I’ve finally reached book thirteen to The Odyssey‘s 24 books. Odysseus’ tales of his ten years of travails trying to get home to Ithaca have come to an end. In book thirteen, if the title is any indication, he finally makes it back to familiar shores. The rest of the book is what happens when he gets home.
I was hoping back when I was still in the early books setting the scene in Ithaca that once Odysseus’ story got started things would pick up and I’d like the book. No such luck. The more I read, the more I think Odysseus is a big jerk. I really think it was mostly his fault that none of his crew or ships made it back home. It is his fault Poseidon cursed him in the first place. He taunted the Cyclops as he and his men were escaping. His men urged him not to, to just keep his mouth shut, but no. He told the Cyclops who he was. Turns out ol’ one-eye is Poseidon’s son and so Odysseus lands himself and his unfortunate crew in a whole heap of trouble.
Even later, when I hope he would have learned his lesson, he continues to be an arrogant SOB. Circe tells him after he returns to her island from his trip to the Underworld that he will pass by the island where the cattle of the sun are kept. She tells him not to stop there because any harm that came to the cattle would mean disaster. So the one remaining ship and its crew barely make it by Charybdis only to have six crew members end up as lunch for Scylla. Then they see the beautiful island of the sun god’s cattle and want to stop. Odysseus says no and tells them what Circe said. The crew urge him, saying they are tired and they will only stop in the harbor for a night, not even leave the ship. Even though he knows everything Circe has told him is true, he caves in, makes his men swear an oath not to touch the cattle, and drop anchor by the island.
If Odysseus had only listened to Circe. Overnight the winds turn, making it impossible for them to leave. The winds keep blowing in the wrong direction for an entire month. They use up all their rations on the ship. For some reason Odysseus has to go off into the forest and do some private praying to the gods. But instead of praying, he falls asleep. When he awakes it is, of course, too late. His starving men have killed several of the sun god’s cattle. Nothing happens. The winds shift and they think they got away with the crime. They strike anchor and head out to sea. Once they reach open water, a huge storm blows up from nowhere and the ship is sunk. Odysseus is the only one who manages to catch hold of a piece of the ship and stay afloat. Eventually he ends up on Calypso’s island where he is kept for seven years “reluctantly” sharing the goddess’s bed.
For some reason everyone thinks he is a great man and a hero. Maybe that was so on the plains of Troy, but afterwards, not so much. Now he is about to return home and do what he does best–kill people. If only Troy had won and we could be reading Hector’s story. He was a nice guy.
I read this earlier this year (the Allen Mandelbaum translation) and loved it. It wasn’t what I thought it would be, but it clarifies a lot of literary allusions, like in The Inferno and Cold Mountain. And others I probably haven’t thought of. I’m reading Ulysses now, and I don’t see a lot of parallels between that and the Odyssey yet. Please advise, if you can.
Incidentally, didn’t you read the Aeneid earlier this year? I read it a few months and wow, that book was violent! Probably the most violent book I’ve ever read. Just slicin’ n dicin’ everywhere!
Loved this! Odysseus, Greek hero, legendary traveller, gets one of the most famous stories of mythology to his name and you put him right back in his place as a reckless, thoughtless, arrogant SOB. I can just picture Odysseus’s mother in the background, nodding her head and saying ‘you hear that, Odysseus? I hope you’re ashamed of yourself now!’
Brandon, I’m reading the Fagles translation. It’s pretty good if not exactly filled with poetic language. I’ve not read Ulysses, though I hope to in the next year or two. Maybe the connection between the two is more metaphorical than actual? I haven’t read The Aeneid yet, that will be eventually. I read The Iliad earlier this year and that is certainly filled with blood and guts.
Litlove, you made me laugh! Odysseus does meet his mother in the underworld and she gives him a woeful ear full. Tells him she died for grief over his not coming home and his father is living in rags, that his son and wife are being eaten out of house and home. Odysseus feels a brief pang of guilt but it doesn’t last long enough to make a difference because it took him seven more years to get home after that!
“The more I read, the more I think Odysseus is a big jerk.”
LOL!!! Stefanie, there is a really good spoof about how Odysseus’ stupidity gets everyone killed. As soon as I find it, I’ll link it to you.
I’ve never particularly been a fan of The Odyssey. Of the three epics: The Iliad, The Odyssey, and The Aeneid – The Odyssey has always been my least favorite. Whenever you get around to reading The Aeneid, I’d recommend reading the Mandelbaum translation. Of all of the translations I’ve read, I think that’s the best.
Odysseus is certainly a flawed character. I believe there is some discussion of this in Bernard Knox’s excellent introduction. The things he is most frequently praised for are his guile and worldliness, characteristics that aren’t really typical of an epic hero, or at least the bland kind that fit our stereotypes.
I remember thinking the same thing about him until the end. He actually changes and develops as the story progresses, which is pretty sweet, I think.
Have you been converted by Euripides? Euripides hates Odysseus, as you saw in “The Trojan Women”. Same thing in “Iphigenia in Aulis”. Or Sophocles’ “Philoctetes”. Here we have Odysseus the crafty schemer, an early Machiavellian. He does whatever needs to be done to get what he wants. This isn’t Homer’s Odysseus, though, but a later version.
