The Odyssey Book IV Study Guide
The Red-Haired King and his Lady
THE ODYSSEY translated by Robert Fitzgerald
1. How are Telemakhos and Nestor’s son received by Menelaos?
2. How does Menelaos come to know Telemakhos’s identity?
3. What does Helen reveal of her character in presenting her account of Odysseus? Whom does she blame for her kidnapping, and what does she do to lull Telemakhos to sleep?
4. How does Menelaos react to Telemakhos’s depiction of affairs on Ithaka?
5. What does Proteus tell Menelaos of Odysseus?
6. How does Homer build suspense toward the end of Book IV as to Telemakhos’s fate?
The Odyssey Book V Study Guide
Sweet Nymph and Open Sea
THE ODYSSEY translated by Robert Fitzgerald
1. Summarize the conversation among the gods at the opening of the book. Which of the gods appeals to Zeus, and how is this appeal answered?
2. What is Odysseus doing when he first appears?
3. What will Odysseus sacrifice by returning to Penelope?
4. How do Odysseus’s speeches with Kalypso reveal his cleverness?
5. What aide does Kalypso give to Odysseus in his departure from the island?
6. Describe Odysseus’s voyage. In what condition does he arrive in Skheria, and why is it appropriate? (Consider that he is stripped naked and that the swim is up river…)
The Odyssey Book VI Study Guide
The Princess at the River
THE ODYSSEY translated by Robert Fitzgerald
1. Describe Naisikaa. What assistance does she lend Odysseus?
2. How does Athena intervene to insure Odysseus will get help from Nausikaa? Cite several cases of intervention.
3. Among the Greeks, how does one beg a great favor of another? When does this happen with Odysseus, and what does this reveal of his character?
