Essay

“The memory increases my despair”: Odysseus as a victim of violence in The Odyssey

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Course
ENG150 (ENG150)

Institution
University Of Toronto (U Of T )

ENG150 essay on Homer’s Odyssey for the University of Toronto. Essay received an A as the final grade in 2023.

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Uploaded on May 30, 2024
Number of pages 5
Written in 2023/2024
Type Essay
Professor(s) Unknown
Grade A

english
essay
analysis
writing
homer
the odyssey
trojan war
classics
mythology
greek mythology
odysseus
literary analysis
literature
thesis
a

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‭1‬

‭ENG150: Literary Traditions‬

‭“The memory increases my despair”: Odysseus as a victim of violence in‬‭The Odyssey‬

‭The Odyssey‬‭, by Homer, is an epic poem which discusses‬‭violence, namely the‬

‭aftermath of violence on its survivors. This is best demonstrated in the portion of the Odyssey‬

‭in which Odysseus is the sole survivor of his crew, such as his time in Alcinous’ court in Book‬

‭8, where Alcinous invites Odysseus to feast with the Phaecian council. There, Odysseus listens‬

‭to several of Demodocus' songs, including the third on Odysseus’ exploits in Troy. In‬

‭describing Odysseus’ emotional response to this particular song, a simile compares him to a‬

‭weeping woman being led to slavery after her husband is killed in war. This simile is‬

‭significant in that Odysseus is portrayed both as the victor and the victim of war, effectively‬

‭conveying the ambiguity of both positions in violence. Achieved through the usage of‬

‭ambiguity and sympathetic language, which reinforces Odysseus’ status as a victim, as well as‬

‭contrast, which emphasizes Odysseus’ emotional distress, this essay will focus on this simile as‬

‭a means of conveying how all survivors of violence are victims of its effects, regardless of their‬

‭victory.‬

‭To first argue that Odysseus' emotions conveyed in the simile prove his stance as a‬

‭victim of the Trojan War, it must be proven that Odysseus’ tears are caused by emotional‬

‭distress at remembering the Trojan War, rather than pride or nostalgia. The simile itself fails to‬

‭demonstrate this, as it is not directly comparing Odysseus’ emotions to that of the woman’s,‬

‭but rather the “same desperate way” in which they are both crying (8.531). Further, the simile‬

‭also proves to be prone to the use of hyperbole. Despite the simile that describes Odysseus to‬

‭be crying the same way as the woman does, the woman is described to vocally cry out in her‬

‭mourning in a way that Odysseus evidently does not, as none but Alcinous notices him crying‬

, ‭2‬

‭and does so by seeing his tears rather than hearing him cry out. Hence, despite the clear‬

‭descriptors of emotions in the simile, it cannot be directly stated that they directly equate to‬

‭Odysseus’ emotions. As an example, although the woman’s (and, by extension, Odysseus’)‬

‭face “is marked with despair,” the simile alone does not directly allow readers to make the‬

‭inference that Odysseus is feeling despair but rather only cries in a similar manner (8.530).‬

‭This technicality is one of the few reasons that causes difficulty in interpreting this simile.‬

‭Hence, the reason for Odysseus’ tears must be found outside of the simile. Such‬

‭evidence can be found in the subsequent interactions between Alcinous and Odysseus. After‬

‭witnessing Odysseus cry, Alcinous overtly states to the court that Odysseus “[had] been in‬

‭pain” (easily omitting pride as a possible reason behind his crying) throughout Demodocus’‬

‭song, asking him to stop singing (8.540). Although this observation of Alcinous can mean very‬

‭little—as previously mentioned, Odysseus crying like a woman grieving her husband does not‬

‭mean he feels exactly like such, and Odysseus seeming as though he is in pain can follow a‬

‭similar logic—Odysseus himself affirms it when he states that “the memory increases [his]‬

‭despair,”‬‭referring to the memories he must recall‬‭to tell his story as Alcinous requests and‬

‭answer his multiple questions, including where he has been and whether he is mourning for‬

‭someone who had died at the Trojan War (9.14).‬

‭This described memory of Odysseus’ can be inferred to either be that of the Trojan War,‬

‭Odysseus’ struggle to return home in its aftermath, or both. The answer can be inferred to be‬

‭either the first or last, in relation to other instances in which Odysseus demonstrates or even‬

‭openly acknowledges his own suffering during the Trojan War. An example of such an instance‬

‭is in his working of his request to Demodocus, where he asks that he sing of not only “what the‬

‭Greeks achieved,” but also “what they suffered”‬‭(8.489-490).‬‭Thus, Odysseus’ reason for‬

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