The passage i’ve choose is from book 6 lines 41 through 48.
The passage I chose to examine was in the beginning of book 6 line 41 through 48. “The Grey-eyed goddess spoke and was gone, off to Olympus, which they say is forever The unmoving abode of the gods, unshaken by winds never soaked by rain, and where the snow never drifts, but the brilliant sky stretches cloudless away, and brightness streams through the air. There, where the gods are happy all the worlds days went the grey-eyed one, after speaking to the girl.” This passage gives you a view on how people or mainly the phaeacians see Olympus, this superb land where the gods live, A home where there is never rain, Where the sky is always bright and sunny, never too windy and snow settles immaculately. Olympus is pretty much a perfect place to live. They believe the gods are always happy, The fact they believe this is comical. Although Olympus seems perfect the gods are definitely bored. They come to the earth, bed other women and men, favor certain people over others which backs those claims. You even see how generous they are with the Phaeacians. When the gods come to there island it’s no secret, they show themselves to the people.
From what I’ve gathered from books 6 and 7 Phaeacia and the palace of Alcinous is truly alluring. To me the land and palace is comparable to Olympus. Odysseus sees how wonderful marvels at the ports where the ships are, and how generous the gods have been to the house of Alcinous. The fruit and trees are always tall and blooming, the fruits are “continuously ripen”, nothing ever fails to grow and nothing seems to spoil within the four acres. Athena helps Odysseus by making Queen Arete and King Alcinous favor him, by making him appear in a god like image. It’s known that Odysseus is very good with his words Alcinous even offers Odysseus to wed his daughter, Nausicaa. He offers him a house full of “possessions” if he were to marry his daughter and be his son. Even though phaeacia is very desirable like Olympus, It’s still not home for odysseys.
I agree with your analysis and the fact that even though Olympus does sound like a perfect place to live, the gods are constantly intruding in human affairs. I also found it interesting that although Phaeacia is described with such vivid imagery as a beautiful and wealthy place, Odysseus still longs to return home. It shows how attached Odysseus is to his land and family.
This passage reminds me of the infamous saying “the grass is always greener on the other side”. In this case the mortals believe Mt. Olympus is a wonderful almost utopian like heaven, while on the contrary it is very similar to their mortal world. The main difference between them is that the gods and goddess are immortal and contain divine powers. Apart from this they are similar to the mortals they rule over. Since they too have quarrels, especially with each other. The gods are held up in such high standards, when in fact they also commit their fair share of “sins” similar to humans. Such as deceitfully disguising themselves as mortals in order to commit adultery. It is well known that Zeus, Poseidon, and many other gods disguise themselves and pretend to be mortals in order to impregnate woman. While goddesses are treated like mortal females, since they are not allowed to have mortal lovers nor be impregnated by them. Which goes to show even the gods have double standards on Mt. Olympus.
Hi Dom,
You do something really original here: the way in which the description of Olympus might, with a little stretching, actually apply to the land of the (mortal) Phaeacians. The peace and plenty ascribed to the land of the gods indeed seems to mark Alcinous’ kingdom. This is a real insight–great work.
That said, there are a few key areas for improvement. Your post raises many questions, without posing clear answers. What is the specific relationship between the boredom of the gods and their peaceful abode? Does this passage emphasize or downplay that boredom? I’m particularly interested in whether that which produces peace–a lack of change, abundant beauty and nourishment, ease–also produces discomfort and restlessness, in your account. Dig into the specific language of the passage, the words and phrases, to answer questions like these.
In the comparative paragraph, when you discuss the passage in light of Phaeacia, you might want to consider why THESE characters do not seem bored by life. Is mortal life always in some sense marked by hardship? Or are mortals better able to appreciate abundance and luxury and peace? Or are there fundamental differences between Olympus, as described here, and Phaeacia?
Strong work!
Prof Kolb