“As the snow that the West Wind has brought melts on the mountain-tops when the East Wind thaws it, and, melting, makes the rivers run in spate, so did the tears she shed drench her fair cheeks as she wept for the husband who was sitting at her side.”
In my Halfway Review of The Odyssey, I went over the overall plot of Homer’s epic poem and some of the themes I picked up on. I’ll continue that in my final review, even though there isn’t too much to add.
The first half of The Odyssey covers Odysseus’ journey back home to Ithaca, as well as what his wife Penelope and son Telemachus were dealing with in his absence. Some of the most well-known Ancient Greek myths are found in the first half of The Odyssey and the second portion covers Odysseus’ return to Ithaca.
Odysseus returns, but the goddess Athene disguises him as an old beggar. Again, we get see the important role that hospitality plays in this narrative. Odysseus is taken in and treated well by Eumaeus, his swineherd. Of course Eumaeus does not know he’s speaking to his employer, but he treats Odysseus with such kindness.
“Stranger, it is not right for me to turn away any stranger, even one in a worse state than you are, for strangers and beggars all come in Zeus’ name, and a gift from folk like us in none the less welcome for being small.”
This culture of serving strangers and those in need is very impactful in this section of the book, especially when Odysseus, clothed as an old beggar interacts with the Suitors in his home, trying to marry his wife. The Suitors treat Odysseus disdainfully, to their detriment.
“Antinous, you did wrong to strike the wretched vagrant. You’re doomed if he turns out to be some god from heaven. And the gods do disguise themselves as strangers from abroad, and move from town to town in every shape, observing deeds of the just and unjust.”
I’m really intrigued by this element, because it creates excellent dramatic irony for the reader. I kept thinking, “Ooooh, I can’t wait for Odysseus to snap on these guys!” Telemachus treats Odysseus the Beggar with high regard and it’s fun to see Telemachus and Odysseus work together and scheme to get rid of the Suitors. I got the impression that Telemachus is in awe of his father, once he realizes who the beggar actually is. There are also moments of hilarity between the two.
“Father,” his noble son replied, “you will come to know that in due course what I’m made of, and I am certainly not stupid.”
Odysseus has been gone for 20 years, so father and son are getting acquainted with each other, yet they immediately establish a good report with each other and fall into this easy chemistry of cooperation and teamwork. There is actually quite a bit of interaction between Penelope and Odysseus the Beggar and she is also kind towards him. There is a strong contrast between the moral characters of Odysseus, Penelope and Telemachus and the rowdy Suitors.
After the suitors are taken care of and Odysseus is reunited with Penelope, some loose ends are tied up and The Odyssey concludes. There is some speculation regarding the last book/chapter and whether it was written by Homer or written by another and then added on. There are some slight stylistic changes in the writing style, but overall, it’s not jarring. Some scholars argue that it’s highly likely that Homer wrote this segment, as it follows his patterns with other texts. I do think this segment makes more sense, otherwise the other “ending” would seem a bit abrupt.
The Odyssey is such a fun read and I hope people are encouraged to pick it up and try reading it. Once you get in the groove of the style and get acquainted with the characters, you start to fly through the pages. I had a smile on my face the whole time I was reading it, especially the sections in which Odysseus was meeting all these mythological creatures - it’s so clever! The myths and characters are engrained in a lot of pop culture, so it’s always fun to interact with original texts. Even though this is my third read of The Odyssey, I can’t believe how much I’d forgotten and this is one of those texts that I could read once a year for the rest of my life and still keep picking up on new concepts.
If you’ve been itching to get into Ancient Classical literature, I think The Odyssey is a good place to start. It’s not complicated and it’s serves as a great Segway. I would actually recommend reading this before reading Homer’s The Iliad. The Odyssey will suck you into this world of the Ancient Greeks and make you eager to explore retellings and supplemental texts. I’ve added seven new books to my library, thanks to my third read of this book because I just want absorb all I can. There is so much to unpack and it never gets boring.
I do have one question and maybe someone else who’s studied The Odyssey/Ancient Greece in depth may know - why, when some men were killed in the story, did they fall on their foreheads? “…who fell face down and struck the ground full with his forehead.” I noticed this imagery multiple times and there’s got to be a reason for it and something that was significant for the Ancient Greeks. I did some searching online but couldn’t find anything. Any guesses?
If you can’t tell already The Odyssey is a favorite - it’s been a favorite for 11 years. I can’t rave about it enough and I’m looking forward to tackling The Iliad for the third time (Maybe next year. I actually struggled with The Iliad the first time, a bit less the second time, but I’m hoping that the third time will be the charm. I always had to study it in the context of wars and did not read for leisure).
Rating: 5/5.
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