Great Works of Literature I (Fall 2016)

The assumption preceding the “Ode of Man” was that a man must’ve buried the body of Polyneikes. Kreon doesn’t assume anyone other than a man to do this deed (“What are you saying? What man would dare do this?” (line 281)). The ode then starts to praise man’s will-to-power over nature and all his other propensities that have made him successful in conquering his environment- but wait here comes a woman walking in besting a man’s authority! This ode is a satirical caricature on man’s illusion of control. It is always funny to look at a picture of man conquering his environment. Ask a Darwinist today, how did the human species survive with all this heterogeneity disturbing a sense of continuity? In other words, extinction keeps a species discontinuous, but what kept our species continuous? Your answer would end up being “luck”, or in philosophical terms, reasonless gestures. Even in the psyche, a thought or a desire occurs when it wants itself to occur and not when I want it to occur- so much for control here. Although Sophocles sort of gives us an answer to this Darwinist question here in this ode, by laconically explicating Man’s will-to-power, I don’t believe that this was the point. This underground current of spontaneity that is often buried by science is always suppressed but never extinguished. This current always leaves room for ideas of omnipotent deities, or a moral rational universe that is immanent in our empirical universe- or in this play, the will-of-the-gods. This will is what Antigone represents in this play. This will goes against the will-of-man, or in this case Kreon’s will. At first, she represents the lack of control Kreon has over his own state. She bested his totalitarian authority and transgressed his law without fear. But since she also represents the will-of-the-gods, she waivers Kreon’s control in all dimensions- including his own family. So now we have a man’s will-to-power, proceeded by a woman that represents the will-of-the-gods, a will that stands for the suppressed current of “luck”- a current that exposes man’s lack of control, or in this case his lack of totalitarianism, and the dialectic between the two proceeds throughout the play. By the end of the ode, the chorus talks of a man who has taken his creative powers to his head and has harvested for himself a choice to either follow the law of the gods or not. The chorus’ ideal man is one that becomes one with this spontaneous current (“When he follows the laws Earth teaches him- and Justice, which he’s sworn the gods he will enforce- he soars with his city…” (404-408)), and doesn’t try to overpower it or extinguish it, but it was this very latter move Kreon made against Antigone when he punished her to death and thus suffered his Fate. So while this ode talks of man’s will-to-power and might over nature, by the end of the play we have a so called great masculine power, Kreon, whimpering like a sap hoping to never see his tomorrow (lines 1483-1489). This is satirical.

The speech by the Chorus which starts on Line 365 occurs just after Kreon receives the news that Polyneikes has been buried. The speech is about humanity and human abilities. The Chorus speaks to how humans are capable of commandeering their will over parts of nature: “All breeds of carefree bird, savage beast, and deep-sea creature, ingenious man snares in his woven nets” (Lines 377-381). They also address the human ability to adapt to challenges: “He has taught himself speech, wind-quick thought, and all the talents that govern a city” (Lines 387-390).

These lines seem to throw praise at humans for their abilities, but it is important to note what the very first lines of the speech read: “Wonders abound, but none more astounding than man!” (Lines 364-365). A footnote on page 756 tells us that the ancient Greek word for “wonders” actually means “terrible.” This means that the Chorus compares all the human abilities they discuss to dark, terrible forces. This speech is in Antigone because the characters exhibit great power over their circumstances and surroundings, or at least possess the potential to do so.

The speech can be applied to Antigone herself. We know from her conversation with Ismene that Antigone is the one who buried Polyneikes. Lines 400-403 of the speech read, “Exceeding all expectation, his robust power to create sometimes brings evil, at other times, excellence.” Antigone’s decision to bury her brother can be viewed from either lens: evil or excellence. Kreon views it as evil, because he believes Polyneikes was a traitor to his country and does not deserve the honor of burial. However, Antigone believes that her actions exhibit excellence, because she remained loyal to her family and what she believes to be the gods’ wishes to honor and respect the dead.

