Villanova University
A Home for Odysseus
James Edwards
Ancients - ACS 1000 - OS3
Professor Watts
September 23, 2021
What does a home look like for Odyessus? Odysseus has three places where he spent
significant time: Kirkê’s island, Ogygia, and Ithaca. These three places provide insight on what
Odyessus is looking for in a home. On Kirkê’s island, Odysseus trusts and respects Kirkê, even
asking for advice on what to do after he leaves her. The only reason that Odysseus leaves is that
his crew is discontent and wants to finally return home. During his stay with Calypso on Ogygia,
Odysseus can't trust Calypso, doesn’t have anyone else to talk to, and hates his time on the
island. Odysseus hates spending time with someone he doesn't trust, and who is unable to
empathize with him. When he finally comes home to Ithaca, he gets his house and wife,
Penelope, back. In doing so, he finds friends who are loyal and can be his allies. When he gets
Penelope back they share their stories and clearly trust each other. Through Odysseus’s journey
between these places, what a home means to this character becomes more apparent. A home for
Odysseus requires a woman whom he can trust and empathize with, friends who he can share his
stories with, and a sense of contentment.
Kirkê, clever, dangerous, and empathetic, is the first woman Odysseus encounters on his
journey. Kirkê turns Odysseus’s crew into pigs, but after Odyessus has convinced her to release
his crew, she shows her caring side. Kirkê sees the strife of the crew and calms them by saying,
“No need for all this weeping any longer. I know the great sorrows that have suffered on the
briny deep, and how many pains cruel men have shown you on land” (Homer 206). Kirkê
“knows” their pain and can empathize with the crew, even though she is the cause of some of the
pain. Kirkê convinced Odysseus to stay with her for a year without ever forcing him to be with
her after their first meeting. Odysseus felt slightly intimidated when he begs Kirkê to leave, but
he trusts Kirkê to not plan him any evil. They could match each other in intellect and they can
empathise with each other. Kirkê is dangerous, but so is Odysseus. Kirkê and Odysseus balance
eachother out, and they trust and love each other .
Odysseus next ends up in Ogygia with Calypso, but hates his time there. He initially
enjoyed it as Calypso was very beautiful, intelligent, and she patched up his wounds, but he
quickly grew tired of her. Calypso is a crafty and lustful goddess who Odysseus can’t relate to or
trust. When Calypso tells him that can finally leave the island he thinks it is a trap. Odysseus
needs Calypso “to swear a great oath not to devise any further evil against me” (Homer 115).
Odysseus needs this “great oath” to make sure that he is not being tricked or given false hope. He
doesn't even have the slightest glimmer of hope that Calypso would feel bad for him and let him
go from her own will. A beautiful spouse, immortality, and an easy life is not everything to
Odysseus. Odysseus needs a woman he can trust or he will be miserable.
When Odysseus makes it back to Ithaca and kills all the suitors, he gets to be back with
Penelope. Penelope is Odysseus’s ideal woman; she is the one he has been trying to get back too
for so long. Penelope is exceptionally clever. She manages to convince the suitors to constantly
give her gifts, while managing the household without its head, while staying faithful to
Odysseus. When Odysseus and Penelope get to finally talk, they share their stories of their trials
and sorrows. Odysseus says to Penelope after they have finished their tales of woe, “Woman,
surely we have had our fill of trials, both of us, you here and me crying about my troublesome
homecoming” (Homer 418-19). Penelope and Odysseus empathise with each other, they “both”
have had their trials. They can understand each other and can trust each other. Penelope is
exceptionally loyal, clever, and trusting of Odysseus. She is the one who makes his homecoming
worthwhile.
Odysseus needs a woman who is clever as well as someone he can trust and empathize
with. The three women he stays with all portray their unique relationship to Odysseus. When
looking into what Odysseus wants, trust is at the forefront of what makes a good spouse. He also
needs someone who he can confide in, like Kirkê or Penelope. Odysseus, even as a great warrior
and cold-hearted strategist, still needs a shoulder to cry on. Odysseus needs a woman who is
clever so he can properly empathise with them and a woman whom he can trust without
worrying about any evil they might plot for him.
Odysseus is a people person. He needs friends who he can hang out with and tell stories
to. Odysseus forcefully takes his friends from the lotus eaters when they forget themselves and
their pursuit for home. Odysseus sticks by his crew and tries his best to lead them down the path
of least suffering. With the lotus eaters he saves his crew from a decision that they would forever
regret. He values each of his friends and wants the best for him. His friends also save him. When
Odysseus is on Kirkê’s island, the only reason he left is because his crew reminded him that they
all wanted to go home. Odysseus was saved from the temptation of Kirkê and his desire to rest a
while by his crew who reminded him what truly mattered, their journey home. When Odysseus
goes back to Ithaca, the first thing he does is make friends with people who are loyal. Eumaeus,
the goat herder, and Telemachus become his loyal friends and help him kill all the suitors.
Odysseus needs loyal friends to help him through his struggles as he helps them through theirs.
He is most happy when he has people to share his happiness and grief with.
To be at home Odysseus needs to be content where he is. He needs to want to be there
and want to stay there. Odysseus was not at home in Ogygia because he was unhappy. Odysseus
could have been at home with Kirkê but his crew wasn’t happy, so he wasn’t content. A keyway
to see if someone is content is if they smile. Odysseus smiles very rarely during the poem. One
of these select few times is when Penelope is about to test Odysseus. Odysseus is clearly looking
forward to being tested by his wife. He enjoys tests of cleverness and a home where those are
common is where he is most happy. Odysseus needs friends, stories, and intellectual challenges
to be happy.
Odysseus needs a trusting and caring relationship, good friends, and to be content to feel
at home. Odysseus desires a woman who he can trust and love with all his heart. He wants good
friends who can care for him as he cares for them. Friends who will be by his side in battle and at
the dinner table. He himself needs to be happy. He needs challenges and stories to keep him
busy, so he doesn't feel complacent. Ithaca is the true home of Odysseus. The people and things
he desires are all there once he clears out the suitors. At the end of the poem Odysseus does
indeed get the homecoming he truly deserves and longs for.
Works Cited:
Homer, The Odyssey, trans. Barry. B. Powell (New York: Oxford University Press, 2015)