Troy and the Trojan War

Outline 6: Odyssey Books 7-12

I.  Book 7

    A.  Arrival at the Magic Palace

        1.  A paradise like Dilmun or Eden.

            a.  Quest for immortality.

        2.  Athena cloaks Odysseus in a mist.

        3.   Odysseus the suppliant.

            a.  Arete recognizes the clothing he is wearing.

            b.  Alcinoos offers hospitality and a promise to take him to his home.

            c.  Alcinoos proposes marriage with his daughter.

II.  Book 8

    A.  Great feast and Athletic Contests

        1.   Identity of Odysseus still not known.

        2.  Athena make him more handsome.

        3.   Euryalos insults him.

            a.  Merchant not athlete or warrior.

            b.  Odysseus wins discus toss.

    B.  Demodocus, the Singer of Tales

        1.   Hephaestus, Aphrodite, and Ares.

        2.  Trojan Horse

    C.  Alcinoos asks Odysseus his Name

III.  Book 9

    A.  Odysseus Reveals his Name

    B.  Odysseus Describes his Adventures

        1.  The lotus eaters.

        2.  The Cyclopes.

            a.  Cave of Polyphemus, the cannabalistic giant.  He is the son of Poseidon.

            b.  The trick of the name.

            c.  Blinding Polyphemus and the escape.

            d.  Foolish boast.

IV.  Book 10

    A.  Aeolus and the Winds

    B.  The Laestrygonians

    C.  Circe

        1.  Men turned to swine.

            a.  Hansel and Gretel.

        2.  Hermes and the magic herb.

            a.  Odysseus becomes her lover.

            b.  He remains for one year.

        3.  Go to Hades.

V.  Book 11

    A.  Visit to the Underworld

        1.  Where is it?

            a.  Land of the Midnight Sun?

        2.   Elpenor.

        3.   Tiresias.

        4.   Anticleia.

        5.   Beautiful women.

        6.   Agamemnon, Achilles, and Ajax.

        7.  Grand Tour.

            a.  Tantalus, Sisyphus, Ixion.

VI.  Book 12

    A.  Back to Aeaea and Circe

        1.  Elpenor buried.

    B.  Sirens

    C.  Scylla and Charybdis.

    D.  Cattle of Helios.

        1.  Zeus sends storm.

            a.  Ship wrecked and only Odysseus survived.

            b.  Odysseus comes to island of Calypso.