The Odyssey Lecture Notes

Transcription

1 The Odyssey Lecture Notes Du et Des: I give so that you may give Nestor wants to make a sacrifice to Athena because he desires her help as she helped him once before Menelaus punished for an imperfect sacrifice: In Egypt, where the gods still marooned me, eager as I was to voyage home I d failed, you see, to render them full, flawless victims, and gods are always keen to see their rules obeyed (247) Eurycleia prompts Penelope to pray to Pallas, daughter of storming Zeus she may save Telemachus yet when he is on his way home and the suitors are planning to kill him (257) Odysseus prayed to a river god to protect him from the rough ocean current Prayer is seen as a form of worship Random Lies are unwise: he ll never lie the man is far too wise (235) Helen is a daughter of Zeus It s easy for them, all right, they feed on another s goods and go scot-free a man whose white bones lie strew in the rain somewhere, rotting away on land or rolling down the ocean s salty swells (210) Elements of Epic Poetry Invocation of the muse Blindness versus Sight If an individual is blind, then it is an indication that they are more knowledgeable or insightful Irony of a blind man seeing more Foolish men, though they can physically see, or considered to be blind to the truth Cyclops made blind through his own foolishness Odysseus men ate the cattle of the sun god; they are described as the blind fools Tiresias, the great blind prophet (326) Homer is a blind poet View of Women Eumaeus blames Helen for Odysseus sailing off to war If only Helen and all her kind had died out too, brought to her knees, just as she cut the legs from under troops of men (367) Helen s elopement is called a fit of madness Helen blames Aphrodite (245) Calypso holds Odysseus back from traveling home: she holds him there by force (260) Calypso warns him of the state of his home to try and keep him with her (264-5) Calypso is told to let him go home by Zeus via Hermes Circe holds him for one year Turns men into pigs Female monsters: Scylla, Charybdis, and Sirens Agamemnon warns Odysseus to test Penelope so even your own wife never indulge her too far. Never reveal the whole truth, whatever you may know; just tell her a part of it, be sure to hide the rest. Not that you, Odysseus, will be murdered by your wife the time for trusting women s gone forever (339) Athena agrees: you must put your wife to the proof yourself! (363) Disguises Athena disguises herself as Mentes to spurn Telemachus into action

2 Dymas daughter A little girl Hermes disguises himself as a young man to help Odysseus with Circe Athena disguises Ithaca from Odysseus when he first lands there so he won t rush home in excitement Athena comes to Odysseus as a young boy Odysseus pretends not to be himself and makes up a whole story about his background She appears to him and praises him for his ingenuity: That s why I can t forsake you in your troubles you are so winning, so wordly-wise, so self-possessed! Anyone else, come back from wandering long and hard, would have hurried home at once, delighted to see his children and his wife (363) Athena disguises Odysseus as an old man for when he meets Eumaeus, Telemachus, the suitors, his household, and Penelope (364-5) Athena disguises herself as a woman p 395 Telemachus Bildungsroman Bildungsroman : a novel dealing with one person's formative years or spiritual education; a coming of age story Personality Before: Telemachus respects Xenia: he escorted her to a high, elaborate chair of honor, over it draped a cloth, and here he placed his guest with a stool to rest her feet. But for himself he drew up a low reclining chair beside her, richly painted, clear of the press of suitors (209) Telemachus looks like Odysseus Never met him because he was too young Athena s Influence: Athena sends Telemachus on a quest Encourages him to kill the suitors its time you were a man (213) Filled with courage by Athena Immediately stands up to mother: I hold the reign of power (215) Still too weak to drive suitors out on his own When Telemachus comments that he s hardly adept at subtle conversation. Someone my age might feel shy, she responds, some of the words you ll find within yourself (227) Return from Quest Changed Burial Practices Athena suggests Telemachus create a burial mound for Odysseus if he isn t able to find any news of his father p213 Odysseus loses six men while fighting the Cicones Raises a cry for their death One of Odysseus men, Elpenor, fell asleep on the roof and when he was roused fell off; Odysseus and his men left Circe s hall before they buried him he d not been buried under the wide ways of earth we d left his body in Circe s house, unwept, unburied When they returned the performed the rites: We cut logs in haste and out on the island s sharpest jutting headland held his funeral rites in sorrow, streaming tears. Once we d burned the d3ead man and the dead man s armor, heaping his grave-mound, hauling a stone that coped it well, we planted his balanced oar aloft to crown his tomb (345) Achilles death was mourned for 17 days; on the 18 th his body was burned: slaughtered around your body droves of fat sheep and shambling longhorn cattle, and you were burned in the garments of the gods and laved with soothing oils and honey running sweet, and a long cortege of Argive heroes paraded

