The Odyssey: A Summary of Homer's Epic Poem

Today we will learn and reflect on the ODYSSEY of Homer.
The Odyssey tells us of the adventures of Odysseus as he struggles to find his way
home after the end of the Trojan War. The gods were angry and offended by the
brual rapes and murders and hubris shown by the Greek conquerors as they sacked
the city of Troy, even raping and slaying those Trojans who sought sanctuary in the
temples of the gods, and punished the Greeks for their hubris by causing Odysseus
and the other Greeks many troubles and tribulations on their journey home and on
their homecoming.

You may ask, how can we benefit when we ponder the Odyssey?
Greek and Roman philosophy and literature constantly refer to the Iliad and the
Odyssey, and they are just fun to read. The Iliad and Odyssey are very different
works, usually the Iliad is translated into English as epic poetry, but since the Odyssey
is written more like a modern novel, with plot twists and flashbacks, it is usually
translated as a prose work. And both works teach many moral lessons, and help us
to understand the warrior cultures of the Greek, Roman, and Old Testament
societies.
And it is great literature and a joy to read, and has inspired painters through the
ages, as we shall see in this video.
At the end of our talk, we will discuss the sources used for this video, and my blogs
that also cover this topic. Please, we welcome interesting questions in the
comments, sometimes these will generate short videos of their own. Let us learn
and reflect together!

YouTube Video:
Odyssey of Homer: Xenia, the Need for Hospitality
https://youtu.be/bUW4ZT9zpt8
NOTE: YouTube video corrections may not be reflected
on the slides, and the blog may differ somewhat in
content.
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Just as the Iliad revolved around the need to show hospitality and respect
to the enemy who had courage to enter your camp, often to ransom his
relatives, or to fetch their bodies for a proper burial, so the Odyssey
revolves around the need to show hospitality to strangers. Travel in the
ancient world was arduous and hazardous, and if you did not show
hospitality to stranger, or what the Greeks called xenia, the stranger could
die.

Professor Vandiver explains, “Xenia is
usually translated ‘guest-host
relationship.’ It is a reciprocal relationship
between two xenoi—a word which means
guest, host, stranger, friend, and
foreigner. Xenia is not based on
friendship, but rather on obligation. It
works only if each side does not violate
the terms of xenia. To do so is to offend
Zeus himself. Throughout the Odyssey,
Odysseus’ homecoming and regaining of
his family and kingdom are either helped
or hindered by the kind of xenia he
meets on his journeys.”

When possible, the guest would bring gifts and later reciprocate and be
the host in future travels, and these guest-host relationships could last for
generations. The host provided the guest with a safe place to stay. Often
when there were conflicts between city-states that required negotiations,
the guest from the distant city would serve as an ancient ambassador and
the home of the host would serve as an ancient embassy.
When a stranger arrived you would first offer him food and drink, perhaps
let him take a bath to refresh himself, and if he were tired let him get a
good night sleep, and only then could you ask him where he was from
and why he was traveling.

The tale of the Odyssey begins with a meeting of the gods to discuss the
fate of Odysseus, who had been trapped by the potent nymph Calypso
for seven long years, who sought to make him her immortal lover, but all
day every day Odysseus wept on the seashore longing to return home to
his beloved Penelope.

Raphael, Council of the gods, painted 1517

Odysseus on the Island of Calypso,
Ditlev Blunck, painted 1830
Angelica Kauffmann - Calypso calling heaven
and earth to witness her sincere affection to
Ulysses, painted late 1700’s

Meanwhile, back at his palace in Ithaca, Penelope, the wife
of Odysseus, is in a quandary. Odysseus has been gone
for twenty years. What has happened to him? Nobody
knows. Should she wait for his return? Should she
remarry? The eligible suitors in his kingdom, more than a
hundred suitors, the sons whose fathers perished either at
Troy or during the trip back home, have no doubts, the
suitors want Penelope to choose who among them will
take over the palace and take her in marriage, too, since
she comes with the palace. This demand may sound
strange to us, but in ancient cultures it was not proper for
women to remain unmarried.

John William Waterhouse-
Penelope and the Suitors (1912)

Joseph Wright of Derby.
Penelope Unravelling Her Web
by Lamp Light. exhibited 1785
These suitors have no sense of
xenia. These hundred plus suitors
behave like turkey vultures, sulking
around the palace, unwelcome
parasites who “continually butcher
the huddling flocks and slow-paced,
crooked-horned oxen” that belong
to the absent Odysseus. For three
whole years Penelope has put them
off, but the vultures are becoming
impatient.
She has been putting them off,
saying she first needs to weave a
death mask for her father, but every
night she unwinds the weaving,
after three years, a servant tells the
suitors of her deception.

Raphael, Council of the gods, painted 1517
Back on Mount Olympus, Zeus addresses the gods on, “Lo, how men blame the
gods! From us, they say, comes evil. But through their own perversity, and more
than is their due, they meet with sorrow.” So little changes, we do not repent, we
do not see how we cause our own suffering, instead we become angry at God.

Hermes Ordering
Calypso to Release
Odysseus, Gerard
de Lairesse,
painted 1665
Athena responds to Zeus, “If
it now pleases the gods to
send Hermes forth” “to tell
the fair-haired nymph our
steadfast purpose, that hardy
Odysseus shall set forth for
home. I in the meantime will
go to Ithaca, to rouse his son
yet more and put vigor in his
breast; that, summoning to
an assembly the long-haired
Achaeans, he may denounce
the band of suitors, men who
continually butcher his
huddling flocks and slow-
paced, crook horned oxen.”

