The Odyssey

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The Odyssey

• What is it besides being a Rollicking Great Story?

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The Odysseys Construction

• The Odyssey begins in medias res, meaning that
  the action begins in the middle of the plot, and
  that prior events are described through
  flashbacks or storytelling.
• This device is imitated by later authors of
  literary epics, e.g. Virgil in the Aeneid, as
  well as modern poets such as Alexander Pope in
  the mock-epic/ mock-heroic "The Rape Of The
  Lock.
• Nearly all modern editions and translations of
  the Odyssey (like the Iliad) are divided into 24
  books.
• This division is handy but it is not original it
  was developed by Alexandrian editors of the 3rd
  century BC.

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• In the Classical period, moreover, several of the
  books (individually and in groups) were given
  their own titles the first four books, focusing
  on Telemachus, are commonly known as the
  Telemachy
• Within Odysseus' narrative, Book 9, featuring
  Odysseus' encounter with the cyclops Polyphemus,
  is traditionally called the Cyclopeia
• and Book 11, the section describing his meeting
  with the spirits of the dead, is known as the
  Nekuia.
• Books 9 through 12, wherein Odysseus recalls his
  adventures for his Phaeacian hosts, are
  collectively referred to as the Apologoi
  Odysseus' "stories."

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• Book 22, wherein Odysseus kills all the suitors,
  has been given the title Mnesterophonia
  "slaughter of the suitors.
• The last 548 lines of the Odyssey, corresponding
  to book 24, are believed by many scholars to have
  been added by a slightly later poet.
• Several passages in earlier books seem to be
  setting up the events of book 24, so if it is
  indeed a later addition, the offending editor
  would seem to have changed earlier text as well.

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The Journey

• http//www.cs.iupui.edu/cfarring/Odyssey/index.ht
  ml

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http//www.philipresheph.com/demodokos/odyssey/boo
ks.htm
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Argos and Odysseus
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Themes, Motifs Symbols
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
  wouldnt be able to budge the boulder from the
  door. He thus schemes around his disadvantage in
  strength by exploiting Po1yphemuss stupidity.
• Penelopes clever notion of not remarrying until
  she completes a burial shroud which she will
  never complete buys her important time.

Themes are the fundamental and often universal
ideas explored in a literary work.
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• The Pitfalls of Temptation
• The initial act that frustrated so many Achaeans
  homecoming was the work of an Achaean himself
  Ajax (the Lesser Ajax, a relatively unimportant
  figure not to be confused with the Greater
  Ajax, whom Odysseus meets in Hades) raped the
  Trojan priestess Cassandra in a temple while the
  Greeks were plundering the fallen city. That act
  of impulse, impiety, and stupidity brought the
  wrath of Athena upon the Achaean fleet and set in
  motion the chain of events that turned Odysseuss
  homecoming into a long nightmare.
• It is fit that the Odyssey is motivated by such
  an event, for many of the pitfalls that Odysseus
  and his men face are likewise obstacles that
  arise out of mortal weakness and the inability to
  control it.
• 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 Suns flocks,
  and they eat the fruit of the lotus and forget
  about their homes.

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• The Pitfalls of Temptations
• Even Odysseuss hunger for kleos is a kind of
  temptation.
• He submits to it when he reveals his name to
  Polyphemus, bringing Poseidons 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 ships 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.

Kleos (Greek ?????) is the Greek word often
translated to "renown", or "honor". 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.
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Motifs

• Storytelling Storytelling in the Odyssey, in
  addition to delivering the plot to the audience,
  situates the epic in its proper cultural context.
  
• Disguises From the first line of the epic, Homer
  explains that his story is about a man of twists
  and turns (1.1). Quick, clever, and calculating,
  Odysseus is a natural master of disguise, and the
  plot of the epic often turns on his deception.
• Seductresses Women are very important figures in
  the Odyssey, and one of the most prominent roles
  they fulfill is that of seductress. . . While
  these women do gain a certain amount of power
  through their sexual charms, they are ultimately
  all subject to divine whim, forced to wait and
  pine for love when it is absent.

Motifs are recurring structures, contrasts, or
literary devices that can help to develop and
inform the texts major themes.
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Symbols

• Food Although throwing a feast for a guest is a
  common part of hospitality, hunger and the
  consumption of food often have negative
  associations in the Odyssey. . . these cases,
  excessive eating represents not just lack of
  self-control, but also the total absence of
  humanity and civility.
• Wedding Bed The wedding bed in Book 23
  symbolizes the constancy of Penelope and
  Odysseuss marriage .. The symbolism is
  heightened by the trick that Penelope uses to
  test Odysseus, which revolves around the
  immovability of their beda metaphor for the
  unshakable foundation of their love.

Symbols are objects, characters, figures, or
colors used to represent abstract ideas or
concepts.
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Sites Cited

• Farrington, Crystal. The Odyssey. 9 Oct. 2007
  lthttp//www.cs.iupui.edu/cfarring/Odyssey/index.h
  tmlgt
• Phillips, Brian and Hunter, James. SparkNote on
  The Odyssey. 9 Oct. 2007 lthttp//www.sparknotes.co
  m/lit/odyssey/gt.
• The Trojan WarAn Illustrated Companion. 9 Oct.
  2007. lthttp//www.philipresheph.com/demodokos/home
  r.htmgt