3 in review, in battle armor round your blazing pyre funeral games were played after his pyre Tests Testing the swineherd: Odysseus tells a long story to see whether Eumaeus will offer Odysseus, the stranger, clothes and a good bed to sleep the night on Eumaeus passes Second test on his hospitality; passes once more Testing of Penelope: speaks with her when all the suitor s have gone to bed to see if she really is pining after Odysseus and seeking his return Penelope passes Testing of Laertes: tells a story to see if Laertes truly misses his son, Odysseus Laertes passes the test Almost seems cruel; causes Odysseus to weep Penelope tests Odysseus, to see if he truly is her lost husband despite his appearance: she asks Eurycleia to move the bridal bed into another room Odysseus gets utterly angry, thus proving that he is Odysseus The bed was built out of a tree that grew from the ground and could not be moved a symbol of their marriage Wily Penelope Men courting her three years the matchless queen of cunning (219); wise Penelope (394) The loom she set up a great loom in the royal halls and she began to weave, and the weaving finespun, the yarns endless, and she would lead us on: Young men, my suitors, now that King Odysseus is no more, go slowly, keen as you are to marry me, until I can finish off this web by night, by the light of torches set beside her, she would unravel all she d done (219) a skilled hand for elegant work, a find mind and subtle wiles too (219) Not one could equal Penelope for intrigue (219) Odysseus is proud of his wife s cunning: Odysseus glowed with joy to hear all this his wife s trickery luring gifts from her suitors now, enchanting their hearts with suave seductive words (424) No finer gift in the world than that when man and woman possess their home, two minds, two hearts that work as one (276) we two will know each other, even better we two have secret signs, known to us both but hidden from the world (476) Penelope s test Test of the Suitors The hand that can string the bow with greatest ease, that shoots an arrow clean through all twelve axes he s the man I follow (442) Only Odysseus is actually strong enough to string the bow; thus, she can only marry Odysseus Wily Odysseus Odysseus Description: Physically fit: He s no mean man, not with a build like that Look at his thighs, hi legs, and what a pair of arms his massive neck, his big, rippling strength! (291) Odysseus often described as a man of twists and turns who excels all men in wisdom (206-7) no one there could hope to rival Odysseus, not for sheer cunning at every twist of strategy he excelled us all (230)

4 I can t describe or even list them all, the exploits crowding fearless Odysseus record but what a feat the hero carried off he slipped into he enemy s city, roamed its streets all disguised, a totally different man, a beggar (245) Similar in nature to the Old Man of the Sea who always attempts to escape through various twists and turns; Old Man of the Sea said to know everything Although he is smart he also longs for battle When he faces Scylla and Charybdis, Circe suggests that he not worry about arming for battle but just rowing as fast as possible; Odysseus still arms for battle because he is Hell-bent yet again on battle and feats of arms (347) Beeswax in earths with sirens Although not originally Odysseus idea, this saved the life of all his men Wisdom is also knowing when to listen to others ideas Trojan Horse With Athena s assistance, Odysseus thought up the Trojan horse: the wooden horse Epeus built with Athena s help, the cunning trap that good Odysseus brought one day to the heights of Troy (299) Encounter with the Cyclops Despite his desire to outright attack Polyphemus, Odysseus chooses to act wisely resulting in their survival Stabs the cyclops eye out so he can t see; escapes tied to the bottom of sheep If he had just killed the cyclops, they would have been trapped inside the cave due to the large bolder used as a door Gives Polyphemus the name of Nobody so that when Polyphemus calls out for help he will say, Nobody s killing me now by fraud and not by force (311). Thus, he tricks the other cyclops into not coming to assist Polyphemus Further moments of cunning Not rushing home once he reaches Ithaca Testing Eumaeus, Penelope, Laertes Spinning out stories of lies to trick people into giving him information Odysseus cries a lot; overcome by emotion Telemachus taking after Odysseus and Penelope in wisdom During the competition with Odysseus bow, Telemachus makes himself look ridiculous to try and put the suitor s off their guard The Importance of Cunning over Brute Strength Some situations can only be overcome by cunning and not strength Escaping and defeating Polyphemus Hephaestus outsmarts Ares (295) Although Hephaestus is crippled, he is able to defeat Ares by outwitting him; Ares and Aphrodite were having an affair behind Hephaestus back so Hephaestus set a trap for both of them Look how limping Hephaestus conquers War, the quickest of all the gods who rule Olympus! (295) Fate Versus Free Will Versus the Will of Zeus Fate Odysseus cursed by fate (207) so his destiny ordains (261) Antinous fated to be the first man to taste an arrow whipped from great Odysseus hands

