The Odyssey?

Question

For those that have read The Odyssey, what are the portents? It's a summer reading project and for the life of me I can't find out what the portents are for an assignment sheet. (Yes I read the book).

Answer 1

Here are some examples:

"Foreshadowing · Agamemnon’s fate at the hands of his wife and his vindication by his son foreshadow the domestic troubles and triumphs Odysseus faces when he returns to Ithaca; Odysseus is nearly recognized by his wife and servants several times in Books 18–19, foreshadowing the revelation of his identity in Book 22."

"The majority of the Odyssey is an account of Odysseus' adventures trying to reach his homeland of Ithaka. Several of these adventures are false homecomings, the most prominent of which is his imprisonment on Kalypso's island. This false homecoming is strikingly different from what one would expect of Odysseus' real homecoming, but similar enough for parallels to be drawn between the two. Homer uses this false homecoming to foreshadow Odysseus' true homecoming."

"If the Greeks survive these terrors, they will meet the most dangerous test of all: the temptation of the island (Thrinacia) of the Sungod Helios. Whatever they do, the seamen must not harm the sacred cattle of the sun. If they resist temptation, they can return home safely; if, on the other hand, they harm any sacred animal, the ship and men will be destroyed. Odysseus alone may survive, but he will return home late and alone, a broken man. This last caveat (12.148–53) echoes the curse of the Cyclops (9.590–95) and the prophecy of Tiresias (11.125–35). Circe’s warnings prove to be a foreshadowing of the true events."

"Menelaus’ queen is the same Helen whose abduction from Sparta caused the Trojan War. Foreshadowing Odysseus’ disguise when he returns to Ithaca, Helen recalls how he scarred his body and donned slave’s clothing in order to slip into Troy under the guise of a beggar. Still with the Trojans at that time, she alone suspected that the beggar was a spy; but she protected his secret until he was safely gone. Menelaus recalls the crafty Odysseus’ legendary ruse of the Trojan horse that led to the defeat of Troy."

Setting
The setting of Book XXI is Odysseus’s house.

Foreshadowing--Line 5
“To usher bloody slaughter in” is a foreshadowing of the battle to come, although in context it is only an expression used in Penelope’s thoughts.

Foreshadowing--Lines 108-110
This is a foreshadowing of the battle: Antinoos will be the first to die."

Answer 2

A portent is a prophecy. A prophecy is a foretelling of the future. With Greek mythology it can be an actual soothsaying (as with the Oracle, for instance) or the literary device called "foreshadowing." Foreshadowing is done in a number of ways all meant to be clues as to what is about to happen in the story.

Armed with that knowledge you should be able to figure it out.

Answer 3

Depends on what your question is, however, the connotations for the term portents are more or less the same.
It could mean a prodiguous event or anything that has a prophetic significance.

Answer 4

Portents=foreshadowing, omens.

"foreshadowing · Agamemnon’s fate at the hands of his wife and his vindication by his son foreshadow the domestic troubles and triumphs Odysseus faces when he returns to Ithaca; Odysseus is nearly recognized by his wife and servants several times in Books 18–19, foreshadowing the revelation of his identity in Book 22."

Answer 5

The Odyssey by Homer Written 800 B.C.E

Study Guides:

These links will give you a summary of the book, character analysis, plot and much more, so that you will be able to answer literary questions.

http://www.bookrags.com/notes/od/

http://www.sparknotes.com/lit/odyssey/

http://www.cliffsnotes.com/WileyCDA/LitNote/id-99.html

http://www.pinkmonkey.com/booknotes/monkeynotes/pmOdyssey02.asp

http://www.gradesaver.com/classicnotes/titles/odyssey/

http://www.pinkmonkey.com/booknotes/barrons/odyssey.asp

http://litsum.com/odyssey/

http://www.bookwolf.com/Free_Booknotes/The_Odyssey_by_Homer/the_odyssey_by_homer.html

http://www.novelguide.com/odyssey/


Full Text & Resources.

http://classics.mit.edu/Homer/odyssey.html

http://www.mythweb.com/odyssey/

http://darkwing.uoregon.edu/~joelja/odyssey.html

http://www.cobb.k12.ga.us/~sprayberry/webplan/turnerpagedoc.htm

http://library.thinkquest.org/19300/data/odyssey.htm

Great interactive map:

http://www.classics.upenn.edu/myth/homer/odymap.php

http://www.uoregon.edu/~nateich/worldlit/map.gif