Odyssey Critic Quotes

Heroism and Arête

What does Hall say about Odysseus?

‘Odysseus… symbolises Greek intellectual prowess’

• Example: Book 9 when Odysseus defeats the Cyclops

Heroism and Kleos

What does Clarke say about fame?

‘Fame (is) surrogate immortality’

• Example: Book 8 when Demodocus, the bard, sings a song about the fall of Troy heightening Odysseus’ Kelso

What does Clarke say about the punishment of the suitors?

It is ‘Absolute and timeless justice’

Characterisation of Odysseus

What does Clarke say about Odysseus and his journey?

‘In his wanderings he has been reduced to the barest common level of humanity, and his return can be seen as a symbolic rebirth’

Example: Book 5 when Odysseus after being hit by a storm from Poseidon swims to the shore of Scherie and then curls up in a olive bush naked then in Book 6 he find Nausicaa and her maids completely naked covered only by a branch

What does Clarke say about power?

‘Power is dependent on prescence’

Heroism

What does Davenport’s say about the Odyssey?

‘The Odyssey is a poem about the triumph of mind over force’

• Examples: Book 9 when Odysseus defeats the Cyclops

Characterisation of Odysseus/ Nostos

What does Peter Jones say about Odysseus’ character and his aims

‘he is the loyal hero-husband whose eyes are fixed on one goal only, return home’

Example: Book 5 when Odysseus is on Calypso’s island Ogygia he thinks only of Penelope and refuses Calypso’s offer of immortality due to his loyalty to his oikos, he cries on her island longing for home

Characterisation of Penelope

What does Peter Jones say about Penelope?

‘Penelope is mired in conflict (get married or not, clashing with a growing Telemachus, with the servants and suitors), and part of her desire for Odysseus to return is because he will resolve all these issues’

Example: Book 1 Telemachus tells his mother ‘I am master in this house’ and sends her to her quarters after she bursts into tears at the bard Phemius’ song about the Achean’s return from Troy

Characterisation of Penelope

What do Felton and Slatkin say about Penelope?

‘The poem celebrates her Metis in service of the oikos’

Example: Book 2 Atinous, one of the suitors, says at the assembly that Penelope has been at her loom for 3 years weaving a shroud for Lord Laertes which she claims once she has finished she will marry one of the suitors. However every night she unravels her work until she is caught by one her women.

Characterisation of Penelope

What does Peter Jones say about Penelope’s personality?

‘Two important facts emerge about Penelope: first her high intelligence… and her Odyssean cunning’

Example: Book 2 Atinous, one of the suitors, says at the assembly that Penelope has been at her loom for 3 years weaving a shroud for Lord Laertes which she claims once she has finished she will marry one of the suitors. However every night she unravels her work until she is caught by one her women

Characterisation of Nausicaa

What does Adrian Kelly say about Nausicaa?

‘Marriage is a crucial theme’ which allows the ‘temptress/monster figure to emerge’

Example: Unlike Circe or Schylla, Nausicaa is not a physical threat against Odysseus’ nostos but she does have the potential to stop Odysseus’ return to Ithaca as it is heavily implied in Book 6 that Nausicaa wants a husband and Odysseus is the perfect match

Characterisation of Telemachus

What does Peter Jones say about Telemachus?

‘Telemachus must behave like his father and demonstrate the Kleos he had been seeking since book 1’

Characterisation of Telemachus

What does Griffin say about Telemachus?

Telemachus’ character is ‘in the process of achieving adult status, asserting himself for the first time both with the suitors and with his mother’

Characterisation of the suitors

What does Bowra say about the suitors?

‘The suitors are the opposite of the heroic ideal, ‘a degenerate corruption of heroes’

Xenia

What does Higgins say about the importance of Xenia?

“In the Odyssey, that travel weary poem, a character’s hostly qualities provide a sure-fire guide to his or her moral worth.”

What does Hardie say about disguise?

‘Disguise is a divine attribute in Homer’s universe, and Odysseus is elevated above normal men by his talent for it.’

Role of the Immortals

What does Kearns say about Athene and Poseidon?

”the motives of both Athena and Poseidon are essentially personal”

Role of Women

What does Goldhill say about Odysseus’ relationship with women?

“there is repeatedly a threat to Odysseus when a female wants to make him her husband”