5 (454) Even Amphinomous, the least obnoxious of the suitors was fraught with grave forebodings but not even so could he escape his fate (421) but the great leveler, Death, not even the gods can defend a man, not even one they love, that day when fate takes hold and lays him out at last (233) Calypso must set Odysseus free because it is not his fate to die here, far from his own people. Destiny still ordains that he shall see his loved ones (262) Unlucky Odysseus would have met his death against the will of Fate but the bright-eyed one inspired him yet again (270) When on Circe s island, Eurylochus asks Odysseus, Why are we tempting fate? (325) Will of Zeus that year spun out by the gods (206) what pains the gods have given me my share (302) now the gods have reversed our fortunes... (212) Zeus ruined it all god s will, no doubt (413) Zeus is to blame (214) god-appointed kings (256) it s Olympian Zeus himself who hands our fortunes out (276) Hermes informs Calypso she must set Odysseus free because there is no way, you know, for another god to thwart the will of storming Zeus (262) If only Olympians Zeuz, farseeing Zeus, had granted us both safe passage home across the sea in our swift trim ships (243) Seems to have the most power over travelers, especially those who travel by sea In Penelope s dream, she witnesses an eagle kill a bunch of geese The eagle is Zeus bird; this is a sign that Zeus favors Odysseus return and defeat of the suitors Free Will? these mortals blame the gods (207) Double Determination his own idea, perhaps, or a god led him on (309) Xenia Traditions Every stranger and beggar comes from Zeus Food is always offered before asking of the strangers story: strangers, guests, to share our flowing feast even giving them the choicest part of the meal (240-1) a prize of honor, something rare and fine as a keepsake from myself. The kind of gift a host will give a stranger, friend to friend (213) parting gifts a guest deserves (297) Strangers given clothes: you ll never lack for clothing or any other gift, the right of worn-out suppliants come our way (276) Often strangers given a place to sleep: I ve plenty of fine rugs and blankets here (235) Dishonorable to not give them the best: how indecent, look, our guest on the ground, in the ashes by the fire! (283) Hospitality creates bonds of friendship Who would fight his friend? (292) Reasoning You never knew when the stranger would be a god When Odysseus reveals himself to Telemachus, Telemachus assumes he must be a god: Surely you are some god who rules the vaulting skies (396)

6 A way to get news Suitors abusing hospitality to the last man they court my mother, they lay waste my house (212) Telemachus hopes Zeus pays the suitors back; Zeus hears Telemachus prayers; sends eagles as a sign Demonstrates the Zeus agrees that the suitor s are violating the hospitality rules Suitors plan to kill Telemachus upon his return and Odysseus if he ever returns Telemachus demonstrates a respect for hospitality Treats Athena in disguise well, which shows his good character: he is mortified that a guest might still be standing at the door (209) Mentes is Odysseus friend; bonds of hospitality created from previous visits Telemachus wishes to invite a stranger to his house but is afraid because of how the suitors would treat him: Our hospitality never fails but now, I fear, it could only serve you poorly (390) When Telemachus visits Eumaeus, Odysseus begins to move to allow Telemachus to have his seat but Telemachus doesn t allow him to do that: Stay where you are, stranger. I know we can find another seat somewhere, here honor farm, and here s the man to fetch it (392) Take this spear, this guest-gift, for the cow s hoof you once gave King Odysseus begging in his house! (469) Encounter with the Cyclops What are they here violent, savage, lawless? Or friendly to strangers, god fearing men? (274) Odysseus wants to see what type of host the cyclops will be: But I would not give way not till I saw him, saw what gifts he d give Cyclops does not demonstrate Xenia toward his guests The cyclops gives Odysseus a curse as a guest gift: let me give you a guest-gift Hear me Poseidon grant that Odysseus never reaches home (314) Cyclops considered uncivilized lawless brutes (300); barbarian (310) Comes from the Ancient Greek word barbaros, which originally meant anyone not Greek; now means people who are uncivilized or evil o Term developed in reference to the Persians who wore pants! Not farmers but herdsmen No wine; a sign that they are not civilized Odysseus tries to get Polyphemus drunk with wine, which he had never drank before Seen as uncivilized: the opposite of Greeks They have no meeting place for council, no laws either, no, up on the mountain peaks they live in arching caverns- each a law to himself, ruling his wives and children, not a care in the world for any neighbor (304) Odysseus is curious about their customs: What are they violent, savage, lawless? Or friendly to strangers, god fearing men? (305) Described as a grim loner, dead set in his own lawless ways. Here was a piece of work, by god, a monster built like no mortal who ever suppoed on bread, no like a shaggy peak, I d say a man-mountain rearing head and shoulders over the world (306) Circe breaks guest rites Pretends to uphold guest rites; gives Odysseus and his men foot and drink but it turns her guests into pigs Loyal swineherd, Eumaeus, respects hospitality rites treats Odysseus well Treats Odysseus, the beggar, well

