For Wednesday: The Odyssey, Books 5-6 & 9

"Calypso" by George Hitchcock)

NOTE: You can skip Books 7 and 8 if you wish, as they are more or less about Odyssey's reception at Alcinous' Palace (Nausicaa's father) and the games they  play in his honor. It's interesting, but doesn't advance the plot in a major way, and I would rather focus on the other books and give you less reading this week if you like  (but read them if curiosity overtakes you).

Answer TWO of the following:

Q1: In the ancient world, good manners/customs are as important as looking good or noble. Though Athena often paves the way for Odysseus and Telemachus, their manners often save the day, and make others accept them and/or render them aid. What seems to be the definition of 'good manners' in Homer's Greece? What qualities/actions did they expect men and women to display in public? 

Q2: Calypso is yet another "evil woman" in ancient literature, though Homer offers a much more nuanced portrait of her motives. How does she compare to Helen of Troy in Book Four, particularly in her response to the gods to release her hold on Odysseus? Again, you might consider whether or poet is a "man" or a "woman" in writing this (I'm speaking generally--meaning only, are they more sympathetic to a woman, or more judgmental). 

Q3: Odysseus proves quite clever in defeating the cyclops, Polyphemus, but he ultimately loses this adventure. What is his fatal flaw in this encounter, and how might it tie in with the theme of the work in general? Where else have we seen men 'fail' in the same way? 

Q4: In general, how does Odysseus compare as a ruler to Gilgamesh? Is he also a royal tyrant, a greedy ruler? Or just "one of the guys"? How might his adventure with the cyclops illustrate his essential nature--and would Gilgamesh have acted the same?