Tuesday, September 29, 2015
The real Odysseus
After all this time, we finally have met Odysseus in the flesh! We've heard countless stories about him and all the amazing things he has done and the monsters he has defeated and the people who loved him, and now here he is on Calypso's island. So what do you think? Is he everything you expected? If not, why do you think Homer set up the story in such a way that we have grand expectations about him that aren't met when we see him? Please cite some specific lines from Book 5 to illustrate your impressions about the real Odysseus.
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Books 1-4 built Odysseus up to be a regal, powerful man who was loved by many for his courage. However, the very first scene that includes Odysseus features him crying by himself ("...found him there in the headland, sitting, still, weeping, his eyes never dry..."). He is also unfaithful to his wife through his nights with Calypso. This preliminary view gives the reader a negative view of Odysseus as a cowardly cheater. However, as the chapter progresses, he gets many obstacles placed in his path ("... Poseidon god of the earthquake launched a colossal wave..."), but he overcomes each of them with bravery. He also tricks Calypso by complimenting her and not mentioning his wife in his reasons for wanting to leave ("...I pine, all my days - to travel home and see the dawn of my return."). The second half shows the side of Odysseus that Homer had been promoting; a cunning strategist. This is also how Homer paints Odysseus as different from a typical hero. He has good sides and bad; he is more complicated than he seems.
ReplyDeleteUntil now, Odysseus has been portrayed as untouchable. He’s inconceivably smart, strong, royal with a heart of gold, and the most heroic man and king in Greece. Before actually meeting Odysseus in this chapter, I expected him to be doing something with his incredible, cunning mind that everyone seems to talk about. I saw him creating a great ship, fashioning oars out of driftwood, hunting, or even sleeping with Calypso. Needless to say, I expected him to be doing something that establishes him as highly esteemed and able to assert his dominance over any person or task. On the contrary of what I thought would be Odysseus’ character, the first moment he was introduced to us he was crying, which suggested cowardice. In line 94, we see Odysseus for the first time, crying and it’s mentioned that he’s almost always crying or pitying himself, which is quite the opposite of how all the other characters speak of him. While later in book five, while he was sailing to shore, he proved his stamina and his will to get to land. It was mentioned in line 500, that when he got to land, he collapsed, suggesting how hard he worked to get to land and his intense desire to reach home. I think that on Calypso’s island, he was vulnerable, his life and mind controlled by a goddess, but now that he has escaped her grasp, he can finally become the hero he once was and return home again. I think the reason Homer set him up to be this unattainable force of good and heroism and then introduced him as so much less is because a main part of this book is going to be his character growing into a protector and gaining back his confidence on his journey home.
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ReplyDeleteIn the Odyssey thus far, we have heard of how brave, cunning, and Odysseus is, and parts of his reputation were demonstrated in book five. I found this especially true when he was struggling against Poseidon in the sea. Praying and finding safety “at the river’s mouth” was a very cunning, as Poseidon could not drown him there. We also hear of Odysseus’s strength when he is building his raft to leave Calypso’s island. It is said that “the work was done in no time”, and that he finished building the raft in four days. These feats of strength and intelligence are stereotypical of Odysseus, but there was a moment in which we saw him struggle. He was “on a headland, weeping there as always, wrenching his heart with sobs and groans and anguish”. This was quite sad, but confused me, as he misses his wife, but he continued to sleep with Calypso. Overall, Odysseus was displayed as being quite strong and intelligent, however it is shown that he is still quite human, and misses his family and home.
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ReplyDeleteI agree with Sarah; the story heavily built up the reader's impression of who Odysseus was: he was handsome royalty, he was a key figure in winning the Trojan War through strength and cunning, and was even described as a "godlike man" by Athena (a goddess herself) on page 152. Therefore, one would expect to find a strong-willed, intelligent, courageous person who almost seems too perfect to be mortal as Odysseus. But the man isn't even doing anything that would live up to those expectations when he is introduced; he is just sitting and crying, "his sweet life flowing away with the tears he wept for his foiled journey home," as stated on page 157. He is not even trying to make a plan to return home, but is just crying about how he cannot. However, this is not all that we see of Odysseus's nature; after Calypso proposes that he try and sail home on a raft, he immediately assumes that the nymph is trying to trick him. On pages 157-158, Odysseus retorts, "Passage home? Never. Surely you're plotting something else, goddess, urging me - in a raft - to cross the ocean's mighty gulfs." This gives the reader some insight on the kind of reaction that Odysseus would have to such a suggestion, due to the his nature during the Trojan War to be suspicious of any offer, as any war leader would. Homer probably set the story up in a way that would make the reader's/listener's expectations seem untrue because Homer may have wanted to present Odysseus as not only a great hero, but also a human being who has flaws and faults. As long as he is human, even a hero would probably be at least a little crazy and flawed after being trapped on an island with one other person for years - even if the person was a beautiful nymph, and the island was a paradise.
