“ The Odyssey ”

1. “The Odyssey” Characters and Places

2. Mortal Characters • Odysseus – protagonist; king of Ithaca; military leader in the Trojan War • Penelope – wife of Odysseus • Telemachus – son of Odysseus; born on the day Odysseus left for the Trojan War • Suitors – men of Ithaca living in Odysseus’ palace who want to marry Penelope • Antinous – one of Penelope’s leading suitors, very rude and mean

3. Mortal Characters continued • Helen – daughter of Zeus, wife of King Menelaus, kidnapped by Prince Paris and taken to Troy (cause of the Trojan War) • King Menelaus – king of Sparta; Helen’s husband; an ally of Odysseus in the Trojan War • King Nestor – wise king of Pylos; ally of Odysseus during the Trojan War

4. Supernatural Beings • Polyphemus – Cyclops; son of Poseidon • Calypso – a beautiful goddess-nymph who keeps Odysseus captive on her island for seven years • Circe – witch-goddess who turns Odysseus’ men into pigs • Sirens – sea nymphs whose beautiful and mysterious music lures sailors to steer their ships toward deadly rocks

5. Supernatural Beings continued • Charybdis – a female monster who sucks in water three times a day to form a deadly whirlpool • Scylla – a female monster with six serpent heads, each having a triple row of fangs; eats men as they pass near Charybdis

6. Places • Ithaca – Greek island home of Odysseus • Ogygia – island home of Calypso • Pylos – kingdom of King Nestor • Sparta – kingdom of King Menelaus and Helen • Troy – site of the Trojan War • Land of the Dead – underworld where Greek souls live after their deaths