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In depth analysis of Homer's Odyssey
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1. "Books 6 to 8 contribute little to the story of the Odyssey. They seem to simply fill time between Odysse...
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"Books 6 to 8 contribute little to the story of the Odyssey. They seem to simply
fill time between Odysseus' escape from Calypso and the narration of his
adventures."
To what extent do you agree with this statement? (30 marks)
In Books 6–8 of the Odyssey, Odysseus is the honoured guest of the Phaeacians. During this
part of the story, Odysseus doesn't get to do much that is especially heroic, and he does not
encounter any major obstacles. It's only later, in Books 9–12, when Odysseus tells his
Phaeacian hosts about his epic wanderings, that his leadership skills are revealed in all their
majestic glory.
Book 6 of the Odyssey begins where Odysseus has been away from his home for twenty
years and is longing to return to Ithaca and Penelope. He had just overcome a horrible
storm and washes up to a beach located in the land of the Phaeacians. This book is very
important and involves certain tests for Odysseus to overcome. Odysseus' first encounter on
the land is a princess named Nausicaa, who is described as “as tall and beautiful as a
goddess.” Alcinous offers Odysseus his daughter for marriage to him by saying he would be
lucky to have Odysseus in his family. This is a test for Odysseus because he has to decide
whether to stay here on this magical island, but he refuses to give in to temptation, and still
chooses to try and return to Ithaca. This episode is significant as it demonstrates his loyalty
to Penelope and his self-control.
Episode 6 is also important because it shows the bridge between the real world and the
fantastical. Nausicaa is described as a goddess, and this island is very close to the Gods.
This is important, as the Phaeacians does not ever involve themselves in wars or conflict
with any other communities or islands, and the people were very close to the Gods’ which
contrasts with Odysseus. For instance, Odysseus is far from feeling close to the Gods, but as
we learn, Athene is constantly helping him, so he is involved with the God’s, and Poseidon
made him go off course, so he is very much involved with the Gods, just as the land of the
Phaeacians is. On the other hand, we know that Odysseus is considered a “war hero” and
spent ten years in conflict at Troy, before trying to return home, which is completely the
opposite to the Phaeacian people. This book seems to be important also, because it contains
one of the vital motifs in this story, of marriage. Athene comes to Nausicaa and says to her,
“you may soon be married”, which is trying to bring her into Odysseus’ future and shape his
fate.
The land of the Phaeacians is also the perfect example of the main themes in the Odyssey;
civilisation, xenia and the role of the gods. Odysseus receives impressive help from the
Phaeacians, and they are known for going out of their way to return a helpless stranger to
his homeland. This exceeds even the generous acts of xenia we find in the other books of
the Odyssey and they are consistent with the locals’ devotion to Zeus, protector of lost
wanderers and champion of suppliants.
A theme which reoccurs throughout the Homeric poem is the conflict between appearance
and reality. Athena is a master of disguise, appropriately appearing in whatever form best
,suits her purpose, for example a little girl when she encounters Odysseus in book 6. When
Odysseus needs to look impressive, she uses her talents to makes him look taller, more
massive, more god-like in every way. The theme of deception complicates and enriches his
quest, making books 6-8 very significant to the story.
The thematic exploration of narrative is established by the second bard that appears in the
Odyssey, when Demodocus recites poems during a feast. The bard explains Odysseus’
background, his past being told by a character within his own story. This draws attention to
Odysseus’ life being a narrative even within the context of his life, as the bard who recites
his rendition of The Odyssey’s narrative gets interwoven the events that led up to this
moment that we are hearing about now. This blurs the lines between the fiction and reality
as a real audience imagines Odysseus assuming their position. Not only does it focus on the
narrative, but the poems also comment on the overarching themes of The Odyssey.
Demodocus’ second song is about a betrayed husband, Hephaestus and his disloyal wife,
Aphrodite. This reminds us of Odysseus’ situation, the driving force of the narrative of the
Odyssey being that he must return to his house to rescue Penelope from suitors who are
trying to seduce her. Finally, the final poem displays Odysseus' heroism, martial prowess and
cunning; sets him up for revealing his identity. He sings about the Trojan horse, and the
audience of The Odyssey would assume they were being told real events, hearing these
stories as Odysseus did, effectively making them participants in history. Once again, this
makes it difficult to separate fiction from history, making this book very significant to the
narrative.
