Who are King Alcinous and Queen Arete?
In book 7 of The Odyssey, Odysseus is taken in by King Alcinous and Queen Arete. The husband and wife are both descendants of the god Poseidon. What is strange about their relationship is that they are very closely related. In fact, Alcinous is Arete’s uncle.
Who do King Alcinous and Queen Arete both descend from?
Neptune
First find the queen. Her name is Arete, and she comes of the same family as her husband Alcinous. They both descend originally from Neptune, who was father to Nausithous by Periboea, a woman of great beauty.
How is Alcinous related to his wife Arete?
Arete was the queen of the island of Scheria in Greek mythology, wife of Alcinous, and mother of Nausicaa and Laodamas. She was also the niece of her husband, as Alcinous and Rhexenor, Arete’s father, were brothers, descendants of the god Poseidon.
What book does Odysseus meets King Alcinous and Queen Arete?
The Odyssey
In this lesson, we will look at Book 7 of Homer’s epic, ~’The Odyssey. ~’ Odysseus seeks help in returning home from the king and queen of the Phaeacian people, Alcinous and Arete.
Is Queen Arete a goddess?
Arete was a minor Greek goddess and therefore very little mythological background is known about her. What is known is that Arete was the Queen of Scheria and ruled the Phaeacians with her husband, King Alcinous.
How is Arete special in the Odyssey?
Homer. In Homer’s Iliad and Odyssey, arete is used mainly to describe heroes and nobles and their mobile dexterity, with special reference to strength and courage, but it is not limited to this. Penelope’s arete, for example, relates to co-operation, for which she is praised by Agamemnon.
What does Odysseus have that Arete recognizes as her own?
Odysseus finds the palace residents holding a festival in honor of Poseidon. Later that evening, when the king and queen are alone with Odysseus, the wise Arete recognizes the clothes that he is wearing as ones that she herself had made for her daughter Nausicaa.
What is special about the Phaeacian ships?
The Phaeacian ships The Phaeacians possessed remarkable ships. They were quite different from the penteconters, the ships used during the Trojan War, and they were steered by thought. King Alcinous says that Phaeacians carried Rhadamanthus to Euboea, “which is the furthest of any place” and came back on the same day.
What was Midas Arete?
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How is Arete portrayed in the Odyssey?
In the Odyssey, Arete appears as a noble and active superintendent of the household of her husband. When Odysseus arrived in Scheria, he appealed first to Arete for reception and protection, and she treated him hospitably.
How is Queen Arete regarded by the Phaeacians?
She gives him the same advice and adds that Arete is honoured as no other woman, not only by her husband and children, but also by the Phaeacian people, who revere her as a goddess, and that her good sense is such that she even settles disputes among men (vii. 54—66).
What is Arete in the Odyssey?
Arete. Queen of the Phaeacians, wife of Alcinous, and mother of Nausicaa. Arete is intelligent and influential. Nausicaa tells Odysseus to make his appeal for assistance to Arete.
