Great Works of Literature I (Fall 2017)

Passage: Book 9- lines 12-23

A few moments before this takes place, Odysseus and Alcinous, as well as the most respectable Phaeacians, are listening to Demodocus’ tale about the Greeks leaving Troy after the war. Consequently, Alcinous asks Odysseus to tell him who he is. And why he doesn’t seem to enjoy such beautiful tale. Odysseus begins his answer by confirming that feasting, drinking and listening to great singers “is the finest thing in the world” for him. On the other hand, he shows that his “pain and sorrow” have filled his mind in a way that there is no room in his soul for enjoyment anymore. He feels lost, even though he knows where he is and he might finally be sent home. Then he tells him that he doesn’t know where to begin nor to end his story. Maybe, because he’s certain that he has more to suffer before he sees his land again. Perhaps, after what he has gone through, and after being so close and at the same time so far from his land, he’s pain is constant.  He also expresses his gratitude to Alcinous in a peculiar way, by before even revealing who he was, offering his friendship and hospitality to him, always hoping that his curse is gone someday. Then he proceeds to introduce himself as the “cunning”, and famous, Odysseus whose “fame reaches even to heaven.” However, he puts himself last after he mentions his, social status by showing the things he likes, emotional status by explaining he’s weeping, and finally identity by letting them know he’s name.

On the broader look at this passage, we can notice that the only remedy that will cure Odysseus of this disgraceful situation will be to be in Ithaca again. There is no goddess, present, or hospitality that could overshadow the love to his home. As we know, he has had the opportunity to be immortal, rich and powerful as the mind cannot even imagine, and loved by more than one goddess. But, he has chosen otherwise. He has also, gone through many danger, traps, life and death situations, he has even thought of ending his life. There is only one thing that keeps him from dying. The thought of someday getting home. It is hard to know if this strength comes from a mystical entity such as a god or goddess like Athena or of it’s the way he reacts to all the “tribulations” the gods have sent to him.

“They tried, but didn’t persuade my hero’s heart–

I was really angry–and I called back to him:

‘Cyclops, if anyone, any mortal man,

Asks you how you got your eye put out,

Tell him that Odysseus the marauder did it,

Son of Laertes, whose home is on Ithaca.”

At this point in the text Odysseus is retelling the stories of his journey to King Alcinous and the Phaeacians. This is in response to Alcinous finally asking for Odysseus’ identity. Odysseus decides to share the stories of his arduous sailings after the Trojan war when Odysseus and his men leave Troy. These lines of excessive pride are Odysseus’ response to his men begging him not to provoke the Cyclops after they had just stabbed the Cyclops’ eyes and escaped the cave devised in Odysseus’ cunning plan. Odysseus uses the phrase, “didn’t persuade my  hero’s heart…” to portray his men’s inability to convince him. This line is key in revealing the dimension to Odysseus’ character. Homer makes it evident that being a hero is something intrinsic within Odysseus’ nature. It is so meaningful to him that Odysseus refers to his heart, an organ absolutely necessary for survival, when discussing the hero within him. Odysseus’ heart exudes this heroism quality that is so necessary for his own survival; thus, comes the dire need to brush his own ego and maintain this standard of superiority above his enemy/victim regardless of whether the audience watching, Odysseus’ men, care. Anger fueled his need to answer back the Cyclops, illustrating how he felt disrespected and needed to further provoke Polyphemus. Furthermore, this dire need to carress his own ego and reputation is illustrated in Odysseus’ call to the Cyclops to tell, “anyone, any mortal man” who made the Cyclops blind. Odysseus could have let the Cyclops continue to think it was a wise, “Noman” who blinded him; however, he decides to make it very clear that it was, “Odysseus the mauder…” against the likely chance of having to succumb to the forceful wrath of the Cyclops. There is an underlying irony that exist here since the strategic and cunning Odysseus makes a foolish mistake. Here Odysseus also refers to himself as a raider, a conqueror which again, places himself at an elevated standard. He then states his paternal line which pays homage to the imperative culture Homer displays throughout The Odyssey, intrinsic of the motif of pride.

This passage is significant in not only conveying Odysseus’ hubris, the significance of heroism, and the fearlessness he exudes; but, also reflecting how Odysseus’ immense pride is at fault for much of the obstacles he faces on his journey home. Odysseus revealing his identity can only do more harm than the satisfaction of honor here. Since the Cyclops Polyphemus is son of mystic God Poseidon, supernatural revenge on Odysseus is guaranteed. This is solidified in Polyphemus’ foreshadowing revelation of a prophecy that states how Odysseus will have an arduous journey, and when he eventually makes it back to Ithaca– he will find a chaotic home. This passage embodies some vulnerability from Odysseus that is not seen much else prior in the text. Honor and pride is a significator of Odysseus throughout the text, as well as other loved leaders and gods; yet, his unwise hubris here becomes the brink of his downfall.

“Hear me, Phaecian counselors and lords—Demodocus should stop playing his lyre. His song is not pleasing to everyone here. Ever since dinner began and the divine bard rose up to sing our guest has not ceased lamentation. He is overcome with grief.”

This passage is spoken in the form of an announcement. It is meant to inform the audience of the reason he wishes to stop the bard’s song. This passage holds in it many distinctive things such as the care that Alcinous takes in watching over his guest Odysseus. The passage is written in such a way that sets Odysseus as the center of this gathering. The fact that he says “our guest has not ceased lamentation” shows that although he doesn’t know the reason why he is lamenting, he can see the pain he feels. That is further reiterated by the fact that he says “he is overcome with grief.” He makes sure though to keep the importance of the Bard high as to not offend his God given gift of song. He repeats and says words like the divine bard and mentions his instrument the lyre, which raise the bard and put him in high regard. Clearly showing that he is not the reason for him stopping the song but rather his lack of knowledge as to why the guest has been disturbed this whole time. This all happens before Alcinous is told who Odysseus is.

This passage has great importance and similarity to the rest of the text. One of the aspects that are touched upon is the relationship of gifts and gods interacting with humans. Alcinous mentions the bard as being divine which relates him to the gods in his songs. Although it is not directly stated in the passage the bards across the text are held in high regard. For instance, the bard in Ithaca is known for his great song as well. Although not divine it is still mentioned. Another aspect that this passage touches upon is the importance of the guest. Although everyone in the feast is enjoying the bard Odysseus is not and that is reason enough to call off the great song. The guest is held in greater importance than the people of the land. That goes along with the idea that lasts throughout the entire text. For example when Penelope is overcome with tears from her bard he son tells her to go upstairs because the suitors who are “guests” like it. The final aspect that is touched upon in my eyes is the normalcy of crying for men. Odysseus cries often in this scene and throughout the epic, many men cry as well. One memorable example is that of Telemachus when he throws the staff upon the floor in his emotional stupor.

Book 9 Lines 412-418

For my passage, I would like to talk about Odysseus’s overweening attitude regarding his deception of Polyphemus neighbors, and the irony of his actions. Starting on line 410 of book IV, Odysseus states, “They left then, and I laughed in my heart. At how my phony name had fooled them so well”, Odysseus is praising himself for trickery of Polyphemus neighbors in respect to changing his name to “Noman”, this allows an easy escape for Odysseus from the cave. While this can be seen as a great tactical move by Odysseus, I believe that this is the beginning of the end for Odysseus in respect to his future problems with the God Poseidon.

By being so boastful when it comes to his escape from the cave, Odysseus becomes vulnerable and thinks he can get away with anything. This leads to Odysseus later on in the book calling back to the land and revealing his true identity to the gods and the other neighbors.

