BOOKS 13-16

Book 13: Odysseus sets sail, and odysseus is dropped off on shore, along with all of his gifts. Poseidon spots Odysseus in Ithica, and punishes the Phaeacians by sinking their ship. Onlookers see this and decide to never help wayward travelers again. He wakes up and finds out he is in Ithica. Athena tells him that he needs to punish the suitors. She gives him the appearance of an old vagabond so that no one will recognize him.

Book 14: Odysseus finds Eumaeus outside his hut. Eumaeus invites him inside. They discuss Odysseus and Odysseus spends the night.

Book 15: Athena travels to Sparta and tells Telemachus to hurry home before the suitors succeed in taking his mother’s hand. She also tells him of the plot the suitors have planned. Helen predicts Odysseus will take revenge on the suitors. The next morning, Telemachus reaches the shores of Ithaca.

Book 16: Telemachus finds out Odysseus is his father. The formulate a plan of attack.

Theme:

If you are a loyal person, good things will happen to you

Eumaeus

Pisistratus

 Eurymachus

BOOKS 9-12

Books 9-12:

In which Odysseus recounts his journey thus far

Book 9: Odysseus and his men end up on the land of Cyclopes. Odysseus ends up stabbing Polyphemus, son of Poseidon, in the eye and thus causes Poseidon to have a beef with him (as in a problem with him, not an actual cow. That comes later).

Book 10: Odysseus and his men sail to the home of Aeolus, ruler of the winds. He gives Odysseus a bag of winds to help guide him home, but seals it tightly shut. The men are off, and are just off shore of their homeland when Odysseus falls asleep. Curiosity of the men gets the best of them, and they open the bag, propelling the ship quickly away from their land. They sail to the land of the Laestrygonians, who end up being really mean giants and destroy all but one of Odysseus’ ships. Next they sail to Aeaea, home of Circe. She turns his men into pigs, but Odysseus is helped by Hermes and forces her to turn them back to men. They live here for one year, but they finally leave to go to Hades and speak with the prophet Tiresias.

Book 11: Odysseus travels to the River of Ocean in the land of the Cimmerians. He preforms a sacrifice and speaks to Tiersias, who foretells Odysseus’ fate – that he would return home, reclaim his wife and palace, and make another trip to a distant land to try and patch things up with Poseiodon. He warns Odysseus not to touch the flocks of the sun, otherwise he won’t return home without more hardships and losing all of his crew. He then meets the spirit of his mother, who had died after Odysseus left for Troy. He then speaks of the various people he met in the underworld, and how the souls mobbed him and he sailed away.

Book 12: They head back to Circe’s island to give a proper burial to a newly deceased crewmember, then kept sailing. They passed by the island of the Sirens. His crew have their ears plugged, but Odysseus is tied to the mast and listens to their song. After this, they navigate the straits between Scylla and Charybdis. Scylla eats six of the sailors. The rest arrive on Thrinicia, and after being stranded for a month, his crew eat the cattle. They finally sail off the island, and Zeus destroys the ship and kills everyone except Odysseus. Odysseus ends up on Calypso’s island.

Theme: succumbing to temptation

They spend a long time on Circe’s island (1 year)

            Killing the cattle even though they weren’t supposed to

Character List:

Polyphemus

Aeolus

Antiphates

Circe

Elpenor

Tiresias

Anticleia

Agamemnon

Achilles

Ajax

Charybdis

Scylla

Eurylochus

BOOKS 5-8

BOOKS 5-8

“Odysseus’ Stay in Scheria”

Overall Summary:

In book five, Zeus sends Hermes to Calypso’s island to tell her to let Odysseus go home. Calypso complains about the double standard going on (i.e. gods can fall in love with any mortal, but when goddesses do the same the mortal is taken away from them), but follows what Zeus said. She helps Odysseus make a raft, and he sails away. After eighteen days at sea, he spots Scheria. Poseidon realizes that the other gods have been helping Odysseus and stirs up a storm. A goddess comes to Odysseus’ rescue, and gives him a veil that will help keep him afloat. After two nights being tossed around in the waves, he swims up a river and goes to sleep.

