Download “Portents Gather”: Book Twenty Guide Grade 9: The Odyssey and more Schemes and Mind Maps English Literature in PDF only on Docsity! “Portents Gather”: Book Twenty Guide Define portent below: Portent means sign or omen. Why do the maids infuriate Odysseus? The maids have been unfaithful to the royal family by associating with the suitors. How does Odysseus react to the maids’ behavior? Although he wants to react in anger, he steadies himself and waits for the right time for revenge. Describe Odysseus’s prayer to Athena. Odysseus asks that Athena will show him the way. What sign does Zeus send? Zeus sends a thunderclap as an acknowledgement to Odysseus. Describe Telemachus on page 414. How has he changed over the course of the epic? Telemachus is quick and confident. He is described as a young god taking his stand. He is now a man of action. Describe the suitors’ bizarre behavior at the end of the book. Athena causes the men to have a strange fit of laughter that evolves into weeping in response to Telemachus telling them that he will not give his mother away in marriage. Their behavior is manic as the meat that they are eating oozes with blood. Grade 9: The Odyssey Complete the chart below to keep track of some of the minor characters in Book Twenty. For each character, describe if he/she is an ally (friend) or enemy of Odysseus. Then in the right column, describe the character and his/her behavior. Character Ally or Enemy? Character Description Character Behavior Eurycleia ally housemaid, nurse to Odysseus as a child She is steady and true; she keeps Odysseus’s secret. Melantho enemy bad housemaid She heaps verbal abuse upon Odysseus when he is disguised as a beggar and has an inappropriate relationship with the suitors. Melanthius enemy bad goatherd He has spent time allying himself to the suitors for his own selfish gain; he mocked Odysseus when he was disguised as a beggar. Philoetius ally good goatherd He takes mercy on “the beggar” and dreams of his master’s return. Eumaeus ally good swineherd First seen in Book Sixteen, Eumaeus is the man who played a father role for Telemachus growing up. Antinous enemy the worst suitor Since the beginning, Antinous has proved to be the most vocal and insolent suitor. He mocks Telemachus and even hit “the beggar” in the back with a stool. Csteppius enemy bad suitor Called a “lawless boor,” this suitor wants Penelope purely for financial reasons. He throws an ox hoof at Odysseus as a “guest gift.” Grade 9: The Odyssey
