I've always wanted to read a literary canon. But the thought of it being too hard to understand and archaic always made me tremble and scurry back to the world of contemporary fiction. Thank god for required English classes! Without which I wouldn't have read this all-time Greek classic. To be fair, it's quite easy to read and digest than I thought it was. To begin, here's my paper about The Odyssey:
Wisdom, Curiosity, and Hubris: An Analysis of Odysseus’ Characterization
Odysseus
is the main protagonist of Homer’s epic poem entitled The Odyssey. Although the epic narrative switches frequently
between Odysseus’ and his son Telemachus’ point of views, the flow of the
narrative is still fixed on the actions and choices of Odysseus; thus, warrants
an acute understanding and analysis of Odysseus’ characterization. In it we can read about the struggles
of Odysseus as he tries, often failing miserably, to return home to his kingdom
in Ithaca. On his way home, he encounters monsters like Scylla, Charybdis, and
Polyphemus. He eventually survives, through sheer wisdom and guidance from the
gods (specifically, Athena), and returns home. Throughout the story, we get a
sense that although Odysseus was a wise individual (he hatched the Trojan horse
plan after all), his innate curiosity and thirst for knowledge culminate in his
bragging about his wisdom i.e. hubris.
This is the main reason why Poseidon disfavors him so much and why his return
voyage home takes yet another ten years to complete. Therefore, Odysseus’
hubris is part-and-parcel to the narrative of the epic poem and, likewise, the
mover of the events.
First, when we talk about
Odysseus’ hubris, it is important to have an understanding on why he is
considered wise to begin with. And this particular characterization of Odysseus
can be seen in Athena’s intervention and kindness towards Odysseus’ actions. Athena,
being the goddess of wisdom and knowledge, intercedes in behalf of Odysseus in
Mount Olympus (1.57-60,78-80). This dynamic between Athena and Odysseus hints
at the former’s favoring of the latter because of sheer wit, intelligence, and
wisdom (how can Athena ever favor someone unwise or dumb – it would contradict
her inherent attributions of being a goddess of wisdom). More so, Athena’s
favoritism towards Odysseus can also be seen in her guiding Prince Telemachus (Odysseus’
son and thus an extension of his person) to acquire details about his estranged
father’s likely whereabouts and history from King Nestor (3.16-32) and King
Menalaus (4.112-133); essentially, a physical manifestation of the “thirst for
knowledge”. Divine intervention and favor aside, we can see manifestations of
Odysseus’ wisdom in multiple instances like his refusing the lotus-eaters
(9.110-117) and his outsmarting the giant Polyphemus (9.380-460). Second, now
that we have an understanding of Odysseus’ wisdom through divine and physical
manifestations, it is best to discuss what happened next just after he had showcased his wisdom. Drawing upon the previous examples, Odysseus
explicitly emphasizes that he was the one to save his crew from the clutches of
the Lotus-eaters; expressing an emphatic I
in the statement, “[…] But I bought
them back, back [to the hollow ships]” (9.110). And after outsmarting
Polyphemus (Poseidon’s son), he shouted from the stern of his ship, “[…]
Cyclops – if any man on the face of the earth should ask you who blinded you,
shamed you so – say Odysseus […] Laertes’ son who makes his home in Ithaca.”
(9.537-562). Odysseus could’ve just sailed away in peace, but his anger
surpassed reason and ultimately resulted in him being too proud. Little did he
know that Cyclopes are actually children of Poseidon. That, of course, led to
Odysseus’ punishment i.e. to wander the open sea because Poseidon’s eminent
domain is the sea and to be stuck in it is a nightmare for early Hellenistic
society (even though life of the early Greeks were centered on fisheries and
the sea).
Odysseus might be considered as
the hero of the epic but his innate qualities present a flawed and perfectly
human character fitting for an epic hero. Even though Odysseus was both
intelligent and proud, he was still able to triumph over the obstacles through
sheer determination, patience, and wit. Without Odysseus’ character flaw i.e.
his hubris, the story would not have been as exciting or as action-packed as it
have been because the flow of the story relies heavily on Odysseus’ proud
characterization.
THEMES/IDEAS
Man
I personally think that The Odyssey is about man. For starters, the first word in the original Greek text is Andra. And poets in the classical period tend to start their epic poems with the very idea/essence of the narrative. (cf. Menis-Divine Wrath in The Iliad)
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| The first paragraph of The Odyssey which starts off with the Greek word for man: Andro |
Hubris
Definitely, the one of the most important themes in The Odyssey is Hubris. When you look at it, Odysseus can be a proud character at times (most of the time, really). He, after all, bragged that he was the one to blind Polyphemus. Even going far as to invoke his ancestry and his kingdom in that particular showcasing of excessive pride.
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| Odysseus and his crew blinds the cyclops, Polyphemus |
Death
There's a lot of deaths in The Odyssey. Of course, all of Odysseus' crew died. But the interesting part is the inclusion of their going to Hades (the Underworld). They went there not on their own accord, but on the suggestion of Circe. Odysseus and his crew asked for Tiresias' help on how to get back home. There, Odysseus met a lot of his dead friends back in the Trojan War and talked with Anticleia (his mother) and Elpenor (a crewman who died by jumping off Circe's roof while intoxicated.
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| Odysseus visits Hades |
Memory
Memory, I think, is another important theme which we can analyze. In the narrative, Odysseus and his crew arrived at the Island of the Lotus-Eaters. Anyone who eats the lotuses immediately forget their desire to go home and, subsequently, decide to stay at the Island. In my opinion, Homer alludes to the importance of memory in such a way that he emphasizes the need for it a connection to our desires; in this case, their desire to go home.
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| Odysseus and his crew in the Island of the Lotus-eaters |
I also think that memory played a vital role in the story because it was the only connection Odysseus and his crew had to their homeland: to forget about it is to forget about home, in a sense.
Cleverness/Wit/Wisdom/Intelligence
It's with no doubt that Odysseus is smart. Athena favors him, for crying out loud! He, with his wit and cleverness, did blind Polyphemus and manage to get out of the cave alive. So, I think it's counterproductive to comment on Odysseus' intelligence.
On the other hand, Penelope should likewise be praised because of her covert intelligence! After all, she prolonged the suitors' agony by weaving a shroud for her father-in-law, Laertes, during the day and unwinding it during the night. And when the Beggar-King arrived with Telemachus, I think Penelope immediately realized that it was her husband in disguise. After all, she would not have asked for Eurycleia, Odysseus' previous wet-nurse and present maidservant, to wash the Beggar-King. More so, of all the things she could have chosen for the contest for her hand, why the arrow-through-the-axe-head-using-Odysseus'-long-bow one?
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| Penelope weaves Laertes' death shroud |
Note: The copy of The Odyssey I used is the Penguin Classics one translated by Robert Fagles with an introduction by Bernard Knox. I highly suggest Fagles' translation because it's easy to understand, at least for me.
P.S. Haven't proofread yet! ('cos of the excitement) So, I might update every now and then. Thanks!