I found it ironic how stupid Odysseus could be when it came to escaping from the cave and the eventual admission to being Noman. Why would he ever admit to being this Noman character, when he clearly got out of the cave alive and it looked like he would have safe passage? It is clear to me that Odysseus wanted to receive the credit for his escape, instead of a more tactical approach to it.

Later on, in the passage, Odysseus states, “Groping around, he removed the doorstone and sat in the entrance with his hands spread out to catch anyone who went out with the sheep—as if I could be so stupid.”  I think the part that I have put in bold says it all. Odysseus at this point in his escape is extremely confident and loses all common sense. He says about himself “as if I could be so stupid” (to get caught), when in the end, after successfully escaping the cave, he essentially turns himself in by admitting being Noman and in turn pissing off Poseidon. If Odysseus truly was a perfect tactician, as he so strongly emphasizes, how could he possibly make the dire mistake of taking credit for his amazing mistake. Maybe he wants to be known as the mortal, who was smart enough to trick the gods? Or maybe he just wanted to get on Poseidon’s bad side for whatever reason. Regardless, like I said before hand by admitting being Noman, he gives Poseidon an obvious reason for vengeance, and this in turn will alter Odysseus journey throughout the remainder of the books.

I picked lines 360-365 from Book IX.

Before Odysseus speaks the lines that I’ve chosen, he has gotten himself trapped inside a cave with a Cyclops named Polyphemus after being curious about the way these individuals treat “guests”. The Cyclops has already feasted on some of Odysseus’ men who came along with him off the boat. Odysseus once again proves how wise he is and presents the Cyclops with wine and after three bowls of wine, the Cyclops begins to feel the effects of the alcohol, of which he has consumed “every last, sweet drop”.  After being asked his name, Odysseus responds using what seems to me to be a non-threatening, tranquil tone despite having recently witnessed the Cyclops devour two of his men. Odysseus is trying to not enrage the Cyclops, especially one who is inebriated, as he tries to figure out how he can escape and not have to suffer the same fate that his other two men did. He says “my glorious name” and mentions that his mother, father, and all his friends call him the name he says, which made me wonder whether he’s trying to show or present the idea that he’s not just a simple commoner from any place.

In this passage and immediate scene, Odysseus does not reveal his name or boast about his identity but instead, he says that his name is Noman. Noman, as mentioned in the footnotes, sounds like Odysseus in Greek. This, as we’ve previously mentioned and discussed in class, is not the first time that Odysseus has not revealed his name. In Lord Alcinous’ home, Odysseus does not reveal his name and identity for a while. He arrives at Alcinous home, pleading for help in returning home, and is taken in by this generous family. He is given a bath, fed, respected, and even offered Lord Alcinous’s daughter’s hand in marriage, as well as wealth, all without having given up his name to his hosts. As a guest, Odysseus has seemed to prefer not revealing who he truly is for a certain time. He does so this time, but not through the way he previously did at Lord Alcinous’ home, but by giving a false name that sounds like his own. This is perhaps another testament of how wise Odysseus is. Revealing his true name in this case, a name that is known by others, would have potentially made things more dangerous and would have put his life at further risk.

Book VIII, Lines 101-106

“This was the song

The renowned bard sang. But Odysseus

Pulled his great purple cloak over his head

And hid his handsome face. He was ashamed

To let the Phaeacians see his tears falling down.

Whenever the singer paused, Odysseus

Would wipe away his tears, pick up his great cup

And pour libations to the gods.”