That is how the Odyssey begins, and so we won’t be confused by the
flashbacks in our short sampling, now we will provide a broad outline.
Books 1–4 is the Telemachy, which is the moral maturation of the son of
Odysseus, Telemachus, in his conflict with the suitors and men of Ithaca,
and his travels to Sparta to learn about the fate of his father. The suitors
plan to slaughter Telemachus on his return.
In Books 5-8, the gods persuade Calypso to release Odysseus, who is
then shipwrecked on the island of Phaeacia.
In Books 9–21 is the Apologoi, where Odysseus recalls his homecoming
adventures after departing from Troy for his Phaeacian hosts.
In Book 22, Odysseus and Telemachus return secretly to Ithaca, and with
the help of Athena and their loyal servants, encounter and slaughter the
suitors
And in Books 23-24 is the conclusion.

SECTIONS OF ODYSSEY
Books 1–4: Telemachy — Telemachus.
Zeus orders Calypso to release Achilles
Suitors threaten Penelope and household
Telemachus, son of Achilles, visits Sparta to inquire
about Odysseus
Books 5-8: Odysseus leaves Calypso, arrives at
island of Phaeacia
Books 9–21: Apologoi—Odysseus recalls his
adventures for his Phaeacian hosts.
Book 22: Mnesterophonia:
Odysseus and Telemachus returns to Ithaca,
slaughter of the suitors
Books 23-24: Conclusion

From Mt Olympus, Athena puts on her immortal
sandals and ponderous shield and bounds to the land
of Ithaca, to the palace of Odysseus, posing as a
stranger needing hospitality, seeking Telemachus, son
of Odysseus, who was but a toddler when Odysseus
set sail for Troy with all the men of Ithaca.
Telemachus sees the disguised Athena, saying, “Hail,
stranger, here with us you shall be welcome, and after
you have tasted food you shall make known your
needs.” She was led to a table separate from the
suitors and offered bread and plates of meat of all
kinds and wine in golden goblets.

Which shows Telemachus is showing proper xenia to this stranger who is
Athena in disguise. Athena could have told Telemachus what she knew
of Odysseus’ fate, but she wanted him to get some backbone and
stature by standing up to the suitors. She posed as Menes, lord of a ship
seeking Odysseus, and encouraged Telemachus to call a council of the
Achaean Lords to condemn the behavior of the suitors, which he did,
though as they sympathized with the suitors. Then she encouraged him
to get a ship with twenty good men to sail to Pylos to meet with Nestor
and Menelaus to inquire about the fate of Odysseus.
Telemachus had stood up to the suitors, and now he was embarking on
an Odyssey of his own. From Nestor he learned that Agamemnon had
been killed on his return home by his wife and her new lover.

When they visited the palace of Menelaus, Telemachus heard of the deeds of his
father Odysseus. First the beautiful Helen, wife first of Menelaus than stolen away with
Paris of Troy, the Paris that the Iliad tells us lost the respect and love of Helen for his
cowardice, tells how Odysseus had convincingly posed as a beggar to spy on the city
of Troy, and how only she spotted him, and he told her of the plans of the Achaeans.

Jean-Jacques Lagrenée - Helen Recognising Telemachus, Son of Odysseus, painted 1795

Jean-Jacques Lagrenée - Helen Recognising Telemachus, Son of Odysseus, painted 1795
Helen remembered, “my soul was glad, for my heart
already turned toward going home, and I would mourn
the blindness Aphrodite brought when she lured me
thither from my native land and bad me leave my
daughter, my chamber, and my husband.”

The Trojan War was won by the deception and wiliness of
Odysseus, he suggested that the Greeks build a wooden Trojan
horse to leave as a peace offering before the Greeks sailed off to
hide behind an island near Troy.

Then Menelaus turned to
Helen, remembering how he
and a handful of other
Achaean warriors were waiting
inside the Trojan horse brought
into the city of Troy, waiting for
nightfall, when they heard
Helen “walking around our
hollow ambush, touching it
here and there, calling by
name the Achaean chiefs,
feigning the voice of every
Argive’s wife. Now I and the
son of Tydeus and royal
Odysseus, crouched in the
middle, heard your call, and we
too, starting up, were minded
to go forth, or else to answer
straightaway from within; but
Odysseus held us back and
stayed our madness.”

How odd were these memories! Helen had trouble choosing between
returning to her husband and native land whom she had betrayed, and
betraying thousands of Trojans, who would be slaughtered and
plundered and enslaved during the sack of Troy. Such tangled webs we
lead, in life sometimes we have no good choices.
These chapters end with the suitors scheming to arm a ship and lay in wait
to ambush Telemachus on his way home.
Hermes has convinced the nymph to release Odysseus. She gives
Odysseus provisions as he builds a sturdy raft which he launches for
home, but the god of the sea, Poseidon, angry at Odysseus for reasons we
will soon learn, raises storms that wreck the raft of Odysseus, and he is
adrift at sea for days, and he finds a cove in a river on an island where he
falls asleep exhausted in a bed of leaves, totally naked.

Hendrick van Balen - Odysseus as guest at the nymph Calypso, painted 1616

The next morning Odysseus is awaked by the chatter of maidens. Chief
among them is Nausicaä, the princess of the island. He wonders, How
can I appeal to these maidens for some food and hospitality without
scaring them off? This is touchy business.
As Professor Vandiver points out, although maidens often go to the
shore to do their wash, the shore