Odysseus: son of Pain 19.410 Odysseus’ name may be connected to the Greek verb ὀδύσσομαι (‘to rage, to hate’). Fagles observes that the Greek middle voice — both ac@ve and passive at the same @me — allows this verb to imply that Odysseus “is not only an agent of rage or hatred but its target, too.” Thus: Odysseus “suffers for making others suffer ... as the rigors by which the hero brings his iden@ty to life.” So... “Odysseus” may be translated as ‘man of pain’ — “ac@ve and passive, doing and done to, agent and vic@m both, inflic@ng and bearing pain yet somehow born himself in the process.” Fagles, trans. p. 514 note on 19.463-­‐64, with reference to Dimmock A.  Ten years B.  Twenty years i>clicker quiz How long have the C.  Three years suitors been D.  Thirteen years ravaging Odysseus’ estate? i>clicker quiz How long have the suitors been ravaging Odysseus’ estate? A.  Ten years B.  Twenty years C.  Three years D.  Thirteen years Penelope wove the shroud of Laertes for three years, star@ng the fourth…. But NOW they’re on to her. i>clicker quiz Homer himself addresses only one character directly in the poem. It’s a remarkable feature of the poem. Which of these is it? A.  The ignoble goatherd, Melanthius B.  The noble swineherd, Eumaeus C.  The prophet Theoclymenus D.  The bard Demodocus i>clicker quiz Homer himself addresses only one character directly in the poem. It’s a remarkable feature of the poem. Which of these is it? A.  The ignoble goatherd, Melanthius B.  The noble swineherd, Eumaeus C.  The prophet Theoclymenus D.  The bard Demodocus This is a hard ques@on, unless you have read the poem in Greek … or somebody @pped you off to it. … or you guessed. i>clicker quiz Penelope’s name in Greek is related to the noun ΠΗΝΗ, which refers to her principle role a virtuous wife. ΠΗΝΗ means which of the following? A.  Duck B.  Bobbin C.  Shroud D.  Trickery i>clicker quiz Penelope’s name in Greek is related to the noun ΠΗΝΗ, which refers to her principle role a virtuous wife. ΠΗΝΗ means which of the following? A.  Duck B.  Bobbin C.  Shroud D.  Trickery Penelope’s name has reference to the bobbin or the thread by which she busily weaves. Pinturicchio, Scenes from the
Odyssey 1509, National
Gallery, London, inv. 911
Mastery Image Penlope weaves at her loom, anchoring the female side of this composi@on, as Telemachus strides into her space. Over Telemachus leG shoulder, three suitors and the disguised Odysseus (in the doorway) strike various poses. Penelope s ul@mate weapon, the test of the bow, hangs on the wall behind her. The vigneoes over Telemachus right shoulder depict Odysseus and the Sirens, Odysseus and Circe, and the swine of Circe (men whose fidelity to home and family was not as resolute at was Odysseus ). Pinturicchio s work was painted as a fresco on a wall in the Petrucci Palace in Siena, Italy. Other frescoes in the same room celebrate the triumph of chas@ty and other family values. This fresco was detached and how hangs in the Bri@sh Na@onal Gallery. The NatGal s excellent website allows close-­‐
up views of the en@re surface. hop://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Pinturicchio,_Return_of_Odysseus.jpg OGCMA0850Penelope_Pinturicchio Where does the Odyssey end? According to two famous ancient cri@cs, the Odyssey ‘ended’ at 23.296 and the rest was wrioen by later poets with less skill than Homer exhibited. The no@on has convinced many modern scholars as well, and they find passages in the later material that have ‘unhomeric’ language and narra@ve that doesn’t fit with the rest. Of course, others disagree and think that the narra@ve requires the details offered in the remainder to bring the whole around fully. What do you think? Penelope s attitude
What does she know…. and when?
Theoclymenos prophecy: 17.150ff.
Penelope s response to the beggar s surly treatment at Antinous hand: 17.490ff.
Cf. Irus/Arnaeus s treatment of the beggar, before his own being Un-Irused: 18.201ff.
Her injunction to Eumaeus
Telemachus sneeze: 17.542
Her own interview with Odysseus: 19.105
Is she pressing him at 19.140ff.?
She does reveal the stratagem of the shroud.
It is an especially pressing moment: my parents are pressing me to marry…
cf. the dream of the geese 19.540ff. and lead in to it.
Her test of Odysseus: 19.215, the brooch on Crete the infallible signs that he had disclosed
[Eurycleia and the increased dramatic tension… 19.475ff.]
The challenge of the axes: proposed 19.570ff.
Her internal deliberation as she descends to the hall in 23.85ff. Should she remain aloof as she questioned her
husband…?
Odysseus: Telemachus, leave your mother to put me to the proof here in our home. 23.112