The speech addresses this very aspect of human ability, which is the idea that humans must make the decision to utilize their resources for good or evil. The speech ends with these lines: “When he follows the laws/ Earth teaches him—/ And Justice, which he’s sworn/ the gods will enforce—/ he soars with his city. But reckless and corrupt/ a man will be driven/ from his nation disgraced” (Lines 404-411). Not only do they apply to Antigone, but these lines also remind readers of Oedipus. While we do not hear from Oedipus directly in Antigone, we know that his actions brought the curse upon the city of Thebes, and he is mentioned throughout the text by Kreon and the other men. Oedipus is a fairly clear example of being “reckless and corrupt” due to the behavior in which he engaged with his mother, but for his daughter Antigone, the analysis is much more complicated. Kreon regards Antigone’s actions as “reckless and corrupt,” but the issue remains uncertain with Antigone. She hangs herself at the end of the play and hence is, in a way, “driven from [her] nation.” However, in ancient Greece, death for a purpose is often regarded as highly honorable. Antigone dies for her family, and one may consider her death one of honor.

The staged reading of Oedipus Rex was pretty casual compared to staged performances. There was still the aspect of performing present during the reading though, which made it livelier than if the actors and actresses read straight off from the manuscript. I enjoyed the part when the chorus introduced Jocasta as Oedipus’ wife and mother…of his children. It was a nice place for dramatic irony and the pause made it even more so. Even though the reading was a condensed version, it hit all the main plot points, so even first-time watchers can get a great sense of the overall picture. The performers also made great use of the space, not sticking to just the stage, but using the seats, stairs, and aisles as well.

In Homer’s The Odyssey, nearly all the physical deaths are either cruel or unusual having been caused by either murder or an act of the gods. No character dies a natural death that was not caused by another person or some act of the gods. However, there is another type of death apparent in The Odyssey. Rather than a physical death, there is also a spiritual death, which is a death that is possible when a character is alive. This also is often caused by a god or an immortal. Spiritual death occurs in The Odyssey when a character is bound to a place against his will, kept away from their home life, or when their thoughts or actions are being controlled by someone else.

1. Poseidon and Odysseus

• Wanted to punish Odysseus for blinding his son Polyphemus
• Lengthened the amount of time it took Odysseus to get home after Troy to 10 years
• This killed all of Odysseus’ men over the course of the 10 years, leaving Odysseus to fend for himself
• Poseiden’s punishment is essentially responsible for all of Odysseus’ trials and tribulations

2. Circe and Odysseus

• Spent an entire year on her island, feasting and making love
• His men were drugged, turned into swine

3. Calypso and Odysseus

• Spent seven years on Ogygia with immortal Calypso
• Made love with immortal nymph
• This ceased to please him, and he would spend his days weeping

4. While all this was happening

• Essential question: Is lost lifetime essentially death?
• If life moves on without you there to be a part of it, it is a living death.
• Odysseus was not there to watch his son grow, enjoy his house, spend time with his wife who has now aged twenty years
• While waiting for Odysseus, his mom died and his father aged before his time
• Everybody missed him
• Like the dog Odysseus bred who Odysseus never got to see in his prime, he built himself a brave and courageous life yet never got to fully enjoy the prime of his life with his family at his home

Introduction: In Homer’s The Odyssey, there are several forces exerted onto each character which dictate how they will behave. Fear, loneliness, and frustration, while all powerful forces, do not  match the power of memory in this epic poem. Three of the main characters, Penelope, Odysseus, and Telemachus, are put into situations where they could act on these other three forces and feared less problems. The memory of what they once had, a family, is what enables them to be able to get through these difficult situations. Memory is the most powerful of all the forces featured in The Odyssey.

Body 1: Penelope, despite having several reasons to give up, stays loyal to Odysseus because of her memory of him and their relationship outweighs the strife she is currently experiencing.

• Penelope has no way of knowing whether Odysseus is still alive but still acts as though he were.
• The longer Penelope refuses the suitors, the more they will negatively impact the status of her home and wealth. However she continues to keep them at bay on the slight chance Odysseus might come back.
• She does not actually have Odysseus for support, she only has the memory of him to hold onto.
• She is obviously in pain (mentally), and might have some relief to move on from Odysseus but chooses to grieve over him anyway.
• Evidence: Book I Lines 356-364

Body 2: Odysseus had several opportunities where he could have stayed along his journey and been at least content with life, rather than fighting for his life. He chooses to dismiss these chances, for the slight possibility of returning home which he is never sure of on his journey (or even when he actually returns home). His memory of home is so strong that it over powers his logic, along his journey it seemed almost impossible that the would return home but he still dismisses these opportunities on the slight chance that he would.

