What happened in Book 11 of the Odyssey?
What happened in Book 11 of the Odyssey?
Summary: Book 11 Odysseus travels to the River of Ocean in the land of the Cimmerians. There he pours libations and performs sacrifices as Circe earlier instructs him to do to attract the souls of the dead. He begs Odysseus to return to Circe’s island and give his body a proper burial.
Why is book 11 in the Odyssey important?
The overall significance of Book 11 to the epic is that it shows how things change over time (Anticleia’s death, the suitors at his home), which can be missed if someone is not around. It also shows us that the Ancient Greeks believe in destiny and intervention from the gods.
What is the theme of Book 11 of the Odyssey?
Everyone must drink the blood before they can speak to him. Blood serves as a connection from the living to the dead. This relates to the theme of suffering and sacrifice ñ blood must be spilled for the gods so that the laws of nature are broken, the living can speak to the dead.
Who did Odysseus meet in Book 11?
Odysseus travels to the Land of the Dead to speak with the prophet Tiresias. When he gets there, he makes a blood sacrifice so that the spirits of the dead will emerge from the depths of Hades. One of the first spirits he speaks to is Elpenor, who begs him not to leave him unburied and unmourned.
What characters are in Book 11 of the Odyssey?
Terms in this set (5)
- Anticleia. daughter of Autolycus, wife of Laertes, mother of Odysseus.
- Helios. the sun.
- Ghost of Agamemnon.
- Ghost of Achilles.
- Neoptolemus.
What is Tiresias advice to Odysseus after having his revenge?
Tiresias says that the cattle should be avoided at whatever cost, and that if they are not, the men will all meet their doom. He also tells Odysseus that when he returns home he will find suitors eating his food and courting his wife. He is told that he must send these men away or kill them.
What must Odysseus and the dead do to communicate in Book 11?
Following instructions, he must speak with Tiresias, the blind seer from Thebes, before he can allow his mother or any others to approach. Drinking the blood temporarily revitalizes the dead; briefly they can communicate with Odysseus and speak only truth. If they do, Odysseus’ men will die.
What was Poseidon’s role in the Odyssey?
Poseidon. As the suitors are Odysseus’s mortal antagonists, Poseidon is his divine antagonist. He despises Odysseus for blinding his son, the Cyclops Polyphemus, and constantly hampers his journey home. Ironically, Poseidon is the patron of the seafaring Phaeacians, who ultimately help to return Odysseus to Ithaca.
What does Tiresias say to Odysseus in Book 11?
Tiresias tells Odysseus that while he wants “a sweet smooth journey home” (Book 11, line 111, Fagels translation), “a god will make it hard for you” (113). This god is Poseidon, who is angry because Odysseus has blinded his son, the Cyclops.
What happens in Book 11 of the Odyssey?
The Odyssey Book 11 Summary & Analysis. In Tiresias’s prophecy, we see a certain logic in divine justice: the men have harmed something dear to the gods, so to save themselves they must refrain from harming something else dear to the gods (the Cattle), no matter the cost. And yet now the Odysseus and his men’s fate has been told clearly,…
Which is the best description of the Odyssey?
Analysis: Books 1–2. The Odyssey is an epic journey, but the word journey must be broadly understood. The epic focuses, of course, on Odysseus’s nostos (“return home” or “homeward voyage”), a journey whose details a Greek audience would already know because of their rich oral mythic tradition.
How old was Homer when he wrote the Odyssey?
Homer (c. 8th cen – c. 8th cen) and Samuel Butler (1835 – 1902) The Odyssey is one of the two major ancient Greek epic poems (the other being the Iliad), attributed to the poet Homer. The poem is commonly dated to between 800 and 600 BC.
What did Odysseus say to Achilles in the Odyssey?
Next Odysseus talked to Achilles, who said that he would rather be a slave on earth than a king in the land of the dead. Odysseus told him that his son , acted very bravely and killed many men, which pleased Achilles. Then the shades swarmed violently around him, wanting to talk to him. He ran back in fear to his ship, and they set sail.
