The Odyssey: A Synopsis
Posted on | December 22, 2008 |
The Odyssey, in today’s literary cosmos, is Homer’s sequel to the epic poem Iliad. The story of Odyssey picked up where the Iliad left off, which is the end of the Trojan War, when Troy was defeated. As the Greek soldiers and their kings begin their journey back to their own kingdoms, the Odyssey is the story of one king’s journey that lasted ten long years.
King Odysseus’s journey home
King Odysseus’s journey was protracted because, on his way home, he has to deal with the whims and caprices of gods and goddesses. The blind Homer, unlike other poets, tends to make it obvious to his listeners that the gods and goddesses possess distinctly human attributes, and that these deities give in to these mortal propensities, including jealousy, insecurity, and greed. In no other literature about Greek mythology are the Olympian deities portrayed with less godly and more humane characteristics than in Homer’s Odyssey. Thus, the Odyssey is not just a king’s adventurous journey towards home, but also a victorious struggle against a multitude of adversities.
Odysseus: his strengths and downfalls
The major protagonist of this epic Homeric poem is Odysseus, the king of Ithaca. He was one of the wise leaders of the Greek army that defeated Troy in a ten-year war. After the war, his only goal was to come back home where his queen, Penelope, faithfully waited for his return.
But Odysseus was not an ordinary king. He is a hero. Not only is he brave, but he is also daring. Not only is he intelligent, but he is quite creative. Not only is he physically strong but also skillfully athletic. Besides all these enviable traits, Odysseus is also known for his patience.
With these positive characteristics stacked up in his favor, his journey home should have been easy. But Odysseus suffers from one fatal flaw: his pride. It was Odysseus’ pride that angered gods. And this launched a series of events that made his journey arduous but also adventurous. Today, any journey that is anticipated to be arduous but also adventurous is better described as an odyssey.
The underlying conflict of the Odyssey
Homer’s Odyssey began with the conflict already well on its way. It is a strategy that literary experts describe as “in medias res” or, literally, “in the middle of things.” The return journey of King Odysseus was already thwarted and, apparently, during the ten-year journey, Odysseus spent seven years trapped on Calypso’s island.
Athena, the goddess of war and the favorite goddess of Odysseus, is already demanding his release from the island. With Athena’s discussion with her father, Zeus, and with other gods and goddesses, Homer provides a quick look of the world of deities in Mount Olympus and reveals that gods have human-like failings.
The situation in Odysseus’ home kingdom
Meanwhile, in Ithaca, Odysseus’s long absence has been taken as a sign that he is dead, and suitors who wanted to marry his wife, Penelope, now beleaguer Odysseus’ mansion. Odysseus’ son, Telemachus, interpreting the attack of eagles against the suitors as a sign from Zeus that Odysseus is alive, sets out to find out what happened to his father. He ended up seeing Menelaus, another Greek king involved in the Trojan War. Telemachus learned that half of the Greek army, including Odysseus’ contingent, stayed in Troy after the war to appease Athena’s wrath. Then, when the last of the Greeks finally sailed home, Odysseus became imprisoned on an island owned by a nymph named Calypso.
The debate between the gods regarding Odysseus’ fate
After Athena convinced Zeus to let go of Odysseus, the king of the gods sends a message to Calypso to free Odysseus. Calypso reluctantly conceded, but Odysseus’ difficulties did not end with his escape from the island. Odysseus has also incurred the wrath of Poseidon. The god of the sea sent a storm that nearly killed Odysseus. But the enterprising Greek king managed to get on island where Princess Nausicaa rescued him and took him to the king’s palace. In the palace, Odysseus was the honored guest of a banquet that also features an athletic competition and a bard who sings to entertain. In the competition, Odysseus showed his skill with the discus. And when the bard sang the story of the Trojan War, Odysseus broke down and began to tell his own story.
The real story behind Odysseus’ adventure
Odysseus’ adventures as he and his crew set sail from Troy became the origins of today’s legends. First, three of his men tasted the Lotus, a strange plant that eradicates a human’s desire to go home. Second, they encountered gigantic one-eyed herdsmen who are better known as Cyclops. One by one, the Cyclops ate Odysseus’ men. To escape, Odysseus and his men had the ingenuity to fool one of the Cyclopses and then gouge out the Cyclops’ eye. It was a clever plan on the part of Odysseus, but it also turned out to be one of his greatest errors because the giants were the sons of Poseidon. This is why the god of the sea didn’t want Odysseus to live and made the sea turn against him.
A friendly being, the Keeper of the Winds, took pity on Odysseus and sent a helpful breeze. But Odysseus’ men, greedy for treasures, opened a leather bag given by the Keeper of the Winds. A hurricane was released from the bag and Odysseus and his men were blown back to the island of giants, who quickly gobbled up many of Odysseus’ men. The surviving crew found themselves enchanted by the Circe the enchantress, and they were unsurprisingly turned into swine.
Odysseus, with the secret help of Hermes, the messenger god, avoided the fate of his men. Going back to his ship where only a few of his men were left, Odysseus once again tried to sail home. They passed the Sirens, who are known to lure sailors with their sweet voices. Curious to hear the sirens’ songs, but not to fall temptation to doom, Odysseus placed wax on the ears of his crew but had himself tied to the mast. Once safe from the sirens, the crew celebrated and sacrificed Zeus’ cattle. This angered the king of the gods. Zeus sent a thunderbolt that destroyed the ship. Only Odysseus survived, and he found himself trapped on Calypso’s island.
The journey after the story
Enthralled by the story, the king of the palace helped Odysseus to sail to Ithaca. Athena guided Odysseus all the way back to his home. But there was still the matter of suitors who have overrun his mansion. Thus, with the help of the goddess, Odysseus disguised himself as an old man and stayed with Eumaeus, the faithful servant of Odysseus. Meanwhile, Athena also assisted Telemachus to plan a way to escape an ambush prepared by the suitors and to reach the Eumaeus’ farm and meet his father.
Disguised as a beggar, Odysseus goes back to his mansion where the suitors, who had been living off Odysseus’ wealth, maltreated him. Penelope, however, was kind to him because she is naturally kind to strangers. For many years, Penelope has been holding off the request of the suitors to choose a new king. She told them that she would choose a new husband when she finished knitting her gown. During the day, she knits in front of the suitors. But at night, she disentangles her work. Then, one day, her gown is finished and she had one more test for the suitors. The test is to shoot one arrow through all the sockets of twelve lined up ax heads. It was a feat that only Odysseus can accomplish. Still disguised as a beggar, Odysseus sent an arrow through the sockets. It was a sign for Telemachus to rid the mansion of the pesky suitors. Odysseus’ identity is revealed, and Athena helped in demolishing the suitors and the mansion is saved.
Penelope, however, is still doubtful of the man who claims to be Odysseus. She replaces Odysseus’ bed with a different one. Odysseus immediately noticed the difference. After all, it was him who crafted the bed. Penelope was finally convinced, and you can say, that they live happily ever after by Homer’s accord.
Reference:
Homer. Odysseus. Trans. Samuel Butler. Orange Street Press Classics, 1998.
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