• Odysseus’ persistence to return home is fueled by his memory
• At several points throughout the poem, Odysseus was in a desirable place where he could have just stayed and fared less trouble
• Aeaea, Calypso’s Island, and Phaeacia are some of the places Odysseus could have chosen to stay peacefully
• The memory of his home and family is what makes him want to return
• Odysseus overcomes obstacles posed by the gods because the memory of home is so strong.
• Evidence: Book V Lines 151-157

Body 3: Telemachus, while not even remembering what his father looks like, goes in search of him on a journey that could cost him his life. While his memory of Odysseus may not be so strong, others’ memories are. Everyone he meets along the way (including Athena who goes out in search of him) is willing to help him because their memory of the great and noble Odysseus is so great.

• Everyone Telemachus recieves help from praises Odysseus
• Telemachus receives help because people remember how great his father was
• The memory of the heroic Odysseus is what drives people to help him in his search for information
• Evidence: Book III Lines 132-137

The Odyssey is filled with a plethora of men, some admirable and some not, who have to fulfill goals; for their countries, for their families, and/or for themselves. Odysseus’s journey from the island of Ogygia back to his home land, Ithaca, give the reader a glimpse into not only his personal obstacles, but other mens’ along the way. Coincidentally, most of these hindrances are caused by the seduction, wit, beauty, or sheer strength in body and mind, of women along the way. The ladies of the story, like Calypso, Scylla, and the Sirens all take part in providing enough of a distraction, thanks to the qualities mentioned, to halt and/or intimidate men on missions. Although these women aren’t always the focus of the plot, and are usually included as a interference (which adds to the point), they fully make a case for the power of femininity.

1. Sirens of Seduction Book XII, Lines 200-208

• -This passage is describing the efforts that Odysseus’ crew made to keep him safe from the sirens’ song, while taking their own precautions with “sweet wax”
• -The sheer power of the beautiful voice of a siren is enough to take a man down, not physically but in every other facet of his life (home life, happiness)
• -Sirens can only affect men/are not a hindrance to other women… Unity? Togetherness?
• -Femininity: Meadow habitat, favorable voice, play upon the conventional weaknesses of men (forgetfulness, unawareness)
• The sirens are unique because they don’t necessarily do anything “bad” other than produce an irresistible noise form their mouths that draw men in. The best thing about this is that seduction is seen as an inherently feminine quality, giving the sirens a metaphorical significance for women in general, and how they are able to bring men to their knees. Their role in the story could very well be seen as a stab at women, given the sirens’ ability to ruin the home lives, and lives in general, of men. However, it’s better seen as female strength.

2. Scylla of Strength Book XII, Lines 263-267

• -Scylla, debatably, is the most intimidating and feared character in the story, possessing an incredible amount of strength and evilness
• -However, her ability to evoke fear in the minds of all men, and also take down any that come by her, is a fantastic showcasing of feminine power
• -Her abilities aren’t typically feminine at all, but the fact that she is indeed a female character gives more credibility to women as a whole
• -Her description and role were perhaps meant to be a dig at women, but ended up further supporting female power
• Scylla is by far the scariest threat to mankind in the story, which is cool because women, historically, are seen as quite the opposite. She is described as being insurmountable, and downright scary as she rules her mountain. It was refreshing seeing an Ursula-type woman in the story, because conventionally, the characters who possess this kind of strength and threat are men.

3. Calypso of Care Book V, Lines 191-204

• -The nymph Calypso, through beauty, power, and seduction, was able to keep Odysseus on her island for almost 10 years
• -Was able to provide him with pleasure and sexual satisfaction in light of his incurable lament for his family and homeland
• -She was very domestic, caring, and almost wife-like to Odysseus – all very feminine values. Had this been a man keeping Odysseus against his will, one who couldn’t provide him with sex and care, he most likely wouldn’t have lasted
• -Calypso also made a great feminist argument supporting her perseverance and justification in keeping Odysseus on her island
• Interestingly enough, Calypso only did favorable things to Odysseus, beside her keeping him against his will. She cared for him, gave him anything he could possibly need, and sexually satisfied him. In the big scheme of things, she was really the least physically or emotionally threatening, which makes her ability to set Odysseus back seven plus years that much more impressive, and makes her feminine identity very admirable. I want to make sure to mention her speech about gender inequality and double standards.

