIX.
35. Look at Telemakhos' growth to manhood. Analyze the stages of his assumption of responsibility and the recognition of the fact by others.