Slucher
English 9
The Odyssey
12,000-line poem
first action adventure story
Telemachy—The first four books of the Odyssey
Meter
Homer wrote the Odyssey in a dactylic hexameter. Each line of the epic has six
metrical feet, or small groups of sounds. The first five feet are dactyls, which are
composed of a long sound and two short sounds. The last foot of each line is always a
spondee, which is made up of two long sounds. The Greek version of the Iliad follows
these rules exactly, but only a few English translations have tried to follow it. English has
stresses rather than long and short sounds.
Translator Robert Fagles commented, “Once you get that Greek hexameter in
your ear, it becomes the most gorgeous line of poetry ever conceived…and the more it
lodges, the more you realize there is nothing like it in English, and you mustn’t try to
reproduce it.” The Fagles translation employs a six-beat line, but he varies this to
achieve a “range in rhythm, pace, and tone.”
Formal/Rhetoric Speech
In the Odyssey, the characters tend to make speeches rather than have
conversations. (An exception to this is some of the dialogue between the suitors and
between the suitors and Telemachus in Book 20.) Many of these speeches can be long
and, at times, formulaic, and some parts may be repeated word for word at another point
in the poem. The most startling example occurs when Odysseus repeats Agamemnon’s
plea for Achilles to go back to fight for the Achaeans in the Iliad.
Imagery
Readers often wonder how Homer could possibly have been blind. He visualizes
everything from Athena’s blazing eyes, the wind, the dark sea, and Alcinous’ palace.
A radiance as strong as the moon came flooding
Through the high-roofed halls of generous Alcinous.
Walls plated in bronze, crowned with a circling frieze
Glazed as blue as lapis ran to left and right
From outer gates to the deepest court recess
And solid gold doors enclosed the palace.
Up from the bronze threshold silver doorposts rose
With silver lintel above, and golden handles, too.
And dogs of gold and silver were stationed on either side.
the Odyssey
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Homer’s imagery is vivid. He gives us extraordinary detail. Antinous was not just
shot with an arrow—“the point went stabbing clean through the soft neck and out/ and off
to the side he pitched, the cup dropped from his grasp/as the shaft sank home/the man’s
life-blood came spurting from his nostrils.”
Although Homer does give descriptions of settings (for instance, the gardens of
Calypso and Alcinous), he characteristically brings them to life. “The West wind always
breathing through will bring some fruits to the bud and others warm to ripeness.” When
we read about Alcinous’ “teaming vineyard,” we see “the vintage grapes lie baking in the
sun while pickers gather others.”
Nothing in Homer remains static for long. Probably the best known example of
his bringing an object to life is the description in the Iliad of the shield of Achilles. A
story lurks behind everything, and Homer loves to tell stories (narrative drift); his
pictures are always moving. When Odysseus first saw Alcinous’ garden, he “stood,
gazing at all this bounty.” In the next line, he had his “fill of marveling at it all” and,
immediately, “crossed the threshold/strode inside the palace.” Homer, like Odysseus,
seems most at home when something is happening (or, in the case of digression, has
happened). His characters are always doing something: weeping, laughing, eating,
crying—they are alive!
Some of Homer’s descriptions are clearly hyperbolic, but many of them give us a
sense of what the world of his time must have looked like. Even when it is hard to picture
everything he describes, no one seems to have figured out how the axes Odysseus shoot
the arrows through, line up. We sense it is a failure of our imagination, not his powers:
First [Telemachus] planted the axes, digging a long trench,
One for all and trued them all to line
Then tamped the earth to bed them. Wonder took
The revelers: his work so firm, precise
Though he’d never seen the axes ranged before.
the Odyssey
In addition to letting us see his world, Homer lets us hear it as well. Armor is
“clashing in an ungodly uproar”; at Athena’s instigation, “mad, hysterical laughter
seemed to break from the jaws of strangers”; “king let loose a howling through the
town”; Eumaeus’ “snarling dogs” emit “a shatter of barks.”
Epic Invocation—Invocation to the Muses (goddesses of arts and sciences); this is how
the epic begins with Homer asking for aid in telling the story.
Flashback—Odysseus tells much of the story in a flashback to Alcinous and Arete, king
and queen of the Phaeacians, when he arrives after leaving Calypso’s island (Calypso
means “barrier” or “concealer”) and asks for aid to finally go home to Ithaca.
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Themes: a common thread or repeated idea that is incorporated throughout a literary
work
1. A boy must struggle to become a man.
2. A warrior/soldier must struggle to get home from a war
3. A king must struggle to reclaim a kingdom (Ithaca).
Motifs: Recurring structures, contrasts, and literary devices that help develop major
themes.
Kleos—Glory—usually won through great deeds.
Nostos—Homecoming
Nostoi—Homeward journey; the Greek heroes had to make homeward journeys on their
own.
Prized Greek Traits:
courage, strength
hospitality
persistence, perseverence
craftiness, resourcefulness, guile
self control
expert storytelling
reverence for the gods
Hospitality/Xenia
● First shown to Telemachus by Nestor, then Menelaus
● Shown to Odysseus by Alcinous and Arete, king and queen of the Phaeacians
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in contrast with:
The suitors
The Cyclops (Book 9)
The Laestrygonians (Book 10)
Circe (Book 10)
Respect for the Gods
● Respect for the gods is shown through the numerous descriptions of sacrifices and
offerings. Before feasting, the ritual involves “cutting the first strips for gods,” having
them “wrapped in sleek fat…sprinkling barley over them,” then “burning the choice parts
for the gods that never die.” “Libations” are also poured.
