DISGUISE AND RECOGNITION, NOSTOS, FANTASY AND THE SUPERNATURAL

Odysseus as himself is not

necessary to achieving the

successful end of restoring order

in Ithaca and giving Telemachus

his inheritance back … Odysseus revealing

himself to Penelope at the end

and becoming himself again, is

necessary for his own personal

satisfaction and nostos

Sheila Murnaghan

Odysseus’ disguise and tales … allows many

stories to permeate in the

Odyssey

Sheila Murnaghan

‘The actions of the Odyssey are

motivated by the idea of a return

to the ‘inner space’ by the

reassertion of identity and of ties

with members of the household…’

Ahuvia Kahane

Odysseus’ kleos is connected to

his nostos - By returning home

and having the poem/song about

his homecoming, Odysseus

extends his reputation to all of the

Greek speaking world and thus

achieves his kleos … Odysseus must

achieve that nostos to have his

kleos.

Gregory Nagy

‘Although The Odyssey contains

many fantastic elements, it is not

a fairy tale, but an extraordinary

poem for ordinary readers.’

Ahuvia Kahane

‘Another sort of problem is posed by the challenge of combining the hero of the wanderings, who meets ogres and monsters, with the hero who fought at Troy, lived in a definite historical setting, and had to deal with political and economic realities. As the leader of a contingent at Troy, Odysseus has twelve ships full of men. In the wanderings they are an embarrassment to him.’

Jasper Griffin