Odysseus
Odyssey, lecture 1
THE RETURN OF ODYSSEUS (THE ODYSSEY, BOOKS 1–12)
The return of Odysseus (Ulysses) is narrated in the Odyssey. It was delayed for ten years by the anger of Poseidon. When, after many adventures, he reached his home, he found his wife, PENELOPE, hard pressed by many suitors, who were ruining his property and plotting to kill his son, TELEMACHUS]. Odysseus killed them all and was reunited with Penelope, resuming his rule over Ithaca.
The Mini-Odyssey of Telemachus. In the first four books of the Odyssey Telemachus, helped by Athena, went to Pylos and Sparta to find out news of Odysseus from Nestor, Menelaüs, and Helen. On his return he avoided an ambush set by the suitors.
Calypso. Odysseus, meanwhile, had been living for seven years on the island of Ogygia with the nymph CALYPSO, daughter of Atlas. He refused her offer to make him immortal, and she was ordered by Zeus, through his messenger, Hermes, to release him. She helped him build a raft, and he sailed away towards Ithaca.
The Phaeacians and Princess Nausicaä. The raft of Odysseus was wrecked by Poseidon near the island of Scheria, home of the PHAEACIANS. Helped by Leucothea (a sea-goddess, once the Theban princess Ino), he reached land, where he was helped by the princess NAUSICAÄ, daughter of King ALCINOÜS, and Queen Arete. The Phaeacians were seafarers living a peaceful and prosperous life, and the splendid palace of Alcinoüs was equipped with gold and silver guard-dogs (made by Hephaestus) and with fifty golden torch-bearers in human form. The women were skilled weavers, and outside the palace were beautiful gardens and orchards. Odysseus appealed to Arete for help, and Alcinoüs honored him with a banquet at which the bard, DEMODOCUS, sang of the love of Ares and Aphrodite and the revenge of Hephaestus. Then he sang of the wooden horse and the sack of Troy, at which Odysseus wept. Invited by Alcinoüs, he told his story.
Maron of Ismarus. When Odysseus and his companions left Troy, they sacked the Thracian city of Ismarus, or Ismaros, sparing the priest of Apollo, Maron, who gave them twelve jars of wine.
The Lotus-Eaters. Then the Greeks sailed to the land of the lotus-eaters, where whoever ate of the fruit of the lotus forgot everything else and only wished to stay, eating lotus-fruit. Yet Odysseus managed to leave with his men.
The Cyclopes and Polyphemus. They sailed to the island of the CYCLOPES, one-eyed giant herdsmen living in caves. Odysseus and twelve companions waited in the cave of the CYCLOPS, POLYPHEMUS, son of Poseidon, who returned from his herding in the evening and ate two of Odysseus’ men; he ate four more the next day. Odysseus gave Polyphemus some of Maron’s wine and said that his name was “Nobody” (in Greek, Outis). Then, while Polyphemus lay in a drunken sleep, Odysseus and his companions drove a heated wooden pole into his eye. When the other Cyclopes, hearing the cries of Polyphemus, came to the cave (which was closed by a huge rock) to ask what was wrong, he cried out, “Nobody is killing me,” and they left.
Next morning Odysseus tied each man to the undersides of three sheep and himself clung to the belly of the biggest ram. Thus, as the blinded Cyclops felt the sheep when he let them out of the cave (having removed the rock), he could not discover the men, and so they escaped and went back to their ship. As they sailed away, Odysseus shouted out his real name, and Polyphemus tore off part of a mountain and threw it, nearly wrecking the ship. He prayed to Poseidon for vengeance on Odysseus, asking that if he did return home it would be after many years, alone, in distress, and upon another’s ship, and that he would find trouble at home. This was the source of the anger of Poseidon, who granted his son's prayer.
Aeolus. Odysseus sailed to the island of AEOLUS, who gave him a bag holding all the winds and showed him how to release the wind favorable for his return. But just as he was in sight of Ithaca, he fell asleep, and his men opened the bag. All the winds rushed out and blew them back to Aeolus, who refused to help them any more.
The Laestrygonians. Next they came to the land of the LAESTRYGONIANS, who sank all the ships except one and ate the crews.
