The Odyssey – Guided Questions (used for class discussions)
Book 1 Discussion Questions:
1. What does xenia look like in Ithaca? Who extends it? Who abuses it?
2. Characterize Telemachus. How does he change over the course of Book One?
3. What is the significance of the earlier narrative drift on Orestes?
4. What archetypal role does Athena play?
5. Characterize Penelope as a wife and mother.
6. Characterize the suitors, Antinous & Eurymachus.
7. Where do we see irony? kleos? nostos?
8. How can we tell this is an oral (storytelling) culture?
Book 5 Discussion Questions:
1. What is the role of gods in Odysseus’ fate? (How is Odysseus fated to return home? Does
Book 5 suggest that his fate could be avoided or changed?)
2. How is Calypso characterized in Book Five? Look at her physical description, her words, & her
actions. (Consider: How does the description of her home enhance her initial
characterization?) How do epithets characterize her?
3. How would you rate Calypso’s xenia?
4. Putting aside epic hero traits, how is Odysseus characterized as a man? As a husband?
5. What epic hero traits does Odysseus exhibit?
6. How do the concepts of kleos and nostos apply in Book Five?
7. What epic similes did you find? What is being compared? What is the significance of the
comparison?
Book 8 Discussion Questions:
1. How important is xenia to the Phaeacians? In what various ways is it demonstrated?
2. What do the names of the champions in the athletic contest say about the Phaeacian culture?
3. What do we learn from the narrative drift in Book 8?
4. If you didn’t know that Greece was a heavily oral culture, how would you be able to tell based
on Book 8?
5. What is the significance of each of the three songs sung by the bard in Book 8?
6. What do we learn from the epic simile in Book 8?
7. What epic hero traits does Odysseus exhibit in Book 8?
