Odysseus’ journey back
All literary cultures have their own epics. One such work that has influenced European literature is the ancient Greek text, The Odyssey.
All literary cultures have their own epics. One such work that has influenced European literature is the ancient Greek text, The Odyssey.
Homer’s oral epic poem was composed, according to many classical scholars, around the 8th century BC. The grand Trojan war which divided the ancient world (an antecedent of more contemporary ‘World Wars’), is over. After the massacre, the heroism and the sorrow, the war’s greatest hero, Ulysses (aka Odysseus), is returning home to Ithaca. Back home, his faithful wife, Penelope keeps suitors (who believe Ulysses killed in battle) at bay. His son Telemachus grows up missing his father.
Ulysses’ return voyage is as epic as his battle. Captured by the goddess Calypso, he spends seven years on her island. Driven off course by winds —the sea god Poseidon is Ulysses’ enemy —they end up on the island of the Lotus Eaters. There is a breathtaking encounter with the witch Circe, who falls in love with Ulysses. Circe turns his men into pigs, but Ulysses is resistant to Circe due to the magic drug, moly (given him by Hermes). The ancient prophet Tiresias advises Ulysses, as he maps his return to Ithaca yet again. Ulysses enters Ithaca in disguise in order to see how things are. Penelope launches an archery contest for her suitors, and Ulysses also takes part, and wins. He then kills all the suitors, and reveals himself to Penelope.
Odyssey yielded metaphors (‘siren song’, ‘cyclopean’) and themes for centuries of writers, and ranks with the Arthurian legends as the most influential Western epic.
Almost every Western writer has been influenced by Homer. In the 20th century, the poet Eliot used select themes, and the Caribbean poet Derek Walcott reworked it as a postcolonial epic poem. Penelope, often considered the prototype of loyal femininity, has also been claimed by feminists for their purposes (most recently by Margaret Atwood in The Penelopiad).
The Odyssey is a classic because, despite its ancient settings, it is an entertaining narrative — one that we love to read or watch on film. It is a prototype tale of adventure, heroism, love and courage. The depth of characterisation, the epic descriptions, the thrills and fulsome joys of a taut plot, which even in translation provides a visual and verbal treat, makes the poem a great experience. All the ingredients of a popular tale are met here: love, lust, evil, magic, divine intervention, battles, treachery, devotion, virtue.
Homer’s oral epic poem was composed, according to many classical scholars, around the 8th century BC. The grand Trojan war which divided the ancient world (an antecedent of more contemporary ‘World Wars’), is over. After the massacre, the heroism and the sorrow, the war’s greatest hero, Ulysses (aka Odysseus), is returning home to Ithaca. Back home, his faithful wife, Penelope keeps suitors (who believe Ulysses killed in battle) at bay. His son Telemachus grows up missing his father.
Ulysses’ return voyage is as epic as his battle. Captured by the goddess Calypso, he spends seven years on her island. Driven off course by winds —the sea god Poseidon is Ulysses’ enemy —they end up on the island of the Lotus Eaters. There is a breathtaking encounter with the witch Circe, who falls in love with Ulysses. Circe turns his men into pigs, but Ulysses is resistant to Circe due to the magic drug, moly (given him by Hermes). The ancient prophet Tiresias advises Ulysses, as he maps his return to Ithaca yet again. Ulysses enters Ithaca in disguise in order to see how things are. Penelope launches an archery contest for her suitors, and Ulysses also takes part, and wins. He then kills all the suitors, and reveals himself to Penelope.
Odyssey yielded metaphors (‘siren song’, ‘cyclopean’) and themes for centuries of writers, and ranks with the Arthurian legends as the most influential Western epic.
Almost every Western writer has been influenced by Homer. In the 20th century, the poet Eliot used select themes, and the Caribbean poet Derek Walcott reworked it as a postcolonial epic poem. Penelope, often considered the prototype of loyal femininity, has also been claimed by feminists for their purposes (most recently by Margaret Atwood in The Penelopiad).
The Odyssey is a classic because, despite its ancient settings, it is an entertaining narrative — one that we love to read or watch on film. It is a prototype tale of adventure, heroism, love and courage. The depth of characterisation, the epic descriptions, the thrills and fulsome joys of a taut plot, which even in translation provides a visual and verbal treat, makes the poem a great experience. All the ingredients of a popular tale are met here: love, lust, evil, magic, divine intervention, battles, treachery, devotion, virtue.