Student 1
Mates Student
Ms. Minnier
English 1
23 December 2014
καλὸν κακὸν: Odysseus’s Most Difficult Trials
In the epic poem, The Odyssey, by the Greek poet Homer, the main character Odysseus
has to struggle to overcome terrible monsters, like Cyclopes and giant cannibals, in order to
return home. Despite his encounters with these fearsome beasts, the worst foes he struggles to
subjugate are the women who seduce him. These women are known in Greek as a καλὸν κακὸν,
which roughly translates to a Beautiful Evil (Ancient Greece). This term was coined by another
Greek poet, Hesiod, who used it to describe the first woman, Pandora (Hesiod 25). In Greek
Mythology, Pandora is notorious for being the person who released all evils, such as fear and
anger, into the world (Ancient Greece). Homer uses this example of καλὸν κακὸν (Beautiful
Evil) many times in The Odyssey, and Odysseus’ most difficult challenges are often
surmounting the alluring women who oppress him. Amongst these wooing evils, the witch
Circe, the monstrous Sirens, and the goddess Calypso stand out as the foremost examples of
καλὸν κακὸν. Homer’s highlight of these women make his intent clear. The cultural concept of
καλὸν κακὸν is presented in The Odyssey with the women who prevent Odysseus’s return home,
making them his most dangerous obstacles.
Circe is a καλὸν κακὸν that tries to prevent Odysseus from returning home because she is
a beguiling witch. On her island, “Circe…brings out the worst in men, metaphorically turning
them into swine” (D’Ammassa 2). While she literally turns Odysseus’s men into pigs, she also
exploits their attraction to women, uses her flair for seducing men, and easily convinces them to
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stay with her and forget their venture home. Even when Odysseus arrives and frees his men, she
still attempts to convince him to stay, offering, “Remain with me, and share my meat and wine”
(Homer 171). Even Odysseus possesses no immunity to her charms; she manages to keep him
and his men from resuming their journey to Ithaca for more than a year, until they grow anxious
to see their homeland again. Circe’s initial move to make men forget about returning home
reveals her inherent nature as a καλὸν κακὸν.
Sirens are a καλὸν κακὸν that challenge Odysseus and endanger him and his crew; since,
the purpose of their song is to lure men to their death. Don D’Ammassa notes in his analysis of
The Odyssey that “Sirens are unusually seductive women” (D’Ammassa 2). As Odysseus
prepares to depart from Circe’s island, Circe, warns him of this perilous obstacle. Odysseus
makes sure his men cannot hear the Sirens’ song by using beeswax. He then has himself tied to
the mast of his ship, so he can listen but not be in danger (Homer 204). The song emanating from
the small horde of Sirens affects Odysseus strongly. He struggles against his bindings, crying
out “Untie me!” (Homer 204). Despite the allure that surrounds these half-woman half-bird
creatures, their passion for luring men to their deaths indicates pure evil. The Sirens exemplify
καλὸν κακὸν: their passionate song is representative of beauty; whereas, their malign intent
represents evil.
The temptress Calypso is the most extreme example of καλὸν κακὸν because she
prevents him from returning home for the longest period of time. Even when Odysseus is
preparing to depart from this alluring goddess’s island, she still attempts to convince Odysseus to
stay with her, imploring, “Can I be less desirable than she [Penelope] is?” (Homer 89). Calypso
is Odysseus’s most stubborn obstacle. In the seven years he spends on her island, “he advances
not a step nearer to home” (Niles 3). During this time, “[his] state is neither that of the living nor
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that of the dead” (Frank 1). In reality, Calypso’s island is a jail. As Don D’ammassa states,
during Odysseus’s time on the island, “[he] has been taken prisoner by…Calypso” (D’Ammassa
1). Thus Odysseus is a prisoner with a life sentence – only a call from the governor (Zeus via
Hermes) can set Odysseus free. In the end, Calypso is such an unrelenting evil that Odysseus is
only allowed to bid his final adieu to her after Zeus himself sends Hermes as an envoy to force
her to relinquish Odysseus.
When Odysseus finally returns home to his ever-faithful wife, he has finally thwarted
these evil women. Not only has he vanquished these women, but in doing so, he returns to his
faithful wife, Penelope, and his loving son, Telemachus. In Ancient Greece, this was Homer’s
lesson to his fellow men: there are many alluring things in life that seek to deter one from
returning home, yet there is “No place like home.” If they wander after these tempting things, it
will lead to their undoing; exemplified by Circe turning Odysseus’s men into pigs (Homer 164).
In the end, Circe, the Sirens, and Calypso, were all the same: just another καλὸν κακὸν for
Odysseus to overcome.
Note: The bold words are vocabulary words. Try to use at least 5 from units 7 to current unit.
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Works Cited
Ancient Greece: Gods and Battles. A&E Home Video, 2010. DVD.
D'Ammassa, Don. "The Odyssey." Bloom's Literary Reference Online. Facts On File News
Services. Web. 26 Nov. 2013.
Frank, Bernhard. "Homer's ODYSSEY." The Explicator 58.4 (2000): 1. Literature Resource
Center. Web. 2 Dec. 2013.
Hesiod. "The Theogony of Hesiod." Sacred-Texts. Trans. Hugh G. Evelyn-White. John Bruno
Hare. Web. 10 Dec. 2013.
Homer. The Odyssey. Trans. Robert Fitzgerald. New York City: Nelson Doubleday, 1961. Print.
Niles, John D. "Patterning in the Wanderings of Odysseus." Ramus 7.1 (1978): 3-4. Literature
Resource Center. Web. 25 Nov. 2013.