Odysseus is a man portrayed as a great hero and warrior throughout all of chapters one, two, three, and four. However, upon meeting him, I can’t say he was especially remarkable. Homer describes him as beloved by the gods (the exception being Poseidon) and his family and friends. He routinely returns to the idea that Odysseus is brave, cunning, and resilient, however, the impression upon meeting him is that Odysseus is simply an attractive pawn being pushed around by the gods and whatever fate has preordained him to do. In a world where everything is preplanned, shouldn’t strength or smarts correspond with one’s ability to go against the grain, fight their fate, or exercise their own free will? How is Odysseus any more remarkable than all of the other kings that fought in the Trojan war? The only thing that seems to make him different, or in other words, all of the ‘skills’ he possesses, come from the gods. For instance: when he’s trying to get out of the sea and not be pummeled into the cliffs. “…where he would have been flayed alive, his bones crushed if the bright-eyed goddess Pallas had not inspired him now.” Athena helps him survive, it feels like he is always being helped or hindered by others in some way and simply letting himself be pushed about instead of taking his life into his own hands.
ReplyDeleteBTW this is Eilidh Dunsmore, I'm having some trouble with the ID tag.
DeleteBefore reading Book 5, Odysseus was described and not having a single cowardly bone in his body. He also said to be extremely intelligent, bold, and the hero of Greece. I expected him to take part in audacious acts and using his untouchable mind for something brilliant. I could even imagine him creating an awe inspiring boat, hunting for himself and providing for himself. Even possibly be intimate with Calypso. Nonetheless, I expected Odysseus to fulfill the façade that was given to us by the others in the text. What I encountered was the complete opposite. In the beginning of book 5, right away Odysseus is crying which stereotypically shows weakness and vulnerability. He is described as “wrenching his heart with sobs and groans and anguish,…”. (line 94) Whilst Odysseus was at sea, he is having significant struggles getting through this journey. In lines 490-496, he breaks down and starts praying to the gods for mercy and rid of the “Sea-lords” curse. Then in line 500 is when he finally has a physical and mental breakdown like no other. On Calypso’s island he was able to demonstrate the not so untouchable side of himself. He was allowed to vulnerable, so vulnerable he was cornered by yearn and his own pride. A pride that he gave away the second he stepped foot on Calypso’s Island. I think Homer set up the story so that at first we are underwhelmed, but as time progresses we will see how much Odysseus works gain his strength and power he once had.
ReplyDeleteBefore we actually met Odysseus, we heard lot of thinks about him. One of the most striking things we heard about him is that he was a "god like man", this set the standards of what we expect Odysseus to be like very high, especially because it was a God who said that about him. As we are finally introduced to Odysseus, we see that he is certainly not being treated like a "god like man", he is being used by the nymph, and is held by his own will on an island. When Odysseus is first described on page 155, "off he sat on a headwind, weeping there as always, wrenching his heart was sobs and groans and anguish, gazing out over the barren sea through blinding tears." These lines were surprising, considering all that Odysseus was made out to be, so seeing him crying, and vulnerable was not expected. It does not mean that Odysseus is weak, although he is sort of depicted as weak here. We later see the cunning, and very smart parts of Odysseus on page 158 "I won't set foot on a raft until you show good faith, until you consent to swear, goddess, a binding oath you'll never plot something new intrigue to harm me!". Here Odysseus is being very careful before believing something that the nymph proposes for him. He is very smart and knows that he can not trust people, especially after all he has been forced through. This is not the only example that we see of Odysseus' knowledge. On page 160 when he is building his raft, it is clear that he knows exactly what he is doing. In the beginning I was a bit surprised by what Odysseus was doing, but as I read more into Book 5 I found the Odysseus that was loved, and looked up to by many as described in the begging of "The Odyssey".
ReplyDelete-Isabella Deluca
In books 1-4 we have heard many stories that portray Odysseus as strong, noble, and cunning. He is also described as a reflection per say of his wife and son. His wife, Penelope, demonstrated her loyalty while the suitors surround her for a couple of years and as she does, intentionally, lead them all on, not really because she likes them, she still is very loyal to Odysseus, which should make us assume that Odysseus, after 20 years away from her would be the same. However, when we finally meet our hero, who has been brought up by so many hard-to-live-up-to words, he is seen crying. And on line 93 it states that this has been a repetitive reoccurrence. As Calypso discusses her anger and confusion about her situation with Odysseus compared to others in the past and her consequences, it is shown that there was an affair going on between the two which is not good for Odysseus's great upheld reputation. While not too far before, on line 13, he is described as a 'godlike man'. When Odysseus is finally somewhat freed, he has a possible, though harsh journey ahead. He begins to show his true self, as earlier described by Homer, when he persevered to finally reach land, while aided by Athena which kind of negatively supports how he is dependent on the help of the gods. Nonetheless, I believe Homer tries to misconceive us by initially introducing Odysseus as a weak and emotionally unstable man, but as the chapter plays out, it starts to put Odysseus in situations like the ones he was previously in that earned him all his epithets and adjectives.