Circe. With the surviving ship, Odysseus sailed to Aeaea, home of CIRCE, daughter of Helius, the Sun. She transformed Odysseus’ crew into pigs, but Odysseus himself, warned by Hermes, used the herb moly as an antidote to Circe’s charms and forced her to change his men into human form once more. He lived with Circe for one year and she bore him a son, TELEGONUS. Circe eventually let him go, and he sailed to the Underworld, to consult Tiresias.
The Book of the Dead. The Book of the Dead (Book 11 of the Odyssey) tells how Odysseus went to the entrance to the Underworld and there talked with many spirits of the dead, primarily with Tiresias, who foretold the difficulties yet remaining on his journey and at his return, and foretold also the events of the rest of his life and the manner of his death. Odysseus spoke with Agamemnon, Achilles, Ajax (son of Telamon), and his mother, ANTICLEA, and he saw many other heroines.
The Sirens. Having returned to Aeaea, Odysseus sailed to meet the dangers of which Circe warned him. First were the Sirens, winged monsters with women’s heads, who by their song lured sailors onto the rocks. Odysseus sailed past them by stuffing his men’s ears with wax and having himself lashed to the mast.
The Planctae and Scylla and Charybdis. Then he avoided the PLANCTAE(“wandering rocks”), by sailing close to CHARYBDIS , who sucked in the water of the strait three times daily and spouted it up again, and to SCYLLA (daughter of Phorcys), who snatched six sailors and ate them. Scylla had been changed into a monster through the jealousy of Poseidon’s wife, Amphitrite.
The Cattle of Helius. Odysseus next sailed to Thrinacia, where Helius pastured his cattle. Again he fell asleep, and his men disobeyed his orders not to touch the cattle and killed some of them for food. In response to Helius’ complaint, Zeus raised a storm that sank the ship, leaving Odysseus as the sole survivor. Once again escaping the dangers of Charybdis, Odysseus drifted to Ogygia.
The Phaeacians Bring Odysseus to Ithaca. After he had related his adventures to the Phaeacians, Odysseus was conveyed by them to Ithaca, where they put him on shore asleep, with the gifts they had given him. To punish the Phaeacians for helping Odysseus, Poseidon turned their ship into stone as it entered the harbor at Scheria.
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The Mini-Odyssey of Telemachus. In the first four books of the Odyssey Telemachus, helped by Athena, went to Pylos and Sparta to find out news of Odysseus from Nestor, Menelaüs, and Helen. On his return he avoided an ambush set by the suitors.
Calypso. Odysseus, meanwhile, had been living for seven years on the island of Ogygia with the nymph CALYPSO, daughter of Atlas. He refused her offer to make him immortal, and she was ordered by Zeus, through his messenger, Hermes, to release him. She helped him build a raft, and he sailed away towards Ithaca.
The Phaeacians and Princess Nausicaä. The raft of Odysseus was wrecked by Poseidon near the island of Scheria, home of the PHAEACIANS. Helped by Leucothea (a sea-goddess, once the Theban princess Ino), he reached land, where he was helped by the princess NAUSICAÄ, daughter of King ALCINOÜS, and Queen Arete. The Phaeacians were seafarers living a peaceful and prosperous life, and the splendid palace of Alcinoüs was equipped with gold and silver guard-dogs (made by Hephaestus) and with fifty golden torch-bearers in human form. The women were skilled weavers, and outside the palace were beautiful gardens and orchards. Odysseus appealed to Arete for help, and Alcinoüs honored him with a banquet at which the bard, DEMODOCUS, sang of the love of Ares and Aphrodite and the revenge of Hephaestus. Then he sang of the wooden horse and the sack of Troy, at which Odysseus wept. Invited by Alcinoüs, he told his story.
Maron of Ismarus. When Odysseus and his companions left Troy, they sacked the Thracian city of Ismarus, or Ismaros, sparing the priest of Apollo, Maron, who gave them twelve jars of wine.
The Lotus-Eaters. Then the Greeks sailed to the land of the lotus-eaters, where whoever ate of the fruit of the lotus forgot everything else and only wished to stay, eating lotus-fruit. Yet Odysseus managed to leave with his men.
