The Odyssey
Part 2
The Odyssey: Part 2
• In part 1 of the Odyssey, Odysseus and his
companions face many perils on their voyage
from Troy to Ithaca. At some moments, they are
tempted to forsake their voyage; at others, their
lives are endangered by powerful enemies.
Ultimately, Odysseus’ men bring about their own
destruction at the hand of Zeus when they kill the
cattle belonging to Helios.
• As part 2 begins, Odysseus is alone when he
reaches Ithaca (home) after a 20 year absence.
What do you predict will happen when Odysseus
arrives home?
The story continues…Coming Home
Book 13
• Odysseus is laden with gifts
• Returned in secret to Ithaca in one of the
magically swift Phaeacian ships.
• In Ithaca, Athena appears to the hero.
– Because his home is full of enemies, she advises him
to proceed disguised as a beggar.
– This new hero of the postwar age must succeed not
only by physical powers but also by intelligence.
The story continues…Coming Home
Book 14
• Odysseus, in his beggar's disguise, finds his way
to the hut of his old and trusty swineherd,
Eumaeus.
– Eumaeus is the very image of faithfulness in a servant –
a quality much admired by Homer’s society.
– The introduction of members of the so-called servant
class as important actors is unusual in epic poetry, and
it indicates Homer’s originality.
• Odysseus is politely entertained by Eumaeus
• the king remains disguised from his old servant.
The story continues…Coming Home
Book 15
• Athena appears to Odysseus’ son, Telemachus.
– Gone to Pylos and Sparta to talk to old friends of his
father’s to try to discover if Odysseus is alive or dead.
• Athena advises him to return to Ithaca.
– His home – the palace of Odysseus – is overrun with his
mother’s suitors.
– Arrogant men have taken over Odysseus’ house.
• Partying with money from the son’s inheritence and are
demanding that his mother, Penelope, take one of them as a
husband. A
• thena warns Telemachus that the suitors plan to ambush him.
• Telemachus boards a ship for home, lands secretly
on Ithaca, and heads towards the cottage of the
swineherd.
The story continues…Coming Home
• As father and son move closer and closer
together, the suspense becomes great.
• Most dramatic moment in the epic.
• Remember that Odysseus has not seen his son
for TWENTY years.
• Telemachus has been away from Ithaca for one
year.
The story continues…The Meeting
of Father and Son
• Telemachus goes to the swineherd
(where his Odysseus is in disguise)
and he learns that Penelope is
besieged by suitors.
– Penelope still grieves for her lost
husband and refuses to get married.
• The 3 men eat a meal and then the
swineherd goes to Penelope to tell
her of her sons return.
• When he leaves, the goddess
Athena appears and transforms
Odysseus to his youthful self so
that his son could see and know
him for who he is.
– Odysseus cried.
The story continues…The Beggar and
the Faithful Dog
• Telemachus returns home and is greeted by his
mother and his old nurse, Eurycleia.
• A soothsayer has told Penelope that Odysseus
is alive but her son does not tell her it is true.
• Odysseus and the swineherd walk into Ithaca.
No one recognizes him except Argos, his old
dog.
– When Argos sees Odysseus, he wags his tail, greats
him, and then dies.
– A soldier and his dog.
The story continues…The Beggar and
the Faithful Dog
• In the hall, the “beggar” is taunted by the evil
suitors, but Penelope supports him.
– She has learned that the ragged stranger claims to
have news of her husband.
• Unaware of who the beggar
is, she invites him to visit
her later in the night to talk
about Odysseus.
The story continues…Book 18
• Penelope appears among the suitors and
reproaches Telemachus for allowing the
stranger to be abused.
• Warmed her
husband’s
heart by
doing this and
by singing the
praises of her
lost Odysseus.
The story continues…Book 19
• Suitors depart for the night, and Odysseus and
Telemachus discuss their strategy.
• The clever hero goes to Penelope’s room so she
can questions him
– He wants to testing her and her maids. (Some of the
maids have been sleeping with suitors.)
• Tells her how he has met Odysseus in his travels.
– Praises the lost hero
– Brings tears to Penelope’s eyes.
– Pleases Odysseus
The story continues…Book 19
• The beggar reveals that he has heard that Odysseus is
alive and sailing
home.
• Penelope calls for the
old nurse and asks her to
wash his feet
– a sign of respect and honor.
• As Eurycleia does so, she
recognizes Odysseus from
a scar on his leg.
– Quickly he makes her swear
to secrecy
The story continues…Book 19
• Meanwhile, Athena has cast a spell on Penelope so that
she has taken no notice or recognition of the scene.
• Penelope adds top
the suspense by
deciding on a test for
the suitors on the next
day.
– Tells Odysseus she is
tired of being courted
and want to end it
– Without realizing
it, she has now given
Odysseus a way to
defeat the men who
threaten his wife and
kingdom.
The story continues…Book 20
• Odysseus, brooding over the shameless
behavior of the maidservants and the
suitors, longs to destroy his enemies but
fears the revenge of their friends.
• Athena reassures him. Odysseus is told
that the suitors will die.
