| Question | Answer |
| Question.Who is Odysseus? Why can’t he go home? | (Odysseus is a Greek hero who fought at Troy. He fought many brave battles, but when all of the other Greek soldiers returned home, he was held captive by the nymph Calypso. Poseidon, god of the sea, caused Odysseus to be detained, since he is still angry because Odysseus blinded his son, king of the Cyclops. Calypso loves Odysseus, wants to marry him, and won’t let him leave her island, though he’s longing to go home to Ithaca to his wife Penelope and son Telemachus. After the gods decide to let him go home, Athena tries to help him get there.)
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Question2.Describe Telemachus. What is happening in the house of Odysseus? | (Telemachus is Odysseus’s young son. He is not yet a full-grown man and was raised without the help of his father. Since his father is missing and Telemachus is young, a crowd of suitors is feasting in Odysseus’s house. They ignore Telemachus’s pleas that they leave. Telemachus is very unhappy because these suitors live in his house, while his mother will not give her consent to marry another man. Telemachus longs for the return of his father.)2
| Question3.What does Athena suggest Telemachus do about his father and the suitors? How do the suitors respond to Telemachus’s speech? | (Athena appears to Telemachus as Mentes, son of Anchialus—a friend of his father. He advises Telemachus to get men and a ship to search for news of Odysseus. Mentes suggests that if he finds Odysseus alive, he can return with him and drive the suitors from his house. If Odysseus is dead, he should return, give him a proper funeral, and make his mother marry again. Then Telemachus can plan how to show his bravery and kill the suitors. When Telemachus confronts the suitors, they feel sorry for him but blame the situation on Penelope, who won’t choose one of them.)3
| Question4.According to Nestor, why did Odysseus leave Troy late? What is his advice to Telemachus? | (Nestor tells Telemachus of the great loss and suffering in the nine years of fighting in Troy. He believes that Zeus vexed the soldiers returning home from Troy. Athena, he says, provoked a quarrel about when the men should leave, so half the men stayed and half the men left. Odysseus stayed with the group that was left behind. Nestor then advises Telemachus to visit Menelaus in Sparta to ask what he knows of his father.)4
| Question5.Who is Telemachus? How does he act and feel? | (Telemachus is the young son of Odysseus and Penelope. He is upset at what’s going on in his house and anxious to find out what happened to his father. Before Athena appears and empowers him, he is frightened by the situation with the suitors and fearful of confronting them. But when he does confront them, he delivers a speech that is sensible, stirring, and heartfelt. Telemachus also bravely undertakes the journey to find out where his father is and wisely warns a servant not to tell his mother he’s gone for twelve days.)5
| Question6.How does Telemachus look? | (We’re not told Telemachus’s age, but he’s at least twenty years old. Athena says he’s "a fine, smart-looking fellow." Before he gives his speech to the suitors, we’re told that he looks "like an immortal god.")6
| Question7.How do others feel about Telemachus? | (Athena thinks that he is promising and encourages him to make a name for himself. Before Athena encourages him to speak to the suitors, the suitors and servants treat him like a child. After the speech, everyone feels sorry for him but the suitors at least answer him and treat him with a little more respect. However, when Telemachus first tries to leave Ithaca to search for his father, the suitors don’t take him seriously.)7
| Question8.How do you feel about Telemachus? | (Answers will vary. Though some might wish him to be more confident and aggressive, most will sympathize with his plight and his powerlessness because he is young.)8 |
