Book 2–5— The Odyssey
Date: 10/15/20
Time: 12:00 PM — 1:30 PM
Today, we took our quiz on the first book, and I did decently. We were asked this question after the quiz.
How do the Iliad and the Odyssey contrast or complement each other?
The main distinction between the two poems, which contains several variations, is their theme and concept overall. As the Iliad is based on war, warfare, and hardship, the Odyssey is a novel of journeys, trials, and mythology. The Iliad recounts a Greek fight against the Greek captors in the rescue of Helen, a Greek queen. The Odyssey begins with the destruction of Troy and builds a new epic about the battle of one of those Greek heroes, hero Odysseus.
1. Achilles v. Odyssey
Odysseus only uses aggression when he is unable to use his inspiration mainly on homesickness. Achilles depends heavily upon aggression and retribution. But perhaps the greatest distinction is that Achilles manages his men completely, Odysseus doesn’t.
2. Theater: war vs. palaces and the sea
In the Iliad, the wars and the other things that happen during the weeks of a conflict between King Agamemnon and Warrior Achilles are identified by an alliance of Greek states during the Trojan War, the ten-year invasion of the city of Troy. In the Odyssey, the sea is a common symbol. It is the sea of life in reality. It’s the journey of a great man and all his achievements and heartbreaks portray. Odysseus is far from Ithaca and the only way home by way of the sea, so that the vengeance by the sea god Poseidon, by blinding the sound of the god Polyphemus, is revealed by his lack of judgment. The god of the sea addresses the Cyclops ‘prayer by doing Odysseus’ long and difficult war, making sure that he goes back home by himself and faces enormous difficulties in his family.
3. “reality” vs. fantasy
The Iliad portrays the tragic yet interesting truth of the destruction of mankind. We are all recalled as circumstances unfold that we’re defining and buffing our lives by the forces of fate from which even Achilles, a majestic warrior, can not hide. Fantasy and reality play a role in the Odyssey in generating relational suspense and thrilling journeys. On the way back to Ithaca, the gods’ aid Odysseus. From the beginning, Homer allowed the gods to be anthropomorphic.
4. Falling apart vs. putting back together
In The Iliad, Achilles successfully advanced towards Troy on the Greek side. Achilles exits the war and refuses to fight, sadly. This is because Agamemnon insists he is given the war prize of Achilles, the beautiful Briseis maiden. That hurts the great Achilles’ pride. Achilles then refuses to be interested in the battle, and the Greeks are badly impaired by their lack of power in their combat against the Trojans. In the Odyssey, spoiler alert (for me), Zeus and Athena helped Odysseus and Telemachus defeat the whole room full of suitors. Not even one man lives. Until a human, Penelope in particular has the opportunity to see the unfolding disaster, Odysseus calls on the servants to get the disaster cleaned out of the room.
Here are some terms we went over in class
Ate: divine folly, delusion
Atalasthia: recklessness
Nostos: home-coming
Nostalgia: a longing for a homecoming
Clytaimnestra: famous, noble
Aegisthus: a lover of Clytemnestra slain with her by her son Orestes.
Atreides: son of Atreus
Patronymic: a name derived from the name of a father or ancestor, typically by the addition of a prefix or suffix
Laertiades: son of pain
Odysseus: son of Laertes
Orestes: one who can conquer mountains
Suitors: a man who pursues a relationship with a particular woman, with a view to marriage.
Amphinomous: suitor whose name means “grazing all about”
Homophrosune: like-mindedness
Menos: mental activation, a sense of what is possible for oneself
Xenia: hospitality, alliance, foreign relations
- Based on what you’ve read so far in the Odyssey, how is someone expected to treat a guest/stranger in their home?
Usually, hosts should encourage visitors to enter their house, shower, and bathe them with luxury.
- What do we learn about Odysseus as a hero in the first four books of the Odyssey?
Odysseus is a hero in the spiritual sense because he is faithful and devoted to his wife and family. In the Odyssey, we know that Odysseus was the one who saved and helped the Greeks to win this awful battle. The notion of the Trojan horse came up with him.
- In Book 4 what are your impressions of Menelaus’ and Helen’s marital partnership? Has it been a happy reunion?
Fortunately, Menelaus and Helen are back in a stable life. He has no bitterness towards her, and she doesn’t have trouble saying her time in Troy. It’s like the Trojan war in marriage wasn’t even high, and Paris didn’t even exist. Kinda loves how oblivious to certain deadly occurrences the gods are.
Date: 10/17/20
Time: 12:00 PM — 1:30 PM
BOOK 2
In his fury, Telemachus becomes crazier, but he’s concerned that he doesn’t have the strength of Odysseus — he didn’t inherit his notoriety. He has the might of the gods behind him, however. His sorrow and sadness are not here indicators of defeat, but indicators of determination: his sadness leads him to act. A technique by Penelope is a great example of cleverness: unlike Odysseus, who uses talent to act, Penelope uses sophisticated talent to abstain — to throw off a husband’s judgment. Her obligation to wait for Odysseus is also honorable to her inaction. Antinous seeks to get the honor, by blaming Penelope, but his accusation has been empty: his attitude to his supporters is not dishonorable so that the supporters are not justified. No matter what news he hears, Telemachus chooses not to remain passively, but to do what’s best. Mentor stresses that the sins of the suitors are compounded much more by the dishonor of a fair and noble individual. The disciples keep denying the will of gods and imagining the death of Odysseus. Athena raises his spirit while Telemachus is defeated, explaining his performance for sure. But her success is expected, managed, or promised? The power of Telemachus is growing and he speaks to his disciples and nurses positively. He tries to conceal his separation from his mother to spare her any pain — an honorable act of cunning. Athena is acting on behalf of Telemachus here: she directly interferes, but it covers her involvement. She uses sleep to weaken her followers and to make Telemachus safe to leave. She serves as a ship pilot and Telemachus is possibly captain, taking on an important but secondary role. The crew is dedicated to drinking in the name of Athena.
Date: 10/18/20
Time: 1:00 PM — 2:30 PM
BOOK 3
We see that Nestor and the Pylos people honored the gods automatically. I also notice that in its development, Athena continues to promote Telemachus. She appears to be encouraged by half good conscience, half-divine interference: is the right term coming because Telemachus is stronger than he suspects, or because a deity puts them there? Pylos residents obey the hospitality laws by immediately giving foreigners food and drink. These laws understand that for one reason or another a traveler sometimes has to hide his identity as they need a hostel to offer food and shelter before asking for his name.NGiven the insecurity of Telemachus, his voice impresses the king; Nestor suggests that the direction of Telemachus comes from his father (rather than a god). The tale of Nestor suggests that the feud was decided by the fates of all four men of the tale, but it seems that for no specific reason Athena has produced feuds: the actions of the gods sometimes seem obscure or random. The narrative of Nestor on Agamemnon and Orestes leads to the resolve of Telemah to restore prestige to his household by overthrowing the followers. Although Nestor seems to empower Telemachus to behave independently and aggressively, Telemachus stresses his reliance on the gods. Nestor acknowledges that the goodwill of the Gods is important in Telemachus, and Athena suggests Telemachus already owns it. Whatever, the gods dislike Odysseus says Telemachus, so his quest will not be successful. The passiveness of piety tends to contradict the force of honorable conduct. Bards hold memories alive by repeating tales, and the tale of Nestor suggests that Clytemnestra has been kept alive by Agamemnon’s bard by keeping his memory alive in her. Clytemnestra forgets and betrays his husband as the bard disappears. The treacherous Aegisthus expresses piety by sacrificing it to the gods but his piety can not compensate for his dishonored conduct. When the King knows that Telemachus’ companion is a god, he avoids highlighting the eloquence and will of Telemachus and reflects more on the prince’s reliance on the gods. It is pious to write of the God-human relationship as a whole, but it is admirable to obey one’s own conscience. The celebration reveals that the criteria of piety can be exceedingly complicated and expensive and tend to differ slightly across nations. We may assume that divinities care less for detail than for the fear and reverence which motivate people to invent such complicated rituals. By assigning duties to his children Nestor proceeds to demonstrate his hospitality to Telemachus. He helped him leave just as he helped the visitor arrive.
Date: 10/19/20
Time: 12:00 PM — 1:30 PM
BOOK 4
Instead of highlighting his unequaled treasures, Menelaus reveals piety as he maintains that mortals are still lower than gods. He prefers piety over fame in this manner. Menelaus refuses greatness again, as he talks with remorse over the death of his fellows and his loathing of indifference. He’s magnificent to die and to reap massive riches from the enemies. His past tells him that it is best that he and his loved ones survive and live freely than that he can pursue adventure and face death and dishonor. Menelaus is very sorry about Odysseus, as the cruel punishment by the gods is extremely unfair for such a smart and hard-working man. Both Menelaus and Helen have a clever way to infer Telemachus’ identity: secrecy and disguise are always broken by tears and sorrow. Helen reveals her expertise both in deviating Telemachus’ personality and in missing the guys. Oblivion is not only risky but it’s a friendly business. She also took on the identities of other women in Troy and Odysseus was clever by claiming the identity of a beggar. The cunning of Odysseus is opposed to Helen’s wicked, but he’s on top in both cases; probably by treating her husband having dishonored herself, Helens has hurt her luck. Telemachus does not address Menelaus in any straightforward way when both the public and the privacy issues are at stake: the pride of the kingdom and the dignity of Telemachus. The King’s tale suggests that his trials have shown him modesty, piety, and he did not always honor gods. A goddess helps him by using trickery and camouflage to avoid his difficulty. The gods admire this style of tactics — for several reasons Zeus himself took other types. Proteus is trying to combat the cunning of Menelaus with his own craft, but the king finally gets his way. Although the gods are very powerful, they often have to concede to mortals, particularly when mortals are cunning-like. Cunning is an attribute that narrows the divine-to-human divide. While Menelaus must feel confident in beating a deity, he also learns to demonstrate his faith and reverence for the gods. Control and modesty go along. The morality and generosity of Menelaus contrast sharply with the foolish immorality of the followers. The followers are unfaithful to resist a man who is respected by the gods (not to mention his hospitality) since they are contrary to the will of the gods. By demanding the aid of Athena, however, Penelope follows divine will. By offering her rest and warmth, Athena responds to Penelope’s prayer. While Athena guarantees Telemachus’ safety to Penelope, she can not say anything about Odysseus: the knowledge allowed to mortals can likely have a cap, because of those kinds of knowledge conflict with destiny.
Date: 10/21/20
Time: 12:00 PM — 1:30 PM
BOOK 5
Athena lamented the painful lot of Odysseus, which means the gods should recompense only the kings. Much as in the Judio-Christian meaning Gods are not omnipotent, they are not all-knowing, or at least their emphasis is limited: often a god must point another god to a query. The acts of the gods are thus arbitrarily influenced. Odysseus’s crying makes clear that, while he gave immortality to Calypso, he was a reluctant slave and had not lost his wish to return home. The tirade of Calypso against the Pagan Double Norm reveals that Mount Olympus, much as the world underneath, is governed by envy and passion. The tears of Odysseus reveal that his home remembered him never faded; while Calypso made him a husband, he remains faithful to his wife. He is faithful to the husband. Odysseus preferred over celestial tranquility mortal pain and imperfection. While men sometimes accept their inferiority to the Gods, it is often assumed that human life is preferable to spiritual life. While Odysseus suffered greatly on his way home, Poseidon determines that he must suffer more, following no strict reasoning. Poseidon is furious that Odysseus has broken a code, but retribution is not about code, but about whims. Once again we see one divine will be struck with Ino ‘s introduction. But Ino needs him to take refuge, and she does not succeed under any legal scheme, it happens because of chance and circumstance: she’s near Odysseus. Perhaps Poseidon has resented her involvement, but he placidly embraces it. Justice is always subjective under the hands of God. While Poseidon agrees to allow Odysseus to survive, he takes the last shot and flung him against the cliffs. Athena’s interference and survival help: God’s will is once again contrary to God’s will. Now finally Poseidon is quiet; he saves him a few minutes ago he attempted to attack. Inos’ orders Odysseus shows his admiration for the gods, even though he can scarcely walk.
What is your impression of Odysseus when you first encounter him in Book 5? Why do you think the poet presents him in this way? Does your impression of Odysseus change by the end of Book 5? What kind of hero is he?
My impression is that Odysseus is very weak. On Mount Olympus, the gods are gathered. Athena calls on Zeus to support Odysseus, who was a so kind and righteous king and is now imprisoned in Calypso’s home. Zeus is commanding Telemachus to go home unharmed and informing god the messenger, Hermes, to let Odysseus go out of captivity. Zeus decrees that Odysseus will sail home with great pain and difficulty and that he will arrive at the land of the Phaeacians, who will speed him home with vast treasures in tow.