In book six, Athena appears in Nausicaa’s dream. She tells the princess to go to the river to wash her clothes so she will have more men courting her. Nausicaa does as Athena says, and plays ball with her handmaids. Odysseus wake up and pleads for their help. Nausicaa falls in love with him (shocker) but doesn’t want to be seen with him walking through the town. They start heading to the castle.

In book seven, a young girl who is Athena in disguise stops Odysseus. She shrouds him in a mist to keep him hidden from the townspeople. She tells him to direct his plea to Arête, the wise queen. Athena then goes to Athens. Odysseus throws himself at the queen’s feet. The queen and king promise to help him leave the island. The king offers Odysseus his daughter’s hand in marriage.

In book eight, councilmen approve of giving Odysseus a ship. A blind singer sings about the quarrel between Odysseus and Achilles, and Odysseus weeps. Odysseus is pressured into playing some games. A song is sung about Ares and Aphrodite. The king asks Odysseus who he is, where he is from, and where he is going.

Major Theme:

A major theme in these books is overcoming supernatural challenges. An example of this is when Calypso finally released Odysseus, surviving Poseidon’s wrath, etc.

Character List:

Hermes

Calypso

Odysseus

Ino

Poseidon

Nausicaa

Arete

Alcinous

Demodocus

Broadsea

Books 1-4

BOOKS 1-4

Overall Summary

In book one, Zeus and Athena are discussing Telemachus and his father. Athena visits Telemachus and tells him to call a meeting for all for all of his mother’s suitors.

In book two, Telemachus called a meeting for all of his mother’s suitors. He requested that they leave the property, but the men refused. They stated that his mother said she would marry when she was finished making a funeral shroud. For three years, she wove it, and then unraveled it at night. A servant tattled on her, and now she must marry. Telemachus prepares to head to sea to find out more about his father.

In book three, Nestor tells Telemachus about Odysseus and his experiences with the war. He sends his own son Pisistratus along to accompany Telemachus to Sparta.

In book four, Menelaus and Helen recognize Telemachus as Odysseus’ son. Telemachus finds out that his father is alive and imprisoned, and return to Pylos to set sail to Ithaca. Meanwhile, the suitors at Odysseus’s house learn of Telemachus’s voyage and prepare to ambush him upon his return.

Major Theme: Hospitality

Penelope and Telemachus allow the suitors to eat them out of house and home because in this society, how you treated your guests was very important. We also see this in book three, Nestor allows Telemachus and his crew to have a large meal before questioning anything. Basically, your guests are allowed to eat whatever they want when they arrive at your home. It wasn’t polite to reject them.

Character List:

Zeus

Telemachus

Athena (Mentes, Mentor)

Penelope

Aegyptius

Antinous

Eurymachus

Antinous

Halitherses

Eurycleia

Nestor

Pisistratus

Menelaus

Helen

MACBETH: Study Questions—ACT 5

MACBETH: Study Questions—ACT 5

Scene 1

1) What do the nurse (gentlewoman) and the doctor see?

Lady Macbeth sleepwalking and writing

2) What does Lady Macbeth mean when she says, “Out, damned spot! Out, I say!...will these hands never be clean.”

She can’t wash her sins away

3) What is wrong with Lady Macbeth at this point of the play?

She is going crazy because of the murders her husband committed

Scene 2

1) What happens in this scene? What new characters are introduced? Why?

Menteith, Caithness, Angus It shows that other Scottish thanes are rebelling against Macbeth.

2) What is the significance of the scene?

It shows that other Scottish thanes are rebelling against Macbeth.

3) What is meant when Caithness says, “Some say he’d mad; others that lesser hate him do call it valiant fury”?

Some say he is insane, others say Macbeth has brave anger, but he is not giving up.

Scene 3

1) How would you describe Macbeth’s attitude and mood in this scene?

He is confident and still feels invincible

2) Why isn’t Macbeth afraid? Do his soldier’s seem afraid? Why or why not?

The trees haven’t moved. They seem afraid because Macbeth is handing them their death sentence because he is rushing them into a battle they could be killed in.

Scene 4

1) What does Malcolm order the soldiers to do?

Have each soldier carry a tree branch to hide the numbers from Macbeth

Scene 5

1) What is meant when Macbeth says, “She should have died here-after”?

She should have waited to die until there was more time for mourning or she would have died eventually so it’s better now than later

2) What is the significant of the following quote, “Life’s but a walking shadow, a poor player, that struts and frets his hour upon the stage and then is told no more. It is a tale told by an idiot, full of sound and fury signifying nothing.”

Life has no meaning

Scene 6

1) What is important about this scene?

The army reaches Macbeth’s castle and the battle begins

Scene 7

1) Who does Macbeth kill in this scene? What is significant about this death?

Young Siward, it signifies that no man of woman born could kill Macbeth

Scene 8

1) What happens in this scene?

Macbeth is slain and Malcolm is pronounced king

2) Why does Macbeth lose heart in the fight against Macduff?

Because Macduff was born via C-Section, therefore not technically of woman born

3) Who is named king at the end of the play?

Malcolm

Act Five Summary

ACT FIVE

Act five was the final act of the play. It opens with Lady Macbeth being observed by a doctor. She was pacing and giving away secrets late at night. In scene two, it shows several thanes are walking through the woods. It shows how many thanes have abandoned Macbeth and are trying to help take him down. In scene three, Macbeth learns of his wife’s illness and the fast approaching army. He still believes he is invincible, so he does not seem worried. In scene four, the army is cutting down trees and moving with them as a disguise. This is important because it shows that Macbeth is defeatable now that the trees have moved. It also shows appearance versus reality. In scene five, Macbeth is talking to his soldiers and Seyton. Macbeth learns of his wife’s death, and that the trees are moving. In scene six, Malcolm, Siward, and Macduff are talking about their battle plans. In scene seven, Macbeth kills Young Siward. In scene eight, Macbeth learns that Macduff was born of a C-section, therefore not technically woman born. He is slain and everyone lives happily ever after.

Alternately:

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Macbeth Act 4 Study Questions

Macbeth Act Four

Macbeth

4.1

1) What are the four visions that Macbeth sees?

-A child holding a tree with a crown

-Eight Kings and Banquo

-Armed head

-Bloody Child

2) Which visions does he misread or misunderstand and why?

That he’s invincible because trees will never move and everyone is born from a woman.

3) What news does Lennox bring Macbeth?

That Macduff is plotting against him in England.

4) What does Macbeth decide from Lennox’s news?

To kill everyone!!!!!!

5) How might this scene be a possible climax for the play?

This scene is the climax because this is where Macbeth begins to believe he is invincible and become a tyrant.

4.2

1) Why does Shakespeare include a scene with Lady Macduff and her son?
To show the choices that Macduff has to make. Lady Macbeth is upset with Macduff because he left them to save the country.

2) What is important about this scene?

Show Macbeth’s cruelty, and how he is trying to hurt Macbeth by killing innocent people.

3) List one motif or symbol from this scene?
How Lady Macduff is the wren that protects her chicks and Macbeth is the Owl that kills the chicks.

4.3

1) Why has Macduff come to England?

To recruit Malcolm and an army

2) What is Malcolm’s fear in lines 10-19?

You were buddies with Macbeth and I don’t trust you.

3) Who does the lamb represent in these lines?

The lamb is Malcolm

4) What is significant in the lines “Angles are bright still, though the brightest fell./Though all things foul would wear the brows of grace,/ yet grace must still look so.”

Macbeth is a fallen angel like Lucifer.

5) What is significant in the line, “Bleed, bleed, pour country!”
The country is falling apart because no one will stand up to Macbeth.

6) What does Malcolm call Macbeth? What list of adjectives does he use?

Macbeth is not a good ruler.
I grant him bloody,

Luxurious, avaricious, false, deceitful,

Sudden, malicious, smacking of every sin

That has a name.

7) How has Malcolm changed since Act II?
He runs away in Act II, but now he is coming back to fight

8) What is the atmosphere of this scene? Why is this important?
Hopeful, because Malcolm is saying he’ll come back and fight. This is important because it shows someone may take down Macbeth.

9) What news does the doctor bring? How is this symbolic to the scene, especially to Malcolm?
The doctor says a crowd is waiting for Edward the Confessor to heal him. God appoints kings, and the right king (Malcolm) can heal the country.

10) How many men did England lend Macduff?
10,000 soldiers

11) What does Macduff mean when he says, “But I must also feel it as a man.”

I still have to grieve, because I’m a person with emotions.