What’s significant about this passage is the way that Odysseus shows or rather conceals his emotion in parallel to Penelope and Telemachus. Odysseus cries in response to a song which recalls on his feud with Achilees who dies as well as the fact that the destiny of Greeks and Romans was predetermined. Odysseus’ reaction is rather different than that of Penelope and Telemachus. Penelope cries because of the song that tells of men coming back from war and Odysseus is not one of those men. She gets dismissed as being dramatic and running the mood which in a sense also reflects on the gender roles in the Odyssey. Women are certainly more accepted for showing their emotions but also plays on the stereotype that women are more dramatic and are supposed to yearn for their lovers remaining dependent on them. Penelope is supposed to cry in despair and constantly grieve Odysseus, displaying her loyalty to him. But also we see a parallel between Odysseus and Penelope as they are moved by songs and have a connection that is far beyond their great intellect. Odysseus, on the contrary is crying because of his feud rather than because he misses Penelope and Telemachus. Odysseus is ashamed to show his emotion as it would perhaps decline his image as a hero. The fact that he is using a purple cloak is also significant as well. It represent royalty, rarity and subconscious. The fact that it represents the subconscious is important because, Odysseus is reminded of who he was and his past and who he is now. He might have lost himself a little during his travels, but now he has finally gained that self-awareness.  The color purple also displays conceit and pomposity which we see Odysseus show later as he is challenged by an athlete and responds by praising himself. However looking at the way Telemachus displays his emotion, it is more accepted and actually serves the purpose of gaining pathos from his audience. By displaying his emotion, Telemachus able to gain a following and persuade others that he is truly in need of help to find his father. This complexity of emotion in the Odyssey makes it difficult to perceive if a true hero is supposed to show his emotion or hide it. We constantly see Odysseus inspiring his men to stop grieving but he himself is guilty of this. In this particular instance, Odysseus hides his emotion while with Circe, he bluntly starts crying as he is forced to visit Hades (the underworld god). This could mean that it is accepted to show one’s emotion in front of a woman, even a goddess, as long as it’s not in front of a man. Even though, Telemachus is not ashamed to cry in front of men, it is his own immature way of getting what he wants. While in Odysseus’ case it is the memory of a lost friend and a foe and the way that world could have been if the conflict between the Romans and Greeks never happened.

The passage I will analyze is from Book IX, page 436, lines 474-495

In this passage Odysseus and his men have just escaped Polyphemus’ (Cyclops) cave and got onto their ship and started to sail away. Odysseus plan to escape the cave by blinding Cyclops while the boulder in front of the cave was moved shows his intelligence. Odysseus had a chance to kill Cyclops before but knew that his crew would not be able to move the boulder out of the way. Binding three of Cyclops’ sheep together and hiding a crew member underneath each middle sheep, so Cyclops couldn’t feel Odysseus and his crew while escaping, further demonstrates Odysseus’ wisdom. Once Odysseus and his men get on their ships and sail, what is considered a reasonable buffer zone by Odysseus, demonstrates Odysseus’ wisdom and craftiness being overshadowed by his ego.

In the passage I choose, Odysseus calls out to Cyclops, “just to rub it in.” This passage shows the extent of Odysseus’ ego and how his great wisdom and artfulness could be overshadowed just because he wanted to give Cyclops a piece of his mind. After taunting Cyclops, Cyclops throws a huge crag at Odysseus’ ship and almost destroys it. While most people would consider themselves lucky for escaping death twice, Odysseus uses his wisdom to go twice as far out to sea as he was before and foolishly starts to taunt Cyclops again. Even with his crew begging him to stop Odysseus keeps talking to Cyclops just because of his massive ego and tons of pride. This eventually gets another boulder flung at Odysseus and his crew. But they survive.

This passage gives a prime example of one of Odysseus’ biggest flaws, his ego. Throughout the whole story Odysseus’ pride often overshadows his wisdom and makes his journey more difficult or longer. In this passage, it almost got him killed twice in a very short amount of time. Odysseus’ pride also made his journey longer in other parts of the story, like when he competes in sports with younger men just to prove that he not only looks like a god but that he can compete in sports. Odysseus’ ego has caused him a lot of problems in his journey and so far he hasn’t learned from it.

One passage that stood out to me was lines 260-270 in Book 9. During this part of the book, Odysseus and his crew are acquainting themselves with Polyphemus, Poseidon’s son, who is also one of the Cyclopes. The land of the Cyclopes is known to be barbaric and disorganized. Odysseus is led to believe that just like any other host he has been a guest to, that Polyphemus would give gifts to him and would help him on his journey home. Odysseus has previously been showered with gifts and blessings with past hosts. However, Polyphemus disregards Odysseus’ request and says that Odysseus is either “dumb” or “from far away.” After Odysseus tries to make Polyphemus sympathetic towards him and his crew, Polyphemus proceeds to eat two members of the crew. All of this completely goes against the guest-host relationship during this period. A host should do everything possible to ensure that the guest is comfortable and is in good spirits. Once Polyphemus breaks this tradition, all hell breaks loose as Odysseus eventually blinds him and escapes the cave. Every guest-host meeting up until this one had reflected a sense of companionship and respect instead of violence and cruelty in this case.

As a whole, the guest-host relationship during these times was supposed to be a symbol of peace. There was a lot of traveling to separate islands during this time period and most people did not know the visitors nor their motives for coming to their island. The first thing the guest should do is explain who he/she is and explain why he/she is there. The guest may explain a mutual relationship between a family member or friend and give a story or two. The host should then recognize that the guest is of no harm and is given gifts and praise on their journey. For example, Odysseus arrives at the palace of Alcinous and is given numerous gifts and celebrates many festivities with the Phaeacians and Telemachus, who is a guest to Nestor, receives many offerings when he is realized to be the son of Odysseus. Being a proper guest and host is also a sign of maturity. Telemachus was great at being a host, but was unsure of how to properly be a guest, which was an issue. He was shy and afraid, but Athena gave him the courage to talk to Nestor. Telemachus hopes to become more mature, eventually en route to kicking out the suitors from his house and eventually showing the people of Ithaca his maturity. It is very common throughout life to be the guest and the host many times each and it is also a way to always ensure order and unity. Being able to receive and give proper hospitality is a key part of Greek ethics as shown several times in this epic poem.

Pride is a recurring theme throughout The Odyssey, not only for Odysseus’ character, but Pallas Athena as well. When the crowd challenges Odysseus to throw a discuss he is cheered on by Pallas Athena, disguised in the crowd. After his success, he calls out to the other competitors saying, “Match that if you can boys. In a minute/ I’ll get another one out just as far or farther” (Lines 222-23, p. 416). Before encouragement from Athena, and his own success, he was less sure. It is apparent that Odysseus prides himself in his physical abilities to a flaw. His words are pointed considering that Phaeacians themselves see their physical aesthetics and abilities as a communal identity. Further, he invites competition in line 224 saying, “And if anyone else has the to try me, step right up – “. In his determination to prove that he is the best hero at the feast he opens himself up to the possibility of being slighted or further taunted. He even cites this, almost as a clause, that he may not be able to beat a competitor in running only because he is so beaten up from being at sea. Ultimately, the Phaeacians choose instead to show Odysseus how well they can dance and play the lyre, but both he and Pallas Athena opened themselves up to harm by flaunting their pride in this scene.

Finally, this also touches upon the relationship between mortals and gods, which is a major theme throughout the text. Though Pallas Athena has openly supported Odysseus in battle and in his journey, she often does so from obscured or hidden positions. This highlights an interesting dynamic between mortals and gods as both parties consistently interact with each other, but rarely are there direct meetings. Because of the lack of intimacy in most cases, it is curious that Athena has become a protector for Odysseus. It also plays with the idea of fate, which is controlled by the Fates in Greek mythology, not the Gods. So, if Athena cannot predict the outcome one can posit that she is fated to interact with Odysseus, even though she is immortal. This ties both characters together even more, as now they would not only share pride as a character trait, but seem to be intertwined in terms of success and fate. This move in the epic could act as a way to humanize the gods and bring them closer to mortals. Symbolically, this scene supports that when Pallas Athena disguises herself as a male onlooker in the crowd.