I’ve put together this quiz for my older students for their return in September, assuming at least 80% will have seen the film. The first ten questions are on details we find in the ancient text, but not in the modern film. The second ten questions are about elements Nolan introduces or changes. Enjoy!

 

In Homer, but not in Nolan

 

1. Other than Menelaus, which Greek leader does Telemachus visit on his trip to the mainland to find news of his father?

2. Which cowherd fights alongside Odysseus, Eumaeus and Telemachus in the slaughter of the Suitors?

3. Which Phaeacian princess helps Odysseus when she finds him naked on the shores of Scherie?

4. Which god gives Odysseus moly, the antidote to Circe’s magic?

5. Which king organises the return of Odysseus to Ithaka on one of the Phaeacians’ supernaturally fast ships?

6. Which god of the winds gives Odysseus the bag of winds, which is opened by his sailors, thwarting their return to Ithaka?

7. Which goddess disguises herself as Mentes at the start of the Odyssey, to put heart into a despondent Telemachus?

8. Which Greek hero told Odysseus at the entrance to the Underworld that he would rather be a workman to a poor man on a peasant farm in the world of the living, than king of all the dead?

9. Odysseus tells Polyphemus that his name is ‘οὐτις’. What does this translate to?

10. Which deities resolve the conflict between the Suitors’ families and Odysseus at the end of the Odyssey?

 

In Nolan, but not in Homer

 

11. Who gives the lotus-fruit to Odysseus to eat?

12. What is the form of the pin which Penelope gives to Odysseus as he sets off for Troy?

13. Where do the Suitors ambush Telemachus?

14. What do Odysseus and his men carry on their backs to escape from the Cyclops’ cave?

15. Into what bird has Circe changed her sister, whom Odysseus threatens in order to get his men returned to their human form?

16. Which Greek, responsible for explaining the Trojan horse to the Trojans as a gift to Athena, rebukes Odysseus in the scene at the Underworld?

17. Who do Penelope and Telemachus fear may attack Ithaka, with Odysseus gone and no king on his throne?

18. When does Telemachus try Odysseus’ bow but with no success?

19. How has Menelaus punished Helen for her departure with Paris to Troy, precipitating the Trojan War?

20. Where do Odysseus and Penelope go at the end of the film?

 

If you watched the film and would like to read the poem, I’d recommend Emily Wilson’s translation from one of my favourite independent bookshops, Backstory.

 

 

 

Scroll down for the answers:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Answers:

1. Nestor

2. Philoetius

3. Nausicaa

4. Hermes

5. Alcinous

6. Aeolus

7. Athene

8. Achilles

9. ‘Noman’

10. Zeus and Athene

 

11. Calypso

12. Athena

13. Pylos

14. Brushwood/straw

15. Raven

16. Sinon

17. The Sea Peoples

18. Before he leaves to go to the mainland, and in a challenge issued by Penelope to him only.

19. Disfiguring her with cuts to her face and body

20. Into exile