Books 6-8 recalls Odysseus' uncomfortable relationship with Calypso by introducing Nausicaa
and points to the future where Odysseus, like Hephaestus, will take revenge from the suitors
of his wife Penelope. It could be said that by creating the character of Demodocus, Homer
has incorporated himself into his own story. The stories he has told foreshadows and makes
us question what will happen next in the Odyssey, making them significant to the narrative.
(Starting from the Odyssey passage) How important is story-telling in the
Odyssey? (45 marks)
From the first few lines of the Odyssey, we recognize it is a story that is told rather than
read as Homer invokes the divine muse to help him tell the audience Odysseus’ journey. The
Odyssey is full of storytelling as a function of making the plot more concise and to change
the chronology to make it more interesting for the audience. A significant portion of the
poem is devoted to storytelling, such as Nestor, Menelaus, Odysseus and the bard’s stories
told. These stories reflect the poem, as they are used to create pathos, deepen characters
and to explore the moral lessons Odysseus learns.
In the Odyssey, we can consider stories being connected to identity. At the beginning of the
poem, the setting of the story is Ithaca and focuses on the development of Telemachus. As
Odysseus left for Troy Ithaca 20 years ago, Telemachus only knows his father by reputation
only, just like the audience. He travels to meet those who knew his father at Troy – Nestor
and Menelaus. The stories which we hear about in books 3 and 4 are equally crucial for
, Telemachus as they are for us, as they confirm our faith in the absent hero’s renowned
reputation. Additionally, their stories about Trojan War tie the poem to cultural legends with
which Homer’s audience would have been extremely familiar with, thus making the poem
more interesting. One specific story, the murder of Agamemnon and his son, Orestes,
avenging him, is clearly relevant to Telemachus as it helps him realize the importance of
driving out the suitors and adds to his character development as he now has a mission.
Therefore, the importance of storytelling is stressed from the start, as we realize it helps to
discover who you really are and your identity, as Telemachus feels closer to his father after
listening.
The act of storytelling in The Odyssey plays an integral part in revealing the past and
character of Odysseus. Each storyteller focuses on retelling Odysseus’ past deeds as well as
his heroic deeds. The art of storytelling knitted Odysseus’ life together and provided many
features about his character and what the Greeks considered a ‘hero’. Odysseus’ epithet of
the “man of many twists and turns” reflect the motif of storytelling that reappears multiple
times in the poem, most notably during the retelling of his experiences at sea. In Books
9–12 Odysseus acts as a minstrel, narrating his adventures to his hosts and audience, the
Phaeacians. Here, he is employed by Homer to invite us to consider how important the role
of the bard is in providing a hero with his glory. Not only does this make all the action in
these books more immediate as it is spoken in first person, but it also allows Odysseus to
tell it from his point of view in the most depth possible. In these chapters, the audience has
the opportunity to experience the hero’s troubles with all the fantastical characters in the
Odyssey – the Cyclops, Circe, Scylla and Charybdis. These chapters contain the most
interesting, exciting and fabled parts of the poem. From storytelling, the reader can learn
more about his thinking process and witness some of the mistakes that Odysseus makes
along the way. For instance, Odysseus foolishly revealed his name to the Cyclops after
blinding him, causing the chain of events that forced him to endure pain and loss due to his
desire for kleos. In turn, we can understand why Odysseus later disguises himself in Ithaca
and avoids making the same irrational mistakes by learning from his experiences, making
the poem more enriching as we understand his character development. Not only does this
enrich our understanding of his character, but it serves as a narrative function as well.
Through storytelling, Odysseus both confirms and constructs his own identity as father and
husband as well as a tactician and survivor.
Since the Phaeacians are unaware of his true identity, this serves as chance for Odysseus to
prove his identity and become fully realized by his hosts in the poem. King Alcinous is so
impressed by the story and empathetic to Odysseus’ losses, that he almost immediately
loads a ship to help him sail back to Ithaca and shower him with gifts. His storytelling talent
helps him ingratiate himself in the community. proving the power storytelling holds in
Odysseus’ world. Homer allows Odysseus to tell his story himself to add to the evolution of
the hero’s own fame and spread the variety of his heroic deeds in his own world. As none of
his crew members survived, it is important for Odysseus to pass their stories along to
immortalize them as well as himself. On the other hand, one could argue this could
undermine the credibility of Odysseus’ tales as he is the narrator himself and would be
tempted to promote his status as a hero through exaggeration. Lying and deception is a
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