What is The Odyssey about short summary?

What is The Odyssey about short summary?

The Odyssey is Homer’s epic of Odysseus’ 10-year struggle to return home after the Trojan War. While Odysseus battles mystical creatures and faces the wrath of the gods, his wife Penelope and his son Telemachus stave off suitors vying for Penelope’s hand and Ithaca’s throne long enough for Odysseus to return.

What happened to the Phaeacians in The Odyssey?

Unfortunately for the Phaeacians, they are punished for their act of kindness because their patron god Poseidon hates Odysseus and did not want him to return home.

What do the birds symbolize in The Odyssey?

Of the many symbols throughout The Odyssey, birds and food are the most frequent motifs. Birds symbolize both peace and bad omens. Birds are sent from the gods to foreshadow future events and to indicate good and bad characters.

What happened in book 5 of The Odyssey?

Summary: Book 5 All the gods except Poseidon gather again on Mount Olympus to discuss Odysseus’s fate. Athena’s speech in support of the hero prevails on Zeus to intervene. Hermes, messenger of the gods, is sent to Calypso’s island to tell her that Odysseus must at last be allowed to leave so he can return home.

What is the main story of The Odyssey?

The Odyssey is an epic poem in 24 books traditionally attributed to the ancient Greek poet Homer. The poem is the story of Odysseus, king of Ithaca, who wanders for 10 years (although the action of the poem covers only the final six weeks) trying to get home after the Trojan War.

Why does Odysseus tell his story to the Phaeacians?

Similarly, Odysseus seems to react to Alkinoos’ speech by offering the Phaeacians an account of his adventures that they will enjoy. Not that he needs to change the facts to please them but by emphasizing some details here and there he can adapt his story to suit this particular audience.

What story does Odysseus tell the Phaeacians?

Reluctantly, Odysseus tells the Phaeacians the sorry tale of his wanderings. From Troy, the winds sweep him and his men to Ismarus, city of the Cicones. The men plunder the land and, carried away by greed, stay until the reinforced ranks of the Cicones turn on them and attack.

When characters in The Odyssey see birds fighting they interpret it as?

Birds Symbol Analysis As the scene of the revenge draws closer, the birds that symbolize the suitors become smaller and weaker: the suitors’ deaths become more and more inevitable. Birds, in The Odyssey, are transient messages from the gods.

What are symbols in The Odyssey?

Examples include the shroud that Penelope weaves for Laertes, the great bow of Odysseus, the sea itself, and the island of Ithaca. The shroud that Penelope weaves for her father-in-law, Laertes’, eventual funeral symbolizes the cunning with which she confronts the suitors.

What happens in the Odyssey Book 6?

As Odysseus sleeps, Athena flies to a Phaeacian city where the princess Nausicaa, daughter of the king Alcinous, lies sleeping. Disguised as a girl the princess’s age, Athena scolds her for the poor condition of her clothes, and suggests that they go to the shore to wash them.

Who is Odysseus summary?

Odysseus was a Greek hero famed for his intellect and cunning. He created the plan to sack the city of Troy using a giant hollow horse. He is also famous for his long odyssey, or journey, trying to return home after the events of the Trojan War. Odysseus is one of the most well-known of the early Greek heroes.

How are the Phaeacians punished for helping Odysseus?

To punish the Phaeacians for helping Odysseus, Poseidon turned their ship into stone as it entered the harbor at Scheria. The second half of the Odyssey (Books 13–24) narrates how Odysseus returned to his palace, killed the suitors, and was recognized and reunited with Penelope, and how he resumed his rule over Ithaca.

What happens in the land of the Phaeacians?

On the eighteenth day appear the shadowy mountains of the land of the Phaeacians, that looked like a shield in the misty deep. But Poseidon spots his raft and seeking vengeance for his son Polyphemus who was blinded by Odysseus, produces a storm that torments Odysseus.

What happens to the Phaeacians for helping Odysseus?

After he had related his adventures to the Phaeacians, Odysseus was conveyed by them to Ithaca, where they put him on shore asleep, with the gifts they had given him. To punish the Phaeacians for helping Odysseus, Poseidon turned their ship into stone as it entered the harbor at Scheria.

What is Halitherses interpretation the two fighting eagles?

Dueling eagles suddenly swoop near the assembly, which the seer Halitherses interprets as a sign of Odysseus’ return.