Term Paper on "Odyssey Themes of Homer's Odyssey"

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Odyssey

Themes of Homer's Odyssey

The Odyssey, along with the Iliad, is one of the greatest epic poems of all times. The symbolic journey at the core of the poem has been reiterated numberless times as a leitmotif throughout Western literatures. The complexity and the magnitude of the epic is so overwhelming, that a huge variety of themes and symbols can be identified in the work. Although it is much shorter than the Iliad, the Odyssey has an unparalleled mythological density which makes it one of the most spectacular works of literature of all times. Thus, first of all, the poem addresses the life and initiation of the hero in the form of a circuitous journey. It is hard to enumerate even some of the themes that structure the great poem. Odysseus' rounded journey is a complex adventure which contains almost all the archetypes of human experience at its core. Each episode of the travel as well as the journey itself and the return home is permeated with symbols of the hero's individual struggle with life (the journey itself), with the gods (Ulysses' conflict with Poseidon), with human fate or with the other men (Ulysses' fight with the unlawful suitors of Penelope). Ulysses himself as an individual and his initiation is the main focus of the entire book. The journey is a complex process of maturation that follows Uysses' in his intricate battle with obstacles and temptations that invade his journey.

In terms of plot, the epic poem is typically concerned with the adventures of one or more great heroes that embark on journey of initiation. Thus, the epic poem usually has a didactic purpose. Odysseus or Ulysses, the mythological hero that gives the name of the poem, undertakes a long and extraordinary quest, during which he meets challenges and he is confronted with many temptations, all of which establish him as a true epic hero. The Odyssey begins 'in media res', continuing the adventures recounted in the Iliad. Ulysses returns home to his faithful wife, Penelope, and reestablishes justice by murdering all the greedy and debauched suitors that had invaded his home. As an ideal epic hero, Ulysses has all the required qualities: physical strength, courage, military strategy, righteousness, prudence, and respect for religious and moral values (he respects the gods, he loves his family and so on). All of these are proven in the Odyssey: in spite of the numberless temptations and the obstacles put in his way by both men and gods, Ulysses manages to return home to his beloved Penelope. On his quest, he proves not only his physical strength but also his wisdom and prudence: he resists the song of the Sirens by asking his men to tie him to the mast, for example, and he prudently disguises himself as a beggar so as to defeat the many suitors that he found in his house. The epic hero is thus an exceptional character, who has to be not only very valiant but also extremely cunning and wise to outmatch the tricks played by the gods, or to defeat other supernatural powers such as giants, sirens and so on. The denouement is symbolic: Ulysses succeeds in his quest and manages to return home, performing thus a round journey of initiation that serves as a model or a lesson for all those who read his story.

The tension between obstacles and goals is thus one of the main themes of the poem. The Odyssey is notably an epic of return and recognition, in which the hero undergoes arduous adventures and is confronted with the most overwhelming temptations in order to be able to return home. Interestingly therefore, the goal here is for the hero to be able to surmount all the difficulties he encounters so that he may be able to find his way home and be reunited with his family. The journey thus does not have an outside goal, something to achieve or a place to reach, but it is actually a mirroring experience in which the hero struggles to return to his homeland. The circumnavigation thus brings the hero back to his own self. This rounded journey obviously symbolizes the struggle for finding one's true self or one's identity. The goal of Ulysses is to go back home and regain his peace with his wife and his son. The path is nevertheless a huge struggle, as Ulysses is faced with dangerous temptations that are meant to thwart his onward journey. The episode of the Lotus Eaters, that of the luring sirens or that of Circe's enchanted island are only a few of the temptations Ulysses is ready to give in to. Moreover, his journey is fraught with perilous adventures caused by Poseidon's rage against him. Another symbolic motif is obviously the sea, which is the very symbol of travel and restlessness. The fact that Ulysses has entered a conflict with the god of the sea, Poseidon, is also symbolic, as he finds himself at the mercy of the powerful god that does everything he can to prevent the hero's return.

The story of the adventures is interestingly related by the hero himself, who moreover only appears for the first time in the fifth book of the poem. The first great temptation is that of the enchanted island of Circe, when many of Ulysses' comrades are metamorphosed into pigs by the goddess. Ulysses' himself is kept a prisoner and is even offered the chance to remain on the island forever and become immortal. Ulysses avoids this first great temptation of gaining immortality. This fact reemphasizes the poem's concern with mortality and the fate of the individual who is the prey of life and the gods. Moreover, after leaving the island, Ulysses has to take an initiative journey underworld, in the land of the dead, where he goes to consult the prophet Tiresias on how to return home. Thus, his return is conditioned by this journey to the land of the dead, from where he emerges with a few clues he will need on his travel. The purpose of his journeys is actually the most important factor: Odysseus descends to the underworld to meet Teiresias, the Theban prophet who tells him about the outcome of his journey and gives him a few hints as to how to avoid some of the impending obstacles. The prophet thus foretells that Ulysses' journey will be a very trying adventure, because of Neptune's revengeful pursuit. Nevertheless, Teiresias implies that the hero may eventually succeed if he guards himself from some of the fatal perils that await him and his men: "Still, after much suffering you may get home if you / can restrain yourself and your companions when your ship reaches the / Thrinacian island..."(Homer, 112) the prophet also tells him about the way in which he will finally vanquish Penelope's suitors and reunite with his lost family. With the prophet's help, Odysseus also talks to the ghost of his mother, who gives him news about his wife and son.

After he ascends from the underworld, Ulysses receives other instructions from Circe. These instructions concern the main obstacles he will be faced with in his return journey? how to avoid the lure of the Sirens, how to get past the monster Scylla and the whirlpool Charybdis, and how not to harm the cattle of the sun-god on the Island of Thrinacia. Ulysses has to use thus many of his qualities, as the arduous adventures he passes through require much more than heroic valor to be surmounted. He has to be cunning and has to learn how to manage the most difficult situations. To avoid hearing the song of the sirens, he tells his men to tie him to the mast of the ship, so that he may be able to bear the temptation. The encounter with the monster of Scylla and the whirlpool of Charybdis are also surmounted through his cunning. However, when Ulysses and his crew are cast upon Thrinacia by a wild storm, the hero is not able to prevent his men from disobeying him. Because of the hunger and the lack of provisions, the men slaughter some of the cattle. The sun god informs Zeus and the latter destroys the ship with a lightening bolt. Ulysses is now the only survivor and his escapes by drifting on piece of the shipwreck towards Calypso's island. Thus, the story is full of the tensions between the ultimate purpose of the journey and the almost insurmountable obstacles that Ulysses and his men are faced with. Although Ulysses manages to save his crew a few times with his cunning, he eventually sees the consequences of his acts when he loses all his men. Loss and death are thus two of the prevalent themes of this journey. Despite the fact that it is ultimately successful, Ulysses' initiation and the gained knowledge have a very high price.

Thus, although the journey is full of deadly obstacles and pitfalls, the peaceful ending and… READ MORE

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