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The Odyssey Background
Characters & Setting

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SETTING
    
     The setting of the story takes place at Mount Olympus, the home of the gods. And in Ithaka, Odysseus' island kingdom, at Pylos with Nestor, and Sparta with Menelaos, on Kalypso's island, Ogygia; and on Skheria island, where Alkinoos reigns. During the flashback on Skheria when Odysseus relates the story of his wanderings, a number of other settings are described as Odysseus moves from Troy, through the Mediterranean, to Ogygia.

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NAMES 

-Aegyptius - One of the chieftains of Ithaca who speaks at the Assembly in Book II.

-Aeolus - A mortal whom Zeus has appointed keeper of the winds.

-Agamemnon - The king of Mycenae and leader of the Achaean expedition to Troy.

-Alcinous - The king of the Phaeacians, husband of Arete and father of Nausicaa, he is a generous, kind, and good-humored ruler and father.

-Antinous - The leader of the suitors and the first slain by Odysseus. He is a cruel, greedy, and hypocritical villain, always attempting to justify his evil behavior by distorting the motives or acts of others.

-Anticleia - The mother of Odysseus. She encounters him in Hades while he is there.

-Arete - The queen of the Phaeacians, wife of Alcinous and mother of Nausicaan.

-Argus - The old hunting dog of Odysseus who recognizes his master and dies.

-Athene - Daughter of Zeus, goddess of wisdom and patroness of the arts and crafts, also known as Pallas. Odysseus is her favorite and protege.

-Calypso - The sea nymph, who keeps Odysseus captive for nine years and who, in hope of making him her husband, offers him immortality.

-Circe - The enchantress who transforms the crew of Odysseus into swine and who, when she finds that she cannot conquer Odysseus, takes him as a lover and helps him with advice and supplies on his voyage home.

-Demodocus - A blind bard entertains at the banquets in the palace of Alcinous.

-Elepnor - A young seaman in the crew of Odysseus who dies in an accident on Circe island and whose spirit reproaches Odysseus in Hades.

-Eumaeus - The chief swineherd of Odysseus, who remains faithful to his master during his long absence and who plays an active part in assisting Odysseus to regain his kingdom.

-Eupeithes - The father of Antinous. He manifests the same rashness and disloyalty that is exhibited by his son when he leads a band of Ithacans to attack Odysseus but is quick to recognize his error and apologize.

-Eurycleia - The faithful and devoted old nurse of Odysseus, recognizes him by the scar on his leg.

-Eurylochus - One of Odysseus' officers; he is an unimaginative and sober person, who wisely avoids entering Circe's palace in Book X, but who also abets the sailors when they slaughter the cattle of Helios.

-Eurymachus - The second most important suitor; he is as evil as Antinous, but far more soft and cowardly.

-Helen - The wife of Menelaus, king of Sparta. She was the cause of the Trojan War.

-Hermes - Son of Zeus, the ambassador of the gods, conductor of the dead souls to Hades, and patron of travelers, merchants, and thieves.

-Hyperion - The god of the sun. Also known as Helios. It is his cattle which is eaten by Odysseus' crew.

-Irus - A cowardly bully who is a beggar on Ithaca and a favorite of many of the suitors.

-Laertes - The old father of Odysseus, who lives in isolation from the demands of public life, on a small farm in the back hills of Ithaca. He remains alert and agile, despite his age.

-Leucothoie - A sea nymph who helps Odysseus read the island of the Phaeacians during the storm in Book V.

-Melantho - One of the serving maids in the palace of Odysseus; she is a nasty and impudent young girl and is disloyal to her master, having become the mistress of Eurymachus.

-Melanthius - The chief goatherd of Odysseus. In his master's absence he has ignored his duty and has ingratiated himself with the suitors by catering to their whims.

-Menelaus - King of Sparta, husband of Helen, and brother of Agamemnon. Like Odysseus, he too has a series of misadventures on his return home from Troy.

-Mentor - A faithful friend of Odysseus who was left behind on Ithaca as Telemachus' tutor; he is wise, sober, and loyal.

-Nausicaa - The daughter of Alcinous and Arete. She is a charming young maiden, in her adolescence.

-Nestor - King of Pylos, father of Peisistratus. A very wise and garrulous old man, one of the few survivors of the Trojan War.

-Odysseus - King of Ithaca, husband of Penelope, father of Telemachus, son of Laertes. He is the first of the Greek epic heroes to be renowned for his brain as well as his muscle.

-Peisistratus - The gallant young son of Nestor. He is the companion of Telemachus on his journey through the Peloponnesus.

-Penelope - The wife of Odysseus. She is serious and industrious, a perfect wife and mother in many aspects.

-Philoetius - The chief cowherd of Odysseus; he is brave and loyal and, despite his age, stands besides his master during the battle with the suitors.

-Polyphemus - A one-eyed Cyclops who held Odysseus and his men captive in his cave until he was made drunk and blinded by Odysseus.

-Poseidon - Younger brother of Zeus, god of the sea and earthquakes, father of Polyphemus. Because Odysseus is a sailor and must travel home by ship, Poseidon is able to do him much harm. The god bears a grudge against him because of his rough treatment of Polyphemus.

-Scylla - A sea monster with six heads that Odysseus and his crew must pass during their voyage.

-Sirens - Two beautiful maidens who dwell in a flowery meadow on an island somewhere between that of Circe and of Scylla. They tempt passing mariners to their deaths by their tantalizing songs.

-Telemachus - The son of Odysseus and Penelope. He is just entering manhood and is very self-conscious about his duty, and his father's reputation as a hero, which he feels he must live up to.

-Tiresias - The most famous of all Greek seers. The legend was that in compensation for his blindness the gods had given him his awesome visionary powers. His spirit is consulted by Odysseus in Hades.

-Zeus - The supreme god and king of Olympus. He is officially neutral in human affairs; his duty is to carry out the will of Destiny, but he is often sympathetic towards humans.

 

 MAIN CHARACTERS
 
The name Odysseus has been translated a number of ways. Odysseus' grandfather gave him the name. It means, "the person people love to hate." Once while telling one of his false stories Odysseus introduces himself as "Quarrelman." One scholar says his name means "trouble," but the usual translation is "Victim of Enmity." The word odyssey means the journey of Odysseus, long and full of adventure, rich with people and places. Odysseus is also very human, and you get to see him in many roles. He is often moved to tears. He makes mistakes, gets into tricky situations, and loses his temper. You see him as a husband, father, and son. In addition, you see him as an athlete, army captain, sailor, carpenter, storyteller, ragged beggar and lover. He is brutal and sensitive, bold and shy.

The minor hero of the story is Odysseus' son, Telemakhos. As the story progresses you learn more and more about Odysseus' character. You see growth and development in his twenty-year-old son. He changes from a passive, untested boy to a young man proudly standing at his father's side. When the relatives of the suitors come for vengeance, he is ready to take them on. The boy Telemakhos learns to be a man of valor and action. He is respectful to gods and men, and loyal to his mother and father, siding with them against the suitors. He shows intelligence in his behavior with Nestor and Menelaos. But he also exhibits another important Greek ideal: hospitality. Any stranger or beggar coming to the door may be a god in disguise, so such wanderers must be treated well. They are not asked questions until their needs for food, drink, and comfort are met. Telemakhos' open-handed hospitality helps make him an appealing character.

In the opening chapters of The Odyssey Penelope is angry, frustrated, and helpless. She misses her husband, Odysseus. She worries about the safety of her son, Telemakhos. Her house is flooded with arrogant men who are making love to her servants and eating her out of house and home, all the while saying that they are courting her. She doesn't want to marry any of them, and their rude behavior can hardly be called proper courtship. She has wealth and position; she has beauty and intelligence; most of all she has loyalty to her husband. But against this corrupt horde that gather in her courtyard shooting dice, throwing the discus, killing her husband's cattle for their feasts, and drinking his wine, she is powerless. After the beggar--Odysseus in disguise--arrives at Ithaka, we see more of Penelope's warmth, intelligence, and beauty. Within the limits of behavior available to her as a woman at that time, she is extraordinary. She is a match for Odysseus.