The story continues…The Test of
the Great Bow
• In Book 21,
Penelope like
many
unwilling
princesses
of myth, fairy
tale, and
legend, proposes
an
impossible task
for those
who wish to
marry her.
The test involves
stringing
Odysseus’ huge
bow, an
impossible feat
for anyone by Odysseus himself. He had left
his bow home in Ithaca 20 years ago.
The story continues…The Test of
the Great Bow
• Penelope creates task for
suitors to complete in order
to marry her
• Must string Odysseus’ bow
and shoot an arrow through
the sockets of twelve axe
handles
– He had left his bow home in
Ithaca 20 years ago.
• Odysseus takes the bow and
makes the shot!
• Telemachus arms himself
and goes to stand by his
father. Odysseus is back!
An Ancient Gesture
By Edna St. Vincent Millay
I thought, as I wiped my eyes on the corner of my apron:
Penelope did this too.
And more than once: you can’t keep weaving all day
And undoing it all through the night;
Your arms get tired, and the back of your neck gets tight;
And long towards morning, when you think it will never be light,
And your husband has been gone, and you don’t know where, for years,
Suddenly you burst into tears;
There is simply nothing else to do.
And I thought, as I wiped my eyes on the corner of my apron:
This is an ancient gesture, authentic, antique
In the very best tradition, classic, Greek;
Ulysses did this too.
But only as a gesture, - a gesture which implied
To the assembled throng that he was much too moved to speak.
He learned it from Penelope…
Penelope, who really cried.
An Ancient Gesture
By Edna St. Vincent Millay
1. What does the word this refer to?
– Penelope did this too.
2. What might “weaving” stand for in this metaphor?
– And more than once: you can’t keep weaving all day/And
undoing it all night.
3. How does this litany of words and phrases with
positive connotations alter the tone of the poem?
– This is an ancient gesture, authentic, antique,/In the very
best tradition, classic, Greek;
4. Is this a fair comment to make about Odysseus?
Explain.
– But only as a gesture, - a gesture which implied/To the
assembled throng that he was much too moved to speak/He
learned it from Penelope…/Penelope, who really cried.
Journal #5
Is Odysseus a hero by
American standards and
morals today? Explain.
Readings: Death at the Palace
• The climax of the story is here. Odysseus is ready to claim
his rightful kingdom. But first he must deal with more
than 100 you and hostile suitors. The first one he turns to
is Antinous. All through the story, Antinous has been the
meanest of the suitors and their ringleader. He hit
Odysseus with a
stool when the
hero appeared in
the hall as a beggar,
and he ridiculed
the disguised king
by calling him a
bleary vagabond,
a pest and a tramp.
Readings: Death at the Palace
• What planning does Odysseus do before he battles the
suitors?
• How does his planning help him defeat his opponents?
• What does Odysseus’ action tell us about him as a person?
• Are his actions justified?
• Are his actions heroic by our standards today?
Readings: Odysseus and Penelope
Readings: Odysseus and Penelope
• Why do you think
Homer contrasts
Odysseus
appearance and
physical
attractiveness to
when he was
dressed as beggar?
• Who do you think
suffered greater
hardships – Odysseus
or Penelope? Explain?
The story ends…Book 23 & 24
• Say all of the commotion of the battle was
actually Penelope’s wedding
• Penelope doesn’t believe that Odysseus is truly
back and that he’s a fake
• Odysseus mentions the secret about how he
built and carved their entire bedroom around
an olive tree
• Penelope now believes him and runs into the
arms of her husband
The story ends…
• Odysseus is reunited with his father.
• Athena commands that peace prevail
between Odysseus and the relatives of the
slain suitors.
• Odysseus has regained his family and his
kingdom.
Ithaca
C. P. Cavafy, translated from Greek by Edmund Keeley and Philip Sherrard
When you set out for Ithaca,
pray that your road’s a long one,
full of adventure, full of discovery.
Laistrygonians, Cyclops,
angry Poseidon—don’t be scared of them:
you won’t find things like that on your way
as long as your thoughts are exalted,
as long as a rare excitement
stirs your spirit and your body.
Laistrygonians, Cyclops,
wild Poseidon—you won’t encounter them
unless you bring them along inside you,
unless your soul raises them up in front of you.
Pray that your road’s a long one.
May there be many a summer morning when—
full of gratitude, full of joy—
you come into harbors seen for the first time;
may you stop at Phoenician trading centers
and buy fine things,
mother-of-pearl and coral, amber and ebony,
sensual perfumes of every kind,
as many sensual perfumes as you can;
may you visit numerous Egyptian cities
to fill yourself with learning from the wise.
Keep Ithaca always in mind.
Arriving there is what you’re destined for.
But don’t hurry the journey at all.
Better if it goes on for years
so you’re old by the time you reach the island,
wealthy with all you’ve gained on the way,
not expecting Ithaca to make you rich.
Ithaca gave you the marvelous journey.
Without her you wouldn’t have set out.
She hasn’t anything else to give.
And if you find her poor, Ithaca won’t have
fooled you.
Wise as you’ll have become, and so experienced,
you’ll have understood by then what an Ithaca
means.