Memory’s Odyssey

An Odyssey is a long serious of adventures filled with hardships overcome. In discussing the epic, The Odyssey, we study around our namesake hero Odysseus. He is lauded for his cunning and virtue, and forgiven for his momentary lapses of human behavior because in the end his story merits praise. However, there is a forgotten hero who matches Odysseus in cunning and strategy; Memory. Without an audience to invigorate it a memory is left to limbo, like a fallen tree without an ear to hear. Further, memory can only access an audience through an orator. Shared memories and story-telling play a major role throughout the epic, and so in guiding the retelling of Odysseus’ adventures Memory is narrating the story of how she sought her own survival by facilitating a beneficent relationship with great orators. While a bard may tell stories as a form of entertainment, Memory lends herself to Odysseus as a versatile tool, finding different ways to use stories of the past to help him advance in his objectives as his breath gives her life.

Memory used to build a relationship

In books IX through the middle of XI, Odysseus is telling his story to King Alcinous, helping to establish trust so that he may find a way home. As he becomes the narrator it may shift the spotlight from our usual storyteller, but who must Odysseus rely upon to speak of the past for 33 pages? Memory. Had memory not aided him, Alcinous may not have been willing to risk his men and gift his treasure to a stranger, and the audience would not have been informed of Odysseus’ adventures.

There are multiple examples all throughout the text where strangers exchange stories, or bond over common tales to establish trust and friendship to build a relationship upon. However, our cunning heroes do more than that. When Odysseus finally returns home and is still hiding his identity, his memories of the Trojan war come to him with a twist. He speaks of real events, but remembers in them in a way that repositions him to protect his temporary identity. Some of the information he tells Eumaeus in Book XIV is fabricated, certainly coming from Odysseus’ mind as only the truth can be remembered. But, Memory pours truth into his story to make his words believable and establish a relationship essential to Odysseus’ successful return to Ithaca;

“We Greeks waged war, and in the tenth

We sacked Priam’s city and sailed for home

In our ships, and a god scattered the fleet.”

Pg 494 lines 264-266

A memory is also used as an emotional weapon. After having endured shameful behavior from the suitors, Odysseus speaks to Amphinous aside and says

“Amphinous, you come across as a sensible man,

Just as your father was. I have heard of him…

He spoke, poured libation, drank the sweet wine,

And then gave the cup back to Amphinomus,

Who went away hrough the hall with his head bowed

And his heart heavy with a sense of foreboding.”

Book XVIII lines 132-133, 160-164

Odysseus cannot express his anger overtly in any way, and so he must be creative in how he inflicts pain. Amphinous walks away wounded, but without a single mark of physical abraision because Memory supplied Odysseus with the perfect anecdotal introduction to his attack.

Memory used as motivation

Odysseus’s story is pitiful, and part of what has made it so epic is the way his fortune draws emotion from the readers. Primarily we admire his strength and perseverance. Though if we stop to consider their source, we find another hero. Memory replays powerful moments and thoughts to keep him motivated.

When he needs strength, she helps him to remember the virtue he displayed while faces Polyphemus the cyclopse.

“So Odysseus growled at their iniquity,

But he slapped his chest hard and scolded his heart:

‘Endure, my heart. You endursed worse than this

On that day when the invincible Cyclops

Ate our comrades. You bore it until your cunning

Got you out of the cave where you thought you would die.’”

Book XX lines 19-24

Memory is our narrator, and who better to tell the story than someone active in weaving it?

Outline and Intro paragraph

Introduction:

In the Greek epic Odyssey, death is considered a tragic event. Shrouded with lament and sorrow, the dead enter the underground world of Hades, where they remain observant of the living. Despite the negativity associated with death, it is not only a crucial part of the mortal experience, but also a gift in disguise.

Body Paragraph 1:

Topic sentence: Death is a gift to the mortal existence.

• On his long journey home, Odyssey wished death upon himself, wanting to die in Troy along his comrades in the glory of battle. Death, therefore, is a way to cement one’s legacy. Once a man dies, his legacy will become part of the memory. His legacy will become immortal, untouched and untarnished.
• Penelope, who was unaware that Odysseus had already returned, wished death upon herself. For her, it was an easy way out of difficult situation. If she were to wait for Odysseus to come home, she would face tremendous pressure from the suitors and social pressure from her son, Telemachus; if she were to choose one of the suitors, she would be betraying Odysseus, who emphasized loyalty in his household. If she were to die, she would be relieved of the pressure and still remain loyal to Odysseus.

