The Odyssey
Based on oral tradition, perhaps sung
Masterpiece of the epic form
- Long, narrative poem about travel and adventure
Blend of mythology and legend—based on events that may be
factual—a war waged against Troy
(1871—nine ancient cities in northwestern Turkey
discovered—each on the other’s ruins)
Homer—Blind poet believed to have written the Iliad and its
sequel, the Odyssey around 800 B.C.
•Translated to Latin prose—1354
•Complete translations - late 1600s
Epic Characteristics
• Long, narrative poem
• Oral tradition
• Adventure
• Heroic deeds
• Grand battle
• Vast, remote setting
• Universal themes
• Supernatural events, gods, goddesses
• Epic simile, epithets
Written by Homer
Iliad – Trojan war, Helen, wooden horse
Greeks win
Odyssey – Odysseus’ adventure going home
Book 9 – Cyclops
Flashback: Odysseus tells King Alcinous
Lotus eaters – addicting plant that makes men forget home
Meet Cyclops – huge, uncivilized, people-eating
• Trapped in cave, get out by stabbing the eye, Cyclops
tricked by “Nohbody”
• Odysseus’ character – smart, strong, leader, bragging,
curious, adventurous, respect for tradition (hospitality
to guests), clever
• The curse – long journey home, loses crew, under
strange sail, bitter days at home (Poseidon god of sea)
Book 10 – The Grace of the Witch
• Greeted by “tame” beasts at Circe’s castle
• Circe turns the men into pigs
• Eurylochus runs to ship, wants to leave
• Odysseus gets moly from Hermes and goes to save the men
• Circe tries to drug him, but it does not work
• She swears an oath and seduces him
• Odysseus refuses to eat until his men are returned
• Circe asks him to stay, and he consents
• Eurylochus advises against, he insults Od.’s leadership, but
goes along anyway
• O loses track of time, and they stay over a year
• Circe agrees to let him go, but first he must visit the
underworld to hear his prophecy
• Odysseus does not want to go
In this book, Odysseus is human, heroic, smart, arrogant,
weak with women, and loses track of the GOAL.
Book 12 – Adventures at Sea
• Plug ears with beeswax to avoid the Sirens who hypnotize
with song
• ignores Circe’s advice and tries to fight
• Loses six men to Scylla – one for each mouth
• Od encourages his men and gives hope
• Crew feasts on Helio’s cattle and Zeus strikes with a bolt of
lightening and all except Od are lost – curse is realized
• King Alcinous sends him home “under strange sail and
alone”
Book 21 – The Test of the Bow
• Od. listens to Athena’s advice
• Develops a PLAN before rushing into his home
• Penelope devises a contest: string Od’s bow and shoot an
arrow through 12 axe handle sockets to win Penelope’s
hand in marriage
• Od shows up disguised as a beggar
• Two loyal servants help him – cowherd/swineherd
• His son Telemachus helps him reclaim the house
• Asks for Apollo’s help – shows us that Od now realizes
he needs the gods
Book 22 – Death in the Great Hall
First to die Antinous (ringleader)
Eurymachas tries to reason with Od
Od shows no mercy – all die
Telemachus spears an attacker and gets weapons & shields
Athena helps Od win after he proves himself
Shows intervention with the sign of her shield
Book 23 – The Sign
Penelope tests Od to see if he knows the secret of the tree/bed
She shows faithfulness, wisdom
Penelope blames Helen of Troy and her adultery for the
Trojan war and the long separation from Od
Comparison shows Penelope’s strength and faithfulness
Irony: (dramatic) We know what characters do not.
Penelope speaks of adultery but does not know of Od’s affairs
Symbols:
Bed:
love, trust, promise, can’t be moved like Penelope
Bow:
strength, stealth, death, manhood because Telemachus will get
when grown, satisfaction, bends, yield to the gods, shoots an
arrow, aim and keep focused on the target (goal) ITHACA
Sea:
vast, deep, dangerous, constantly changing, setting, conflict.
“Lost at in a sea of darkness”—separates Od from home, god
Posiedon against him