Ithaca
by C.P. Cavafy
1. What do you think Cavafy is suggesting in the
line “pray that your road’s a long one”?
2. What does Cavafy mean in lines 4 – 14?
3. Do you think Odysseus would agree with
Cavafy’s advice in lines 25 – 31?
4. What do you think Ithaca symbolizes in this
poem?
Themes in the Odyssey
Themes
• The Power of Cunning over Strength
– If the Iliad is about strength, the Odyssey is about cunning.
– Odysseus relies much more on mind than muscle. . .He knows
that he cannot overpower Polyphemus, and that, even if he were
able to do so, he wouldn’t be able to budge the boulder from the
door. He thus schemes around his disadvantage in strength by
exploiting Po1yphemus’s stupidity.
– Penelope’s clever notion of not remarrying until she completes a
burial shroud which she will never complete buys her important
time.
• Reputation, Kleos
Themes
– In the world of Odysseus, one’s, ones most treasured
possession is his good reputation, kleos.
– Kleos (Greek: κλέος) is the Greek word often translated to
"renown", or "_______________". It is related to the word
"to hear" and carries the implied meaning of "what others
hear about you". A Greek hero earns kleos through
accomplishing great deeds, often through battle.
– One’s reputation is determined by how others view
him, assessing his character, values, and behavior
according to the prevailing social strandards and mores.
– Zues himself affirms Odyssesu’s character.
– Apparently all the gods, except vengeful Poseidon, hold
Odysseus in high regard.
Themes
• The Pitfalls of Temptation
– The submission to temptation or recklessness either angers the
gods or distracts Odysseus and the members of his crew from
their journey: they yield to hunger and slaughter the Sun’s flocks,
and they eat the fruit of the lotus and forget about their homes.
Themes
• The Pitfalls of Temptations
– Even Odysseus’s hunger for kleos is a kind of temptation.
– He submits to it when he reveals his name to Polyphemus,
bringing Poseidon’s wrath upon him and his men.
– In the case of the Sirens, the theme is revisited simply for its
own interest. With their ears plugged, the crew members sail
safely by the Sirens’ island, while Odysseus, longing to hear the
Sirens’ sweet song, is saved from folly only by his foresighted
command to his crew to keep him bound to the ship’s mast.
– Homer is fascinated with depicting his protagonist tormented by
temptation: in general, Odysseus and his men want very
desperately to complete their nostos, or homecoming, but this
desire is constantly at odds with the other pleasures that the
world offers.
Themes
• Respect for the Gods
Respect for the gods is shown through the numerous
descriptions of sacrifices and offerings. Disrespect for the Gods
inevitably leads to disaster; the Gods do not forget disrespect
and are not easily appeased. (Poseidon, Athena, Helios.)
• The Importance of Lineage
Almost every time we met someone significant the narration
pauses and we learn of the lineage.
Many "things" we see also have a lineage or history that we are
given - note Odysseus scar and his bow.
• Fate
Fate is preordained by a power beyond that of even the gods.
Paradoxically, it does not seem "random." A character's fate is
tied up with his "character."
Themes
• Hospitality
– The social concept of hospitality is essential to
both major plots in the Odyssey.
– In fact, this concept was also the reading for the
Trojan War in the Iliad. Paris breaches the
hospitality of King Menelaus when he runs off
with – or steals Menelaus’s wife, Helen and takes
her back to troy with him.
– In the Odyssey, the reader first sees hospitality
exploited by Penelope’s suitors. They have
turned Odysseus’ home into their own private
party hall and spend most of their time feasting
and drinking at the host’s expense.
Themes
• Revenge
– Underlying the theme of revenge is the situation
at Odysseus’ household.
– The suitors would not dare such offensive
behavior if Odysseus were around or if they
anticipated his return.
• They think he is dead.
– Only a few have any really hope of marrying
Penelope and through that union have a better
chance of becoming the new king.
• Antonius
• The rest are simply taking advantage of the situation.
Themes
• Power
– Antonius broaches the topic of power when
he challenges Telemachus’ capacity to reign.
He acknowledges the prince’s right to rule but
hopes that Zeus will never make him King.
– He wants to marry Penelope for the crown.
Journal
Write a 5 paragraph essay
discussing 3 of the major
themes in the Odyssey.
Oh Brother, Where Art Thou?
Oh Brother, Where Art Thou?
• O Brother, Where Art Thou? is a 2000 adventure comedy
film written, produced, edited, and directed by Joel and
Ethan Coen, and starring George Clooney
• Set in 1937 rural Mississippi during the Great
Depression, the film's story is a modern satire loosely
based on Homer’s epic poem, Odyssey.
• Much of the music used in the film is period folk music
• The movie was one of the first to extensively use digital
color correction, to give the film an autumnal, sepiatinted look.
• The film received positive reviews, and the American
folk music soundtrack won a Grammy for Album of the
Year in 2001.
Oh Brother Where Art Thou?
• As you watch the film complete the
handout given and pay special attention
to parts of the story that are also found in
the Odyssey.
Journal
• What a 5 paragraph essay comparing and
contrasting the Odyssey to the film Oh
Brother, Where Art Thou?