The Odyssey Power Point

By Alexandra Vrasidas, Stephanie Hernandez, Stanley Switalski, and Tylah

The Beginning of Book 12

• Slightly frightened by the Underworld, Odysseus and his men travel to the Island of Aeaea and return to Circe’s home. Here they make a fire to give dead Elpenor a proper burial, as he wished it from when Odysseus saw Elpenor in the underworld. • Circe learns about Odysseus’ return and tells the crew that tomorrow she will guide them in the right direction. While the crew is asleep, Circe talks to Odysseus and tells him the future of his voyage, and how to get around the obstacles that lie ahead.

Circe’s Talks about Odysseus’ Journey • “First you will meet the Sirens, who cast a spell on every man who goes their way. Whoso draws near unwarned and hears the Sires’ voices, by him no wife nor little child shall ever stand, glad at his coming home…If you yourself will listen … that so with pleasure you may hear the Sirens’ song. But if you should entreat your men and bid them set you free, let them with still more fetters bind you fast.” • After the crew pass the Sirens, there are two ways that Circe tells of for Odysseus to get one step closer to home. It is by traveling through a strait. However, the strait is very treacherous. Though it may be one strait, there is a higher and lower part. – The higher part of the strait has a cave, with a six headed monster in it, called Scylla. No ship has been able to pass without losing any men. – The lower part of the strait involves chance and skill. Here “Divine Charybdis” creates a monstrous whirlpool. If Odysseus falls and is sucked down, he and his crew is gone.

Circe Talks about Odysseus’ Journey (continued) • Circe suggests that he head to Scylla, “For surely it is better to miss six comrades from your ship than all together.” • Next, Odysseus will reach the island of Thrinacia, “where in great numbers feed the kine and the sturdy flocks of the Sun.” Now if Odysseus were to leave these people, and their bounty, alone, “he still may come to Ithaca, thought he shall meet with hardship. • But if he or his crew do harm them, then Circe tells the loss of ship and crew; and even if yourself escape, late shall you come in evil plight, with loss of all crew. • Deciding it would be in the crew’s best interest, he retells them what Circe tells him while they are at sea.

The Journey Home Continues

 Having guide from Circe, Odysseus reaches the island of the Sirens. Here, his loyal crew bound him to the mast and put beeswax in their ears. After passing the island, the crew meet the strait.  Odysseus and his crew sail to the higher part of the strait where Scylla lives. Here 6 of Odysseus’ best men are eaten, just like Circe said. Odysseus admits that was the sadist sight he has yet seen, but moves onward.  Now they have reached the island of the Sun, Thrinacia. Of hearing the sounds of cattle and sheep, Odysseus’ crew begin to question Circe. Why shouldn’t they have a feast? There is plenty of livestock to share. However, Odysseus is able to control them and make them take an oath that they will not slay any cattle or sheep.  All the men had held this oath until they ran out of food. Here, while Odysseus was away and asleep, Eurylochus, a crew member, takes charge and “began his evil counsel to his crew.” Saying that they will make an offering when they return to Ithaca to the “Sun”, they kill the livestock and have a feast, for they figure dying right away after a feast is better than slowly withering away.

Trouble Hits at Sea  For six days Odysseus’ crew feasted and rested. But on the seventh day, the wind had stopped blowing. So they decided to take advantage of this and head out to sea. They had easily made it, but after traveling quite a distance, they had realized no land was to be spotted.  At this time, “a shrill west wind arose, blowing a heavy gale. The storm of wind snapped both the forestays of the mast… Zeus at the same time thundered, hurling his bolt against the ship… Out of the ship my comrades fell… God cut them off from coming home.”  Odysseus was able to save himself by scraping together two pieces of his ship and drifting “before the deadly winds.” However, the rest of his crew was not able to make it.

How Odysseus Ends up on Calypso’s Island  After drifting, the winds changed course and Odysseus was now headed back to the strait and Circe. Unfortunately Odysseus nearly gets sucked in by Charybdis’ whirlpool and loses his “raft” in it.  Clinging onto the nearby fig-treee, waiting for an hour, his “raft” finally is spat back out. Here Odysseus drops to his “raft” and floats for nine more days.  On the tenth day, Odysseus has drifted to the Island of Ogygia, where Calypso rescues Odysseus and takes care of Odysseus.  After reaching this far in his tale, he stops his story. After the Phaeacians ask him to continue, he tells the Phaeacians, why should I continue. “It was but yesterday I told it in the hall to you and your good wife; and it is irksome to tell a plain-told tale a second time.”

Depiction of When Odysseus Passes the Island of the Sirens

When Odysseus and his Crew Meet Scylla

Answers to the Quiz ✧ Question 1 ✧ Odysseus and his men travel to the Island of

Aeaea and return to Circe’s home.

✧ Question 2 ✧ Circe tells Odysseus what will happen on his

Journey home.

✧ Question 3 ✧ When Odysseus saw Elpenor in the underworld,

Elpenor asked Odysseus to give him a proper burial.

✧ Question 4 ✧ True, Circe had told Odysseus.

Answers to the Quiz  Question 5 The correct answer is B) 2.

 Question 6 For example, first Odysseus will sail by the island of the Sirens. Next they will face Scylla, a three headed monster that eats six members of the crew,

 Question 7 Circe suggested that he faced Scylla “For surely it is better to miss six comrades from your ship than all together.”

 Question 8 The correct answer is false. Odysseus did tell his crew about what Circe had said for he thought that it was in their best interest. However, he did not tell them that 6 members would be lost.

Answers to the Quiz ✦ Question 9 ✦ They had bees wax to prevent themselves from hearing the song of the Sirens. ✦ Question 10 ✦ The correct answer is B) Monsters.

✦ Question 11 ✦ The correct answer is C) Oath. ✦ Question 12 ✦ He would have felt much better for he would have

been able to prevent his crew and maybe saved themselves.

✦ Question 13 ✦ Zeus punishes them by destroying their ship in the middle of the sea with his thunder bolt. He

Answers to the Quiz • Question 14  The correct answer is C) He used parts from his ship  to float. • Question 15  The correct answer is false.  His makeshift raft got  sucked in, not himself. • Question 16  No, Odysseus did not continue his story.  He didn’t  want to “For It was but yesterday I told it in the hall  to you and your good wife; and it is irksome to tell a  plain­told tale a second time.”