ReplyDeleteIf unaware, this is Sam Kaplan
I felt like Odysseus was going to be like a God-like human. My first impressions were really not what I expected. He was suppose to be favored by the Gods and a mere immortal but I didn't see him like that because he was weeping in a cave, and slept with Calypso which is wrong. I really don't find Odysseus any more special than any of his comrades. I feel like he has the skill to be what he lives up to but over the 20+ years he has lost his heart. Many times in this book (5) he is found weeping and begging for the gods to take pity on him. He shows no independence or confidence that he can do it without them. I really think Athena favoring and helping him, hindered his growth as a independent mortal, and I feel like he is so dependent on the gods, to the point where he can't do the things an average mortal has to do by himself. -Trey
ReplyDeleteCharacters in books 1-4 have described Odysseus as manly, courageous, and cunning. However, when we first see Odysseus, he "sits on the rocks and beaches, wrenching his heart with sobs and groans with anguish" on page 157. This shows how Odysseus in a very vulnerable state. He has not been home in 18 or so years and didn't get to see his son grow up. It was surprising to hear that even Odysseus who has been known for his wit, could not find a way off the island of Calypso. Calypso has been keeping Odysseus on the island by force for seven years. However, we see his cunningness again when he says on page 157, "Surely you're plotting something else, goddess, urging me-in a raft-to cross the ocean's mighty gulfs." Odysseus demonstrates his strength when "all his work was done" on the fourth day. It also shows how much Odysseus is yearning to return to his family in Ithaca. In the beginning of book 5, I was unsure if Odysseus would meet my expectations. However, as the chapter went on, I saw that Odysseus was just as god-like he was. We also got to see his more vulnerable side and when he had the same emotions that humans have. Overall, Odysseus showed us his cunning, manly, and brave character in book 5. I found that at the end of book 5, I understood why Athena, Zeus, kings, and many others looked up to such a man. He met my expectations that I have had since book 1.
ReplyDeleteWhile reading books 1-4 I was picturing Odysseus to be pretty much as close to a God as one could be while still being a mortal. However that's not how I thought Odysseus was portrayed in chapter five. The first thing we hear about Odysseus is “Off he sat on a headland, weeping there as always, wrenching his heart with so sand groans and anguish.” (Page 155) Clearly he is unhappy and in a way that shows that he truly loves Penelope and really misses home, because most men would love to be stuck on and island where all they had to do was be with a gorgeous goddess who offered to make them immortal. Another thing that was interesting was that through out the beginning of the Odyssey I thought he was the kind of man that wouldn't cheat on Penelope however he does sleep with Calypso and he not only sleeps with her but seems to do so rather easily without thinking of Penelope, “ …withdrawing into the cavern’s deep recesses, long in each others arms they lost themselves in love.” (Page 159) Even though there are some things that are different than I would expect a lot of things seems to be like I thought, like I would expect him to be perfect at everything and in book five he somehow knows exactly how to make a perfect raft, “He fashioned the mast next and sank its yards in deep and added a steaming oar to hold her right on course…” (Page 160).
ReplyDeleteFrom reading previous chapters of the odyssey, it was clear that Odysseus is seen as a “God-like” figure and as a hero by many others. Even his friends, Nestor and Menelaus, and the bright-eyed Goddess, Athena, favors and praises Odysseus. Those evidence influenced me to think of him as a faithful, strong, and dexterous man. However, Book five of the Odyssey made me realize and see the true form of Odysseus. The noble man everyone venerates is not the person everyone thinks he is, he is unfaithful. “…long in each other’s arms they lost themselves in love (Homer, 159).” He cheated on Penelope with Calypso after being held captive for several all years. I think homer set up the story in a way that we have grand expectations that aren't meant when we see him because it help teaches people: to not trust other’s words unless you have seen or heard it yourself, or people may act differently behind your back, or people may change over time. This is because the Odyssey is believed to be a story passed down from generations and generations back in the olden days, and the purpose of this unexpected event might have been told and written to give people a life lesson. - Pinn Chirathivat
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