The Odyssey

Discuss the function of hospitality rules and why they matter in the Odyssey. Draw on at least three specific examples of hospitality in your discussion.

Agamemnon’s soul appears twice in the Odyssey, in Books 11 and 24. What is his function in the narrative?

Using at least three specific examples, discuss the use of extended similes in the poem.

Explore the significance of the obstacles Odysseus encounters on his return journey to Ithaca. Using at least three specific examples, discuss the dangers and challenges each represents.

Drawing on at least three specific examples, discuss the role of women in the Odyssey’s world.

When Odysseus travels to the border of earth and the underworld, he meets the soul of Elpenor, one of his departed crew members. When Odysseus asks him how he died, Elpenor replies, “I / had bad luck from some god, and too much wine / befuddled me” (281). What is the poem saying about the relationship between fate or the gods and human actions? Refer to at least three specific examples in your discussion.

Using specific examples, examine why Odysseus changes his lying tale each time he tells it. What does this say about the function of storytelling in the poem?

When Eumaeus tells Odysseus his story in Book 15, he says, “let us, you and I, / sit in my cottage over food and wine, / and take some joy in hearing how much pain / we each have suffered” (363). Why do characters believe it is important to accept their suffering?