7 Dogs would have attacked Odysseus but Eumaeus called them off Invites him to come, follow me into my place, old man, so you, at least, can eat your fill of bread and wine. Then you can tell me where you re from (367) He does this because he has a fear of Zeus, the god of guests, and because he pities Odysseus, the beggar (375) When in Odysseus palace, Eumaeus calls Antinous out on his lack of hospitality and treating Odysseus, the beggar, terribly Nestor likes playing the host: Telemachus remarks, Your father s old, in love with his hospitality (383) Glory and Honor Telemachus wishes that his father had died a glorious death: I would never have grieved so much about his death if he d gone down with comrades off in Troy or died in the arms of loved ones, once he had wound down the long coil of war (212) Odysseus reflects this same wish: Would to god I d died there too and met my fate that day the Trojans, swarms of them, hurled at me with bronze spears, fighting over the corpse of proud Achilles! A hero s funeral then, my glory spread by comrades now what a wretched death I m doomed to die! (267) Athena encourages Telemachus to seek glory like Orestes o be sung of in song Interfering Gods During the fight with the suitors, Athena intervenes to protect Odysseus and his side from the spear throws of the suitors while making Odysseus sides throws hit the mark o o but Athena sent the whole salvo wide of the mark (468) She brandished her man-destroying shield of thunder, terrifying the suitors out of their minds, and down the hall they panicked (469) At the end when all the men have come to attack Odysseus, Athena steps in: Shed no more blood make peace at once (495) Death But the great leveler, Death, not even the gods can defend a man, not even one they love, that day when fate takes hold and lays him out at last (233) What other tribute can we pay to wretched men than to cut a lock, let tears roll down our cheeks? (244) o Dedicated a lock of hair at the tomb was a gesture to mourn and commemorate the dead Achilles mentions he would rather be alive than dead: I d rather slave on earth for another man some dirt-poor tenant farmer who scrapes to keep alive than rule down here over all the breathless dead (340) how the gods detested [Odysseus], with a vengeance never letting him go under, fighting Trojans, or die in the arms of loved ones, once he d wound down the long coil of war. Then all united Achaea would have raised his tomb (374) Helen Not I: my heart leapt up my heart had changed by now I yearned to sail back home again! I grieved too late for the madness Aphrodite sent me, luring me there, far from my dear land, forsaking my own child, my bridal bed, my husband too, a man who lacked for neither brains nor beauty (245) Odysseus Faithlessness 7 years with Calypso

8 o claims that she never won the heart inside him (285) With Circe a whole year (323) Bards Demodocus, the bard, is inspired by the spirit (288) The muse inspires storytellers or teaches them how to sing o the muse inspired the bard to sing the famous deeds of fighting heroes (289) o the Muse herself has taught them paths of song. She loves the breed of harper's (299) Storytelling! Odysseus lies Odysseus tells his story Love and War Hephaestus is married to Aphrodite (god of blacksmiths married to goddess of love) Aphrodite is having an affair with Ares (goddess of love is having an affair with god of war) Hephaestus is able to catch them in the act: Look how limping Hephaestus conquers War, the quickest of all the gods who rule Olympus (295) Slavery a woman weeps, her arms flung round her darling husband, a man who fell in battle, fighting for town and townsmen, trying to beat the day of doom from home and children. Seeing the man go down, dying, gasping for breath, she clings for dear life, screams and shrills- but the victors, just behind her, digging spear-butts into her back and shoulders, drag her off in bondage, yoked to hard labor, pain, and the most heartbreaking torment wastes her cheeks (300) Curiosity Wanted to see the cyclops Explores Circe s Island Longing for Home nothing is as sweet as a man s own country, his own parents, even though he s settled down in some luxurious house, off in a foreign land and far from those who bore him (302) Lotus Eaters make you forget home 304 Style Time Extended Simile: a simile developed over several lines of verse, especially one used in an epic poem. Also known as an Epic Simile, Homeric Simile like an expert singer skilled at lyre and song who strains a string to a new peg with ease, making the pliant sheep-gut fast at either end so with his virtuoso ease Odysseus strung his mighty bow. Quickly his right hand plucked the string to test its pitch and under his touch it sang out clear and sharp as a swallow s cry (462) Frame Narrative Epithets Athena: Sparkling-eyed Athena; Bright Eyed Athena; Athena, queen of tactics; Athena, driver of armies Zeus: Father, son of Cronus; Olympian Zeus; Storming Zeus Poseidon: Earth-Shaker Poseidon; Earthquake god; Poseidon, god of the earthquake

9 Hermes: Giant-killer Hermes; Hermes, the running god of luck Greeks: Flowing haired Achaeans Nestor: Nestor, breaker of horses; Nestor the noble chariot driver Odysseus: Worldly-wise Odysseus; Diplomatic Odysseus; Long-enduring Odysseus; Wily Odysseus; Odysseus, Sun of Laertes; Odysseus, raider of cities; Odysseus, mastermind of war