Body Paragraph 2:

Topic sentence: The inability to die is a curse to the immortals.

• Since Gods are unable to die, their legacies cannot become immortal. Therefore, Gods have to consistently display their dominance to maintain the long-lasting respect from men. Poseidon, for example, had to severely punish the Phaeacians for ignoring his warnings.
• Being immortal, living forever long and able to experience in ways that mere mortals cannot, changes the way Immortals value experiences. Marriage and harmonious relationships become perhaps boring to them, and they seek excitement out of quarrels, feuds, and disguising as mortals. After experiencing everything, there are perhaps no thrills left in living.

I. Introduction

In Homer’s The Odyssey, female characters are not the central focus in the epic. However, female characters prove to be powerful characters, maybe as powerful as the male characters. The female characters illustrate their power in the epic by either helping a man achieve his telos or hindering it. This can be seen through three female characters in the epic: Athena, Calypso, and Penelope, who all helped and/or hindered men achieve their teloi.

II. Body

A. Athena

Throughout the epic, Athena shows obvious favor towards Odysseus by using her magic to help him.

“She shriveled the flesh on his gnarled limbs,/ And withered his tawny hair. She wrinkled the skin/ All over his body so he looked like a man,/ And she made his beautiful eyes bleary and dim” (Book 14, Lines 447-50).

Athena uses her magic to disguise Odysseus as an old man so that he could be unrecognizable when he returns to Ithaca. This way, he can explore his home and distinguish between those who have remained loyal to him and those who he was going to kill.

“A fresh tunic and cloak replaced his rags,/ And he was taller and younger, his skin tanned,/ His jawline firm, and his beard glossy black./ Having worked her magic, the goddess left” (Book 16, Lines 184-87).

Athena then transforms Odysseus to an idealized version of himself, so that he can be reunited with his son. Once they were reunited, Odysseus and Telemachus schemed up a plan to rid their house of the suitors.

B. Calypso

Initially, Calypso was one of the main reasons why Odysseus was so delayed on his journey home.

“‘…he’s still languishing on that island, detained/ Against his will by that nymph Calypso,/ No way in the world for him to get back to his land'” (Book 5, Lines 15-17).

She kept him imprisoned on her island without a means of leaving. However, shortly after she is paid a visit from Hermes, she provides Odysseus extra aid on his journey back to Ithaca.

“She filled up a skin/ With wine that ran black, another large one/ With water, and tucked into a duffel/ A generous supply of hearty provisions. And she put a breeze at his back, gentle and warm” (Book 5, Lines 264-268).

Calypso, like Athena, had a soft spot for Odysseus and wanted to do whatever she was capable of to help him get what he desires. In her case, Calypso provides Odysseus with supplies to him survive his travels back home.

C. Penelope

Unlike Athena and Calypso, Penelope is not a goddess. Even so, she does what she can within her limits to help Odysseus. She uses weaving to her advantage to delay being wed off to one of the suitors and gives Odysseus more time to return home.

“‘Every day she would weave at the great loom,/ And every night she would unweave by torchlight./ She fooled [the suitors] for three years with her craft'” (Book 2, Lines 113-115).

Even though her weaving and unweaving is beneficial to Odysseus’ telos, this action ultimately eradicates the suitors’ teloi.

III. Conclusion

Female characters in The Odyssey, be it divine or mortal, prove to be powerful characters who can help determine whether or not men achieve their teloi. Athena used her magic to help Odysseus, Calypso used her resources to keep Odysseus prisoner on her island, but also to free him from it, and Penelope used her weaving to give Odysseus more time to return home, while delaying the time for the suitors to achieve their teloi.