Odysseus is not the sort of hero we are used to. He’s a “hero” because he is a great warrior, not because of his virtue. He’s resourceful, clever, and in the end he survives, while most of his fellow heroes do not. So his story is a comedy, while that of Hector is a tragedy.
Actually, the Greeks treated almost all of their heroes this way. Think of the senescent Theseus kidnapping Helen, or drunken Jason killed by a chunk of the Argos, or Hercules in a dress, or Achilles in a dress. No Sir Galahad or El Cid in ancient Greece.
I hope you enjoy part 2 more. Homer’s epics are sort of formative stories for me.
Odysseus, the trickster figure. Yes, Dante (who did admire his courage and sense of adventure) assigns Odysseus/Ulysses to the 8th level of hell (evil counselors who misused their gifts). Pretty drastic since there are only 9 levels! He does so because of Ulysses’ commitment to his own passion for adventure which endangers the men in his charge.
Still, I love Tennyson’s version in which Ulysses proudly admits to “always roaming with a hungry heart” and his determination “To strive, to seek, to find, and not to yield.”
I’ve always preferred The Iliad to The Odyssey. It’s nice to see some others here in agreement. Most people tend to think the more colorful flow and narrative of The Odyssey makes for more enjoyable reading. I tend not to agree, precisely because of the observations Stefanie makes: Odysseus is not very likable in this tale. I liked him more in The Iliad.
Anyhow, I’ve tried to find things about The Odyssey I like and there are many (how can Homer do wrong?). There are certainly moral lessons to be drawn from the myriad (mis)adventures Odysseus and his men go through. However, I was more intrigued by Penelope and the other women portrayed in the poem (whether human, god, or monster) than I was in Odysseus. They were at least more sympathetic.
Interesting. Too bad this experience hasn’t been more fun! I didn’t remember that so much of the book took place back in Ithaca — I tend to think of the Odyssey as being mostly about his travels, but it’s really not, isn’t it? I hope the rest of the book isn’t too annoying!
JS, if you can find the link for the spoof I’d love to have it! And thanks for the Aeneid recommendation. I was planning of getting the Fagles translation but I’m thinking I would like to try one with a little more poetry to it.
Ted, I’m pretty sure you are right and that Knox mentions how Odysseus is flawed in the intro, but he is so diplomatic about it. Good to know Odysseus has some character growth in the end. I will keep my antennae tuned for it.
Amateur Reader, Euripides didn’t seem to like many of the Greeks in Torjan Women. Thanks for the furhter recomendations. You make a good point about Odysseus and what kind of hero he is.
Jenclair, that made me laugh to know Odysseus ends up in the 8th level of hell in Dante. I will eventually get to Dante too, something to l ook forward to!
Peg, you are right, annoying as Odysseus is, there is still much to like in the poem. I am interested in the women too and am looking forward to the second part of the story.
Dorothy, since I’ve only ever read excerpts of The Odyssey I thought most of it was Odysseus’ travels and was surprised to find that they are only a small part. Very curious that the adventures are what has made it into the culture at large.
I loved the Odyssey, but you’re right, he’s to blame for much, and a deeply flawed person. The Greeks at the time might have said, however, that he had no choice in the matter, as our lives are planned out by the gods, and we are but their playthings. That’s how I remember it in my lit class, at least. It’s been about 15 years since I read it.
After you finish, two fun things to do would be to watch Oh Brother, Where Art Thou?, which is a great movie, based somewhat on the Odyssey. The other would be to read The Penelopiad: The Myth of Penelope and Odysseus, by Margaret Atwood. It’s a short, quick, fun read, telling the story from Penelope’s point of view.
I agree with the commenter who said they liked Odysseus better later in the book, after he came home. Also, that the hero as defined by the Greeks was very much unlike a hero as we would describe them today.
J, there is always Fate as a fallback, eh? Thanks for the recommendations. I actually read, and loved, the Penelopiad earlier this year. I think I’ve seen Oh Brother Where Art Thou, but if I can’t remember for sure, then it’s an excuse to watch it
I noticed that J.S. mentioned the Mandelbaum translation of The Aeneid. That’s the version I read, and I admit, I wasn’t too thrilled with it. But I have nothing to compare it to, either. Homer’s a tough poet to translate.
Did I say Homer? I meant Virgil. I always get my poets mixed up. I’m going to start saying Virmer.
And, after looking at the rest of the comments, I agree that Odysseus was an a-hole. Seems to me that Greek heroes were less about being wholesome and more about seeing how many people they could trick and kill. Virgil’s hero is the same way. But they were a culture that looked on war and violence as the embodiment of manliness. I’d have to say that my favorite episode in The Odyssey was when his men tied him down while he listened to the sirens.
Brandon, you had me worried there for a second :p Now I am uncertain as to which Aeneid translation to read. I guess I will just have to sample a couple before making the plunge. It would be interesting, wouldn’t it, to do a study of how the ideal of hero has changed over time from Odysseus to Beowulf and Arthur all the way up to Superman.