● Disrespect for gods inevitably leads to disaster; the gods do not forget disrespect and are
not easily appeased (Poseidon, Athena, Aeolus, Helios).
● Note how often Odysseus prays, especially after he makes the mistake with Polyphemus.
The Importance of Lineage
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● Almost every time we meet someone significant, the narration pauses, and we learn of the
lineage.
● Note how frequently a god is part of that lineage, oftentimes, Zeus.
● Many objects and events also have a lineage or history—Odysseus’ scar and his bow.
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Loyalty
Penelope’s loyalty to Odysseus
Athena’s loyalty to “her” Odysseus and vice versa
Loyalty between parents and offspring
Loyalty of Eurycleia
Loyalty of Argos
Loyalty of the Achaeans to each other
Pride and Honor
Odysseus is guilty of hubris (excessive pride) when he reveals his name to Polyphemus
(Book 9).
Laodamus shows hubris when he challenges Odysseus (Book 8).
The suitors seem dangerously proud, especially when Odysseus returns. In the end, the
suitors have dishonored Odysseus and must pay the price.
On the other hand, a certain amount of pride and a sense of honor is important. Note how
Odysseus responds to the challenge of Laodamus.
Telemachus needs to gain more pride so that he can stand up to the suitors who have
dishonored his house.
Resisting Temptation/Temptation and its Pitfalls
● Generally, Odysseus resists temptation, but he boasts to Polyphemus and is reluctant to
leave Circe’s island.
● His men are tempted by the Lotus Eaters as well as Circe, and several times by greed,
causing a delay in their journey back home—staying too long on the land of Cicones
(Ismarus), opening Aeolus’ gift, and finally, eating the cattle of Helios (although, it is out
of desperation and extreme hunger).
● The suitors clearly cannot resist temptation.
The Power of Cunning over Strength
● Odysseus is “a man of twists and turns”—he is not as strong as some of the other heroes,
but he uses his wits where other heroes use strength.
● Odysseus is famous for his skill and his trickery—he is quick-witted and cunning.
Live Life to the Fullest/Curiosity
● A major characteristic of Odysseus is that he cannot resist the opportunity to “explore”.
He stays out of trouble by not being reckless.
● The episode with the Sirens is an example of both his exploration of life and his
precaution.
● He seems to understand how important it is to make the most of any moment, taking
Achilles’ description of death to heart.
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Self-discipline
● Foolishness and the lack of self-discipline lead to the loss of men at the hands of the
Cicones and the loss of the crew on the Island of Helios.
● Odysseus loses his self-discipline with the Cyclops, but demonstrates it almost
everywhere else, often in contrast with his crew.
The Importance of Leadership
● This is a top=down society. The leaders we meet (Odysseus, Nestor, Alcinous, etc.) do
not rule democratically.
● The rule is by “divine right” and by force of character. Probably, the most important
quality of leadership is courage.
Justice
● Odysseus, like Orestes, will eventually be the deliverer of justice.
● Justice takes time. Neither Orestes nor Odysseus can act immediately. When they do
act, justice is not tempered by mercy.
● Helen seems to be beyond justice
● Justice can seem brutal, especially, when it is meted out by Zeus or Poseidon directly—
the Phaeacians are brutally punished for their assistance to Odysseus.
● Odysseus’ justice regarding the maids who slept with the suitors is also brutal.
Revenge
● Homer seems to think that revenge is justified, and people are entitled to it.
Reconciliation
● At the end of the book, Athena ensures that the people of Ithaca are reconciled with
Odysseus.
● The tests that Odysseus and various members of his family undergo suggest that their
reunions also involve reconciliation.
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”.
● Odysseus is fated to return home, but he could not fulfill his fate, if he were not who he
is.
Then and there
Unlucky Odysseus would have met his death—
Against the will of fate—
But the bright eyed one inspired him yet again.
Fighting out from the breakers, pounding toward the coast,
Out of danger he swam on, scanning the land… (Book 5)
Symbols: A person, place, object, activity, or concept that represents something
beyond itself.
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Storytelling
● Menelaus and Nestor both narrate their wanderings from Troy to Telemachus.
● In the underworld, Agamemnon tells the story of his murder by Clytemnestra and
Agisthos (her lover).
● Ajax’s evasion prompts the story of his quarrel with Odysseus.
Disguises
Quick, clever, calculating Odysseus is a natural master of disguise and the plot of the epic
turns on his deception—“Nobhdy,” an alias.
Athena disguises him as a beggar when he gets back to Ithaca
Seductress
Women are important figures in the Odyssey. One of their prominent roles is that of
seductress—Circe, Calypso, the Sirens—even Penelope uses her feminine wiles against
the suitors.
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Food
Hospitality and feasting
Suitors always eating and slaughtering Odysseus’ livestock
Polyphemus, Scylla, and Charybdis eat Odysseus’ men
The Lotus Eaters
The Laestrygonians’ queen tries to eat Odysseus’ men
Odysseus kills the suitors when they are eating dinner
Eating is a symbol of lack of self-control and total absence of humanity and civility
The Wedding Bed
The trick that Penelope uses to test Odysseus revolves around the immovability of their
bed and is symbolic of their unshakeable love and marriage.
Exploring Homer’s Odyssey (student user name: branches57here):
http://www.sascurriculumpathways.com/portal/Launch?id=360&bhcp=1
People and Places of the Odyssey:
http://library.thinkquest.org/19300/data/Odyssey/odyssey_people_places.htm
Glossary of Literary Terms:
http://www.uncp.edu/home/canada/work/allam/general/glossary.htm
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