The last of Antikleia’s words to her longing son Odysseus encapsulate the entirety of his journey: “You must crave sunlight soon” (XI 238). There is something seemingly dangerous in remaining too long with death or with thoughts of the past. In Homer’s epic The Odyssey, the hero recounts his journey as a storyteller. Yet, until this point, Odysseus’s trials are not stories; they are painful sentiments that so intensely shape his present mentality and motivation. Deconstructing his encounters in Hades propels Odysseus forward to finally return home. There is an element found in the underworld of Hades that provides a successful means to return. Why? What depth is there in the caution of Antikleia? Perhaps if Odysseus remained in Hades longer than he did, he would lose his motivation and reason to return home. The darkness would overcome him without exposure to sunlight. If there is no sunlight in the underworld, then why would Odysseus descend to such a place? To unearth the compelling nature of Hades, we must meticulously analyze Odysseus’s conversations with key characters in the underground graveyard. While truth exists in the protagonist’s longing to return home to his wife, child, and estate, there is an apparent truism about the human condition found in these lines: so long as a thought of the past is not categorized as a memory, it can and will be longed for. It is through these crucial interactions in Hades that Odysseus is able to relinquish his hold on memories of old, and embrace the path that has been laid before him by the prophet: one in which he no longer gleams in the glory of war and heroism, but becomes “wearied out with rich, old age” (XI 144) as a simple father and husband in his homeland Ithaca.

In contrast to Helen and the lotus eaters who combat onset depression from sorrowful memories with suppression, Odysseus struggles to the blood of his flesh in order to not forget, but contextualize all that has happened in his life. In conversing with his mother, Odysseus explains that he was “driven to the land of death in want of prophecy from Tiresias’ shade.” Circe instructs Odysseus that this is the only way to discover the proper path home. Yet, Circe says nothing of encountering other shades. In fact, ostensibly, speaking with other shades is a hindrance for Odysseus’s return home. Therefore, there must be a positive nature to Odysseus’s interactions with shades of friends and family past.

Memories are deceiving. They can dominate life as aspirations for that which cannot be: it is impossible to recreate a person, relationship, or sentiment that once existed. For our protagonist, this longing was still omnipotent in his heart. Therefore, in the underworld, one specific memory drinks from the blood of the slaughtered animals to speak to Odysseus: Antikleia, our hero’s mother. The interaction between mother and son may be the most significant of the epic. As Odysseus is teetering on the fence between remaining a hero in embracing the glory that has been so donned on him and returning home to claim the identity of family man, his mother is the wave that rides him out of the sea and onto the land of his home. “But come now, tell me this, and tell me clearly,” says Odysseus. “What was the bane that pinned you down in Death? Some ravaging long illness, or mild arrows a-flying down one day from Artemis?” (XI 182-183). Antikleia’s response is shocking:

[Your father] lies now even so, with aching heart, and longs for your return, while age comes on him. So I, too, pined away, so doom befell me, not that keen-eyed huntress with her shafts had marked me down and shot to kill me; not that illness overtook me—no true illness wasting the body to undo the spirit; only my loneliness for you, Odysseus, for your kind heart and counsel, gentle Odysseus, took my own life away.  

It is because of this potentially detrimental news that Antikleia is initially prevented from drinking of the black blood. Odysseus needed to first hear of Tiresias’s prophecy. It is possible that had he not, he would have elected to remain in the underworld and forgo his journey home. It is crucial for the hero to learn of his future—to know that he will arrive in Ithika and reclaim his home and its order.

1. Elaboration of Tiresias’s prophecy and its significance in Odysseus’s future
   1. The second passage will be that of Tiresias’s prophecy
2. After Antikleia informs Odysseus that he was the cause of her death, the ensuing moment encapsulates the transition of Odysseus being forced to move on.
   1. Third passage: In brief, he extends his arms to hug his mother, and catches nothing but air “impalpable as shadows are.” She wavered like a dream, and that is all she was. No longer a part of his life, he has to let her go. And the most fascinating part, I find, is he immediately moves forward to the proceeding shades after his mother’s words. The process of moving forward has already begun, and it will lead him home.
3. Conclusion of sorts (very rough):

All his journeying could only have been done by someone of his stature. However, that is all in the past, and he is both mentally ready and it seems as though the gods are prepared for him to return home. It is only once he has recounted each story, aloud, in front of a room with a bard who can remember all that is said and tell it over for generation of the great hero that once was, that Odysseus can return home. The proof in the pudding is that when Odysseus recounts every detail of his trials to Penelope, no detail is given to the listeners of the epic. These are now memories. When Odysseus told the story over in Phaeacia, each event was still so present in his being because he remained at sea away from home. Odysseus needed to tie up lose ends in order to complete his odyssey. He had to understand how each person in his life died and, even more significant, how he would move forward (through the prophecy of Tiresias). His future is predicted deep into time, and he is told exactly what will happen and what he must do in order to lighten the load of his past and construct a new future on land, at home, with his family—as a seasoned, old man who just wants to be.