The Cyclopes and Polyphemus. They sailed to the island of the CYCLOPES, one-eyed giant herdsmen living in caves. Odysseus and twelve companions waited in the cave of the CYCLOPS, POLYPHEMUS, son of Poseidon, who returned from his herding in the evening and ate two of Odysseus’ men; he ate four more the next day. Odysseus gave Polyphemus some of Maron’s wine and said that his name was “Nobody” (in Greek, Outis). Then, while Polyphemus lay in a drunken sleep, Odysseus and his companions drove a heated wooden pole into his eye. When the other Cyclopes, hearing the cries of Polyphemus, came to the cave (which was closed by a huge rock) to ask what was wrong, he cried out, “Nobody is killing me,” and they left.
Next morning Odysseus tied each man to the undersides of three sheep and himself clung to the belly of the biggest ram. Thus, as the blinded Cyclops felt the sheep when he let them out of the cave (having removed the rock), he could not discover the men, and so they escaped and went back to their ship. As they sailed away, Odysseus shouted out his real name, and Polyphemus tore off part of a mountain and threw it, nearly wrecking the ship. He prayed to Poseidon for vengeance on Odysseus, asking that if he did return home it would be after many years, alone, in distress, and upon another’s ship, and that he would find trouble at home. This was the source of the anger of Poseidon, who granted his son's prayer.
Aeolus. Odysseus sailed to the island of AEOLUS, who gave him a bag holding all the winds and showed him how to release the wind favorable for his return. But just as he was in sight of Ithaca, he fell asleep, and his men opened the bag. All the winds rushed out and blew them back to Aeolus, who refused to help them any more.
The Laestrygonians. Next they came to the land of the LAESTRYGONIANS, who sank all the ships except one and ate the crews.
Circe. With the surviving ship, Odysseus sailed to Aeaea, home of CIRCE, daughter of Helius, the Sun. She transformed Odysseus’ crew into pigs, but Odysseus himself, warned by Hermes, used the herb moly as an antidote to Circe’s charms and forced her to change his men into human form once more. He lived with Circe for one year and she bore him a son, TELEGONUS. Circe eventually let him go, and he sailed to the Underworld, to consult Tiresias.
The Book of the Dead. The Book of the Dead (Book 11 of the Odyssey) tells how Odysseus went to the entrance to the Underworld and there talked with many spirits of the dead, primarily with Tiresias, who foretold the difficulties yet remaining on his journey and at his return, and foretold also the events of the rest of his life and the manner of his death. Odysseus spoke with Agamemnon, Achilles, Ajax (son of Telamon), and his mother, ANTICLEA, and he saw many other heroines.
The Sirens. Having returned to Aeaea, Odysseus sailed to meet the dangers of which Circe warned him. First were the Sirens, winged monsters with women’s heads, who by their song lured sailors onto the rocks. Odysseus sailed past them by stuffing his men’s ears with wax and having himself lashed to the mast.
The Planctae and Scylla and Charybdis. Then he avoided the PLANCTAE(“wandering rocks”), by sailing close to CHARYBDIS , who sucked in the water of the strait three times daily and spouted it up again, and to SCYLLA (daughter of Phorcys), who snatched six sailors and ate them. Scylla had been changed into a monster through the jealousy of Poseidon’s wife, Amphitrite.
The Cattle of Helius. Odysseus next sailed to Thrinacia, where Helius pastured his cattle. Again he fell asleep, and his men disobeyed his orders not to touch the cattle and killed some of them for food. In response to Helius’ complaint, Zeus raised a storm that sank the ship, leaving Odysseus as the sole survivor. Once again escaping the dangers of Charybdis, Odysseus drifted to Ogygia.
The Phaeacians Bring Odysseus to Ithaca. After he had related his adventures to the Phaeacians, Odysseus was conveyed by them to Ithaca, where they put him on shore asleep, with the gifts they had given him. To punish the Phaeacians for helping Odysseus, Poseidon turned their ship into stone as it entered the harbor at Scheria.
http://www.oup.com/us/companion.websites/9780195397703/student/materials/chapter20/?view=usa