The Odyssey by Homer

 

The Odyssey

Homer

(translated by Robert Fagles)

Written c. 8th C. BC

Greek Poetry

The Well-Educated Mind Poetry

⭐⭐⭐⭐ 

As part of the Well-Educated Mind reading challenge, I completed The Odyssey by Homer. I might not have read it at all had it not been for this reading challenge. I realize that I am not fond of the Ancients, but this story and the translation itself have been both entertaining and pleasurable. 

In my opinion, The Odyssey filled in many missing pieces from The Iliad. I was familiar with the story of the Trojan War, and I thought it was because of the The Iliad; but I now believe that it is because of The Odyssey that I know anything at all. It is through Odysseus, the hero, and his narrative of the events of the War that the reader gets a better picture of what took place at Troy. 

Odysseus, the great Greek warrior and king of Ithaca, struggled for ten years to get home, on top of the ten drawn out years battling the Trojans. On their way, he and his warriors endured treacherous and gruesome trials, many of which ended in death. The reader experiences these adventures, or obstacles, rather, mainly through the stories that Odysseus told to others. They were like a flashbacks.

One of the adventures included time on the island of the Cyclops, where Odysseus and his men were captured (and some eaten) until Odysseus killed Polyphemus, Poseidon's son, causing Poseidon to pursue Odysseus continuously and seek revenge throughout his voyage home. 

Next, they stayed with King Aeolus, who gave Odysseus a bag of wind to help them get home sooner, which they would have had the men not opened the bag, forcing them off course. 

Another trial took place on Circe's island for a year, in which she transformed Odysseus' men into pigs, though Odysseus was spared by eating an herb he received from Hermes. Odysseus had to appease Circe in order to restore the men's humanity, and then she sent him to see Tiresias in the Underworld, where he gave Odysseus prophecies about the remainder of his journey.

A memorable trial was sailing past the Sirens, whose beautiful singing caused sailors to kill themselves when they heard them. But because Tiresias had warned in advance, Odysseus had his men stop up their ears with wax and secure his body to the mast so that he could not jump overboard. He wanted to hear their voices and live.

Waterhouse: Ulysses and the Sirens, 1891

On the Island of the Sacred Cattle, Odysseus' men angered the gods and were destroyed because they ate the cattle. He alone survived and ended up on Calypso's island where she kept him miserable for seven lonely years. When she relented, she gave him a raft to get home, until Poseidon destroyed it. 

Odysseus barely made it to another island where he was well attended and refreshed by the king and princess. Here Odysseus told them his long stories of all that had happened to him and how he was trying to get home to his kingdom, his wife, and their son. Sympathetic, the king outfitted Odysseus with his best ship and sailors, and Odysseus finally made it to Ithaca.  

Meanwhile, in Ithaca, during those last years, Penelope, Odysseus' wife, had been pursued by suitors, who were merely interested in the kingdom. They loitered the palace and ate Odysseus' food and drank his wine. Tactfully, Penelope played a game, weaving a shroud for her father-in-law, Laertes, which she expected he would need once he learned that Odysseus was dead, as supposed. She promised the suitors she would choose the lucky one once she had completed the shroud. But at night, she unwound all of her work only to begin again in the morning, so as to prolong the regretful day. 

Seddon: Penelope, 1800s

When the suitors discovered her trick, they called her on it, and she had to yield. However, it was just in time because Odysseus had arrived home. Together with his son, Telemachus -- who had also recently arrived from searching abroad for news of his father -- they made a plan to challenge the suitors. 

With the help of Athena, she disguised Odysseus as an old beggar. Without recognizing her husband, Penelope took the beggar into her home and catered to him, as the suitors mocked him. Penelope made her decision how to choose a suitor, but it involved a feat only her husband could solve; so when the old beggar took a shot, he was the only one able to achieve it, which led to the final battle and victory over all of the suitors. 

Even still, convincing Penelope that he was her husband was another trial. When he revealed the one trait only he could know about their bed which he built for them, it was then that Penelope knew: Odysseus was finally home. 

In the final chapter, the following day, Odysseus visited his grieving father, and then he prepared himself to be avenged by all the fathers of the suitors he and his son killed the night before. Fortunately, Athena intervened in time and brought peace to all of Ithaca for good. 

My final thoughts: I am really pleased with the Fagles translation. I believe it suited me well. If you prefer a more poetic reading, maybe there are translations that would serve better. This one was very readable. The adventures are thrilling and intriguing, even for a 21st century mind. The descriptions and comparisons of humans as godlike were cheesy - not realistic at all -- but it's 8th century Greek poetry, right? I had to get over that. 

One last opinion: I wish The Odyssey ended with the reunion between Odysseus and Penelope because the continuation of the final chapter ruined the mood for me. I think the meeting with Laertes was important, but the battle with the dead suitors' fathers took away from the previous chapter's event. I wish it ended without the last chapter, but there is nothing I can do about that either. So that's it.

And now, I leave you with this outstanding, massive Lego build of the story of The Odyssey. If you are a fan of this Greek poem, you will want to see this: