The first bird omen, appearing before the assembly of suitors and Telemachos in The Odyssey li. 146-154 (pg. 43), portrays the impending struggle between Odysseus and the suitors as a fight between two eagles. The description of the battle, through phrases including “wing and wing” and “tore each other by neck and cheek with their talons,” characterizes the fight as violent, yet evenly matched. Halitherses’s subsequent interpretation classifies this fight as a “warning to the suitors” of the nearing return of Odysseus to Ithaka and their inevitable conflict with him (Od. li. 162, pg. 43). While Halitherses’s interpretation of the fight as foreshadowing is accurate, two of the next three bird omens reveal that the bird omens throughout The Odyssey …show more content…
collectively accomplish a more complex function. The following bird omen, appearing before Telemachos, Menelaos, and Helen in Book 15, li.
160-165 (pg. 229) of The Odyssey, follows a similar structural pattern as the preceding bird omen. That is, two birds appear in conflict and Helen interprets the omen as a sign of Odysseus’s upcoming revenge upon the suitors. The difference in the omens lies in the species of birds and the nature of their conflict. While the first omen showed two of the same bird engaged in equal combat, this omen shows “an eagle carrying in his talons a great white goose.” Progressing this theme of inequality even further, the final bird omen in the text shows an eagle carrying “a tremulous pigeon” (Od. li. 243, pg. …show more content…
304). By representing the suitors as weaker birds and their fight as more one-sided, the progression of bird omens in The Odyssey parallels both Odysseus’s journey home and the increasing inevitability of the suitors’ deaths as Odysseus finalizes his plot to slaughter them. This is evidenced by Odysseus’s physical location at the point of each omen as well as the progress that he’s made in carrying out his plot. During the first omen he is on the island of Ogygia with no prospect of returning to Ithaka, during the second omen he has returned to Ithaka in disguise and has allied with Athene to destroy the suitors (Od. li. 386-391, pg. 208), and during the third omen Odysseus has returned to his own house, convened with Telemachos, and has informed Eumaios and Philoitios that Odysseus will soon return and kill the suitors. Thus, rather than just foreshadowing that the suitors will die, the bird omens collectively serve as measurements of Odysseus’s progress in exacting revenge upon the suitors. The progression of bird omens throughout The Odyssey is inverted.
Even though Odysseus is circumstantially weak in the beginning of the book and the suitors are strong, the bird representing Odysseus in the bird omens starts off strong while the bird representing the suitors starts off strong and weakens despite a lack of change in their circumstances. The inversion of similes attests to the state of disorder and chaos that Ithaka is in. Odysseus has been gone for years, Ithaka’s assembly hasn’t convened since his departure, and the suitors filling his house flagrantly disrespect the rules of xenia. Though the bird omen simile starts off inverted, as it progresses to its final usage, it becomes a normal simile. Once Odysseus has returned home and finalized his plan to slaughter the suitors, the simile properly reflects that he is circumstantially strong and the suitors are in a weak position. Thus, the progression of bird omens parallels Ithaka’s return to equilibrium after a long period of instability through the return of Odysseus. This parallelism leads me to understand that Penelope, whose circumspect nature is at odds with her supposed inability to interpret the bird omen she dreamt, is hesitant for Ithaka to return to how it once was (Od. li 535-561, pg. 296). If she were to interpret the omen correctly, and thereby understand that Odysseus had returned, then she would be forced to accept the restoration of the old Ithakan
society.
“The Odyssey” is an epic written by Homer between 750 and 650 B.C. It is the tale of the main hero’s, Odysseus’s, journey home to Ithaca from Troy. It takes place after the Trojan War and is the sequel to “The Iliad.” Odysseus and his men set sail from Troy and come across the lair of the lotus eaters. After escaping, they run into the cyclops,
In this paper, I have considered the above simile in Book 22 of The Odyssey by Homer, and I have argued that although the surface meaning of this passage is the slaughter of the suitors by Odysseus and his men, the deeper meaning of the passage is the revelation of Odysseus ' true nature, similar to that of a vulture, they are both opportunistic and self-serving, even on the most basic
Upon hearing of the travels of the beggar, Penelope is very interested to question him as to whether he has ever crossed paths with her husband Odysseus. The story that Odysseus tells her is for the most part untrue. However, he does give specific details as to what clothes he had worn, so that Penelope would believe that the story was truthful. The beggar then goes on to tell her that Odysseus is coming back to Ithaka in the very near future. It is at this point that Penelope first thought that the beggar could actually be her husband Odysseus, as she was overcome with emotions, and began to cry. From this point on ...
The tile of the poem “Bird” is simple and leads the reader smoothly into the body of the poem, which is contained in a single stanza of twenty lines. Laux immediately begins to describe a red-breasted bird trying to break into her home. She writes, “She tests a low branch, violet blossoms/swaying beside her” and it is interesting to note that Laux refers to the bird as being female (Laux 212). This is the first clue that the bird is a symbol for someone, or a group of people (women). The use of a bird in poetry often signifies freedom, and Laux’s use of the female bird implies female freedom and independence. She follows with an interesting image of the bird’s “beak and breast/held back, claws raking at the pan” and this conjures a mental picture of a bird who is flying not head first into a window, but almost holding herself back even as she flies forward (Laux 212). This makes the bird seem stubborn, and follows with the theme of the independent female.
Odysseus’ character is challenged in many ways throughout books 5 through 12. In some instances he holds strong, and in others he fails. His sense of adventure sometimes overwhelms him. The length of time Odysseus spends away from Ithaka also dilutes his desire to return, and possibly dilutes his desire to live. Under certain circumstances, any man can succumb to the evils to which he despises. A perfect example is Akhilleus in the Iliad. He started out an honorable man. With the death of his friend, he turns into a maniac who wants nothing but death for the enemy. Odysseus starts out wanting nothing but to return to his family and his homeland. Over the course of the many years away, this feeling dwindles and he is left with nothing but adventure to prolong his reason for living.
Firstly, Penelope who plays Odysseus’s wife is alone tending to her city Ithica until her husband returns. Meanwhile Odysseus is out fighting in the Trojan War and against many of the Greek God’s who are trying to make his trip back home as eventful and hard as possible; “…work out his journey home so Odysseus can return” (Homer 276). While King Odysseus is away Penelope is to deal with a bunch of suitors who are eating and trashing out Ithica, “…if those suitors have truly paid in blood for all their reckless outrage” (559). In order for Penelope to keep peace until Odysseus returns she has to come up with a clever plan to keep the suitors from completely taking over. For almost 2 years Penelope was able to keep the suitors from getting out of hand by saying she will find someone to marry and replace Odysseus after she is d...
The ancient Greeks have brought upon numerous ideas, inventions, and stories to the world. Greek mythology influences modern day literature and life. The Odyssey is an epic poem written by Homer, which tells the story of Odysseus's journey home after the Trojan War. Odysseus does not achieve his goal of reaching home so easily; monsters and gods come in his way and hinder him. The Odyssey expresses Greek values of hospitality from the customs of Ithaca, humility from Odysseus’s reform, and loyalty from Odysseus’s family.
The Odyssey is a tale that has changed literature and storytelling. In this tale Odysseus is a Soldier from the battle of Troy trying to get home to his island of Ithaca, where he is king. His wife and son must wait ten years while he is trying to make his way home. In Odysseus’s absence wooer’s, or better known as suitors, learn of his absence and travel to Ithaca to win his wife’s hand in marriage. These men come every day feasting on Odysseus’s food and wine, and give his servant’s orders. His son Telemachus, does his best to keep the suitors from ruining his fathers house but he is only a boy, and doesn’t receive the respect of an adult. Telemachus then has a visit from the god Athena, whom Odysseus is friends with, who advises him to travel to find out about his father. In his travels he hears that Odysseus may still be alive. Meanwhile Odysseus goes through a series of adventures and hardships that prove his wisdom. It is interesting in contrast of the Iliad, even though Achilles was much stronger and a better warrior, Odysseus was portrayed as a greater hero due to his wisdom. He uses this wisdom to escape from the Cyclops.
Not only does Ithaka represent a main goal in life to Odysseus but to anybody with goals in life. Ithaka represents his home , and his family it is some place to get back to. Although getting there lies the true journey because as he faces obstacles along the way. Everyone in life encounters challenges and obstacles in life as the journey to their “Ithaka”. The journey helps and makes you who you are through challenges you face and whether you chose to learn from them or not. The reason that Ithaka is chosen is because it is the goal Odysseus had set for himself to get home and see his
In book eight of Homer’s The Odyssey, Odysseus is on the island of the Phaeacians and is waiting to return home to Ithaca. Meanwhile, Alcinous, the Phaeacian king, has arranged for a feast and celebration of games in honor of Odysseus, who has not yet revealed his true identity. During the feast, a blind bard named Demodocus sings about the quarrel between Odysseus and Achilles at Troy. The song causes Odysseus to start weeping, so Alcinous ends the feast and orders the games to begin. During dinner after the games, Odysseus asks Demodocus to sing about the Trojan horse and the sack of Troy. This song too causes Odysseus to break down and cry. Homer uses a dramatic simile to describe the pain and sorrow that Odysseus feels as he recalls the story of Troy.
I said that after going through much hardship and losing all his men he should come home again in the twentieth year and that no one would know him; and now all this is coming true” (14). This shows how the gods did interfere and would tell the people on earth with symbols. The gods knew from the beginning the fate of Odysseus because they predestined it. The gods are those who gave Odysseus misfortune, and they are also the ones who fated him the way he did. Through these examples of hospitality, pride and fate, one can learn many important Greek principles.
The Odyssey, an epic poem written by Homer and translated by Robert Fitzgerald, is about the war hero Odysseus' ten year adventure to return home after the Trojan War. At one point in the epic poem, Odysseus is retelling his adventure at the land of the Kyklopês, in which he and his crew go to an island filled with these creatures. Through Odysseus, Homer uses contrasting connotation when speaking of the crew and the Kyklopês to convey that mankind is better than the Kyklopês using two different domains domains of society.
While the excerpt, “Odysseus” by Geraldine McCaughrean is being retold, it follows the overall story based off of “The Odyssey” by Homer and translated by Alexander Pope along with details that differ in both passages. Just by viewing these excerpts, the two authors, McCaughrean and Pope display how the stories are written in different ways which appeal to the readers. Due to the struggles of encountering the Sirens, crew mates, and the main plot points make both pieces similar but differ on the critical actions of a specific crew member, the narration of each, and the foreshadow at the end in the “Odysseus” by McCaughrean.
The Odyssey details Odysseus’ arduous return to his homeland. Ten years have passed since the end of the Trojan war and Odysseus, the “most cursed man alive”, has been missing and presumed dead by many. (10.79). Throughout the novel, gods play a significant role in the fate of Odysseus and other characters. The extent of the gods’ role though is not unqualified, contrary to Telemachus’ suggestion that, “Zeus is to blame./He deals to each and every/ laborer on this earth whatever doom he pleases” (1.401-403). While Zeus does have this power, his description of how humans meet their fate is more accurately depicted throughout the novel. As he aptly points out, “from us alone, the say, come all their miseries, yes,/ but they themselves, with their own reckless ways,/ compound their pain beyond their proper share” (1.38-52). While the gods do doom certain mortals, many of these mortals exacerbate their ill fate by making rash decisions and ignoring the gods’ warnings. The gods are also not always disrupting mortals lives; they often aid mortals in need. In fact, mortals who effectively court the favor of the gods often benefit greatly. While the gods’ powers are unquestionable, no one god’s power is insurmountable. Gods can be outsmarted and their wrath escaped. The Odyssey, in congruence with Zeus’ statement, ultimately, portrays human freedom as existent, but limited.
In conclusion, the “Odyssey” is one of the greatest literary works ever known and this literary analysis should help the reader to understand the important components of the novel such as theme, characters, relationships, symbols, motifs, literary devices, and tone.