Given that Odysseus was away from Ithaca for 20 years, it is significant that nearly half of his time away was spent engaging in extramarital affairs. His infidelity is highly problematic and questionable when viewed in light of his supposed longing to return to Ithaca and Penelope. Most notably in Book 5 (5.129-247), he is overwhelmed with grief over his inability to leave Calypso’s island, and yet expresses no remorse over his extramarital affair with Calypso. This essay will thus consider if the contradiction between Odysseus’ infidelity and his intense longing for home can be reconciled.
In the identified passage, Odysseus’ extramarital affair with Calypso is problematic because he is unabashed in engaging in sexual relations with Calypso
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despite being “racked with grief” over being detained on her island “by force” for seven years (5.16). His yearning for home is made explicit by how he is described to be “weeping…as always” (5.93) to the point where “his eyes [were] never dry” (5.168-169). Such hyperbolic descriptions of Odysseus’ despair makes evident his reluctance to remain on Calypso’s island, but his subsequent actions are strongly contradictory. It is implied that he indeed enjoyed his sexual relations with Calypso since a pronounced reason for his substantial grief was that his affair “no longer pleased” (5.170) him. This suggests that Odysseus only began miss home because the novelty of an extramarital affair wore off, rather than having been forced into it. Furthermore, his lack of guilt is exemplified through his conversation with Calypso when she announces that he is allowed to leave her island. Odysseus merely attempts to appease an irate Calypso by reassuring her that Penelope “falls far short of [her]” (5.239) in her value as a romantic and sexual partner. This flippant dismissal of Penelope emphasises Odysseus’ lack of shame in his flagrant violations of monogamy. Odysseus and Calypso also promptly “[lose] themselves in love” (5.251) after this conversation, which demonstrates how he continues to reciprocate Calypso’s sexual advances. This extramarital affair thus highlights how Odysseus’ self-gratifying adultery undermines his acute desire to return home to his wife, which sets up two conflicting sides to his character. On the other hand, Odysseus’ infidelity can perhaps be reconciled with his desire to return to Ithaca and Penelope when one takes into consideration the divine dimension that characterises his extramarital affair with Calypso. Odysseus’ fate has been predetermined by the gods, which potentially makes his infidelity an issue beyond his control. In the beginning of the specified passage, Calypso stresses the fates of the mortal lovers of female goddesses to be inevitable death by virtue of divine intervention – they are “blasted…to death with flashing bolts” (5. 142). This would entail a tacit prediction of Odysseus’ fate. Yet, he manages to evade certain death only because the gods have decided at the start of Book 5 that he will “see…his native land at last” (5.45-46). In Odysseus’ case, divine intervention works out in his favour because this ultimate fate trumps his otherwise certain fate of death. His adultery can perhaps be reconciled with his longing for home since his ordained fate is to return to Ithaca and his wife; his infidelity does not play a defining role in affecting his fate. It then arguable that Odysseus’ infidelity can be excused since it was never a central aspect of his character or homecoming that was meant to last beyond his petty exploits while stranded on an island that he had no way of escaping. Odysseus’s lack of agency over his journey back to Ithaca may also serve as a possible resolution to his problematic behaviour.
His landing on Calypso’s island was a result of a shipwreck caused by Zeus, and he did not make a deliberate decision to sail there. Instead, he was shipwrecked there after “Zeus hit [his] craft with a lightning-bolt and thunder” (12.447-448). Hence, it is arguable that Odysseus was initially forced into an extramarital affair with Calypso due to her attraction to him, and that he had no choice but to engage with her since he had no way to leave the island. However, this is inadequate in justifying his behaviour as he demonstrates a propensity for adultery even when he is able to exercise free will. This is best exemplified in his encounter with Circe in Book 10. Even though Hermes “always said [he’d] come” (10.368) to Circe’s island, Odysseus’ predetermined destination cannot be conflated with his decision to negotiate for his guaranteed safety in exchange for beginning a sexual affair with Circe. His choice to “[mount] Circe’s gorgeous bed” (10.386) cannot be resolved by simply attributing his actions to his lack of agency. Furthermore, Odysseus appears to be consciously enjoying his time as Circe’s lover. He chooses to stay for a year, and the pleasure he derives from this is evident through how his comrades had to remind him that his behaviour was “madness” and that it was “high time [he] thought of [his] own home at last” (10.520-521). This is a damning revelation of Odysseus’ agency – even his infidelity is deemed irrational by his comrades who are aware of his contradictory desire to return home. Therefore, Odysseus’ problematic infidelity cannot be resolved on the basis of his lack of agency because he does choose to be adulterous even when he possesses free
will. The repeated emphasis on Odysseus’ fervent longing for Ithaca and Penelope is presented in sharp contrast with his tendency for infidelity, which thus sets up a problematic conflict of character that is difficult to reconcile. Although it is arguable that his infidelity can be reconciled with his desire to return home by virtue of his lack of agency over his fate as well as the presence of a predetermined destiny for him, his independent actions on Circe’s island further reinforces the contradiction between his infidelity and longing for home and his wife. His hypocritical behaviour thus remains as a problematic concept in The Odyssey, and poses troubling questions about the true nature of his character.
