The Odyssey Book V: Sweet Nymph and Open Sea

1. The Odyssey Book V: Sweet Nymph and Open Sea By Jessica Brown and Caitlin Cauley

2. Characters • Zeus: orders Hermes to go to Kalypso’s island and tell her to let Odysseus go • Athena: tells Zeus of Odysseus and Telemachus’ problem and later helps Odysseus make it to the island of Skheríaby giving him guidance and instruction on what to do • Hermes: flies to Kalypso’s island and delivers Zeus’ orders • Kalypso: finally realizes that she has to let Odysseus go and helps him prepare for and start his journey • Odysseus:starts his journey home and faces many obstacles at sea on his way to shore • Poseidon: attacks Odysseus with a storm when Odysseus is finally able to see land • Ino: a nereid who sees Odysseus struggling in the storm and helps him by giving him instructions to reach Skhería

3. Setting • The Book begins on Mt. Olympus where the gods have gathered and Athena is talking to Zeus from Earth. • Next, Hermes flies to Kalypso’s island to tell her Odysseus is to be released and where Odysseus and Calypso make preparations for his departure. • Then, once Odysseus has prepared to leave, he heads out onto the Western Sea where he sails/swims for 20 days before reaching shore. • Finally, after sailing and struggling against a storm, Odysseus makes it to Skhería where the Phaiakian people live.

4. Plot Summary • Book V starts when Athena tells Zeus and the gods assembled in Mt. Olympus of Odysseus’ current predicament. -Odysseus is still trapped on Kalypso’s island and the suitors are trying to kill Telemachus. • Zeus tells Athena to focus on getting Telemachus home safely and he will send Hermes to Kalypso’s island to tell her to release Odysseus. * • Hermes arrives at Kalypso’s island and tells her Zeus’ orders to let Odysseus go.

5. Continued… • Kalypso is angry, and accuses the gods of being jealous when other gods have relationships with mortal humans. • Regardless of her feelings, Kalypso tells Odysseus that he can go and she will help him prepare. -She tells him where he can find timber to make a raft and supplies him with water, bread, wine, and a cloak. • Kalypso takes Odysseus to her cave and asks him if he wants to go home and leave her. Odysseus tells her that he misses his home and his wife. *

6. Continued… • The next day, Odysseus begins to prepare by cutting down trees to make his raft. Kalypso sends Odysseus off after having prepared for 4 days. • He sails for 17 days before seeing shore, but Poseidon sends a storm his way. • Odysseus begins to fear that it is the end for him, and wishes that he had died in battle and received an honorable soldier’s burial instead of facing this storm by himself. *

7. Continued… • After being forced underwater by a large wave, Odysseus is tangled in Kalypso’s cape. • Ino, a nereid and Kadmos’ daughter, sees Odysseus struggling and helps him -She tells him to take off the cape, put on a veil that is immortal to protect him, and swim to the shore of Skheria. • Odysseus is doubtful of his ability to swim all the way to shore, but realizes it is his only option. Athena helps by quieting the wind for Odysseus to make it to shore.

8. Continued… • When he arrives, he is face to face with nothing but rocky shorelines, and only survives with Athena’s guidance -he held onto the rock as water splashed into it, then let the water drag him out in order to get a better view of the coast • Odysseus spots a calm river and prays to the gods for mercy • The river god quiets the water and Odysseus is finally able to lay on the banks of the shore. • After a long journey, he decides to rest under two bushes on a bed of leaves. • As Odysseus goes to sleep, Athena helps put his mind to rest and tells him that the distress will end soon.

9. Main Idea The main idea of this book is that Odysseus is finally getting off of Kaypso’s island.  It is also the first time that we actually meet Odysseus and his character is revealed to us.  After hearing about his strength from other characters who fought with him at war, we observe it ourselves as he faces challenges at sea.  Also, we now know that despite being away for so long, he really is determined to get home.

10. Analysis- Literary Devices • Flashback: Page 84-85, Lines 127-134 What is Kalypso describing in the flashback? How does she feel about the god’s actions of sending Odysseus away? • In this flashback, Kalypso is describing incidents in the past where the gods have gotten revenge on other gods who have had relationships with mortals. • She uses these examples to emphasize her anger at the other gods for sending Odysseus away and for being jealous.

11. Continued… • Foreshadowing: Page 87, Lines 214-217 What do these lines foreshadow to? • These lines foreshadow to the storm Odysseus will experience while out at sea. Later in the Book, Odysseus realizes that Kalypso’s prediction was correct.

12. Continued… • Heroic Simile: Page 95, Lines 451-454 This heroic simile compares Odysseus to an Octopus because he is gripping onto the rock as though he had “suckers” to hold onto the rock. • Personification: Page 90, Lines 344-346 These lines show how the wave is human-like by driving into Odysseus. • Epithet: Page 90, Lines 324-327 These lines describe Ino, the nereid who helps Odysseus at sea.

13. Analysis- Theme of Identity Book V and the article ‘Bloom on The Odyssey’ connect to the theme of identity.  The article discusses Odysseus’ ability to create and uphold his identity, despite facing challenges from Poseidon that get in his way.  He is aware that he needs immortal help and also of his desire to get home. Also, Odysseus’ identity is finally revealed in Book V when we meet him for the first time. He is clearly a strong character, as we can see when he continues to fight to get home even after all he has been through at war and at sea. He wants to be known for his accomplishments, and at one point wishes he had died at war so he would be honored and not alone anymore.

14. Analysis- Gods Control Over Humans In book V, Odysseus is finally on his journey home but along the way he encounters many obstacles. All of these are controlled by what the Gods want to happen. The article “The Odyssey as a Moral Fable” gives examples of humans ignoring the Gods’ warnings causing them to be punished by the Gods’ will. This connects to book V because while he is sailing home, Poseidon sees Odysseus and decides to start a storm, setting him in danger. Gods not only can affect humans negatively, but also positively, as we see when Athena, Zeus, and Kalypso help Odysseus start his journey home.

15. Any Questions??