Once Odysseus has served enough time in a place against his will, he would be determined to leave that place. Odysseus’ journey towards home was now going to be able to be finished. For seven years Calypso held him prisoner on the island of Ogygia and he was determined to leave and see to the rest of his journey. Calypso agrees to let him go and she gives Odysseus some advice and guidance saying, "Only I will not aid [you] on [your] way, for I have no ships fitted with oars, nor crews to bear [you] over the broad oceanridges; but I will freely give [you] counsel and not hide how [you] may come unharmed to [your] own native land"(47). Calypso recognizes Odysseus’ greatness. Calypso says she will give some advice, but Odysseus will have to prove his greatness by making his own ship and understand how he will make it home.
Odysseus’s revenge towards the suitors, whose only crime was the crime of theft, was unnecessarily cruel, after all, a hero must be able to forgive. It has been twenty years since anyone on Ithaka have seen, or even heard news about Odysseus. Therfore, it would have been perfectly pliable to pronounce him dead. “ He has been gone for twenty years.” The people of Ithaka were all under the impression that Odysseus, has in fact, passed a...
All these things considered, the validity of Odysseus’s actions remain fair. Because of his denial of the power of the gods, Poseidon forced Odysseus to the raging sea. For these years that he was apart from Penelope and Telemachus he...
In this paper, I will argue 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
In that regard, it was no wonder Odysseus’s is such an atrocious leader. A great example of Odysseus being disloyal is on Calypso’s Island. “…He lay with her each night, for she compelled him.” (892) This quote shows how Odysseus is disloyal to his grieving wife, and sleeps with a goddess daily. A leader cannot expect loyalty when the leader is notorious for being unloyal. “Now Circe, ‘loveliest of all immortals,’ persuades Odysseus to stay with her.” (903) This is another quote that shows Odysseus cheating on his wife, while his wife is at home is at home distraught over her missing husband. A great leader leads by example. By that philosophy, it should not be expected of Odysseus’s men to be loyal to him, when Odysseus cannot stay faithful to his own wife. Consequently, Odysseus is also extremely selfish, on top of being incredibly
For seven years, Odysseus is held captive by the goddess Calypso. The young goddess “desired me and detained me in her hall. But in my heart, I never gave consent” (Homer 372). This quote suggests that although Calypso may have believed she was loved by Odysseus, he never really cared for her. If Odysseus would have stayed faithful to his wife, Calypso would have killed him. Thus, he is able to protect himself by lying to her. Another point in the epic where Odysseus' dishonesty impacts his success is with the suitors. After arriving at his homeland, Odysseus disguises himself to protect himself from being harmed: “Odysseus enters his home as a beggar, and the suitors mock and abuse him” (Homer 402). When Odysseus appears to be a beggar, the suitors think nothing of him. They disrespect him, his family, and his home. Had they know Odysseus was back, they would have treated him much differently. Because of the way they acted towards him, it can be suggested that they would be willing to do anything to take control of his kingdom. He is then able to find out more about them and their motives without getting
However, Calypso’s “love” is more like sexual desire. Calypso holds Odysseus on her island for sever year, and “in the night, true, [Odysseus] would sleep with her in the arching cave - he had no choice - unwilling lover alongside lover all too willing…” (Odyssey 5, 170-172). Calypso is a selfish goddess who wants to dominate Odysseus without considering Odysseus’s feeling. The fact that Calypso sleeps with Odysseus every night demonstrates that she treats Odysseus more like as sex captive than a real lover. Even though she claims, “ I welcomed him warmly, cherished him, even vowed the make the man immortal, ageless, all his days” (Odyssey 5,150-151), the hospitality that she shows here is just a tool to help her possess Odyssey. By making Odyssey ageless and immortal, Calypso can hold Odyssey and satisfy her possessive obsessions forever. Calypso’s sexual desire can be further proved in her angry speech. She says, “ Hard-hearted you are, you gods! You unrivaled lords of jealousy-scandalized when goddesses sleep with mortals, openly, even when one has made the man her husband” (Odyssey 5,130-133). Calypso is angry because female gods and male gods are treated unequally about the affairs with mortals. She asks Odysseus to become her husband because she wants to achieve sexual equality. However, at the end, Calypso releases Odyssey since she is afraid of the punishment from Zeus (Odyssey 5, 153). The fact that Calypso easily submits to Zeus’s
Again Odysseus shows a lack of self discipline while with the witch Circe. Odysseus chooses to stay with Circe instead of trying to make it back to his wife, Penelope, and his kingdom of Ithaca. In the Odyssey it says "he enjoyed the many pleasures of Circe." (Page 913). This proves that Odysseus, once again has no control over himself when he is tempted. He choose the beautiful witch over his very own wife who has been waiting for years for him to return.
... Odysseus' experience with Calypso reflects his strength and diligence, though he cries all day everyday. It is quite ironic. Calypso seems to represent womanly jealousy. She knows he has a wife waiting in Ithaca for him, yet she continues to retain him for her own selfish happiness. She seems to be a little unsure if she is greater in beauty than Penelope when she assures Odysseus that she exceeds Penelope by far in that area. It seems that she knew what his reply would be and merely wanted to hear it from his mouth.
In this assignment, I will be analyzing the characteristics of Odysseus and Penelope based on Homer and Ovid’s accounts. By exploring this element, we can compare and contrast how Odysseus and Penelope behave in certain situations. Although they have many similarities, they are both different as well, in which each displays a series of their own wisdoms in their encounters.
However, his journey isn’t over yet. This last leg of Odysseus’s journey is perhaps the most important and crucial. Odysseus’s nurse and maidservant, Eurycleia is the first woman in Ithaca to know that Odysseus is back after she recognizes the scar on his leg while she is washing him. Eurycleia vows to keep his identity a secret. Odysseus’s wife, Penelope has stayed faithful to Odysseus for all the years that he was gone. Penelope was consistently unweaving her web to the delay the suitors. The reader even grows sympathetic for Penelope as “we see her struggle to make the virtuous choice about her marriage, despite pressures from her suitors, her son’s endangered situation, and her own uncertainty about Odysseus’s survival” (Foley ). Finally, Odysseus reveals his identity and Penelope is bewildered, but quickly embraces her husband after he tells her the secret of their immovable bed. It is the faithfulness of Penelope and nurse Eurycleia that insures Odysseus’s survival to the very end.
... those phaeacians who have helped Odysseus to return home. And for Calypso, she tried to offer Odysseus the immortal life and promising him to be his eternal wife, but Odysseus’s love for his wife Penelope pushes him to fight for his return
The relationship between Odysseus and his wife Penelope is one of loyalty, love, and faith. Both characters are driven by these characteristics. Odysseus displays his loyalty in his constant battle to get home to his wife. This love helps him persevere through the many hardships that he encounters on his journey home. Odysseus spent 20 years trying to return to his home in Ithaca after the end of the Trojan War. Along the way he manages to offend both gods and mortals, but through his intelligence, and the guidance of Athena, he manages to finally return home. There he discovers that his home has been overrun by suitors attempting to win Penelope’s hand in marriage. The suitors believed that Odysseus was dead. Odysseus and his son, Telemachus,
Stuck on the island of Calypso, Odysseus finds trouble getting his way out of there. Zeus, the king of gods and men explains to the messenger of the gods Hermes, to tell Calypso to liberate Odysseus from her island after spending seven years of being her sexual slave. Zeus infers that it is ultimately Odysseus fate to go through many troubles and eventually reunite his family. Calypso does see that by keeping O...
“The Odyssey” is an epic poem that tells the story of Odysseus and the story of his many travels and adventures. The Odyssey tells the main character’s tale of his journey home to the island of Ithaca after spending ten years fighting in the Trojan War, and his adventures when he returns home and he is reunited with his family and close friends. This literary analysis will examine the story and its characters, relationships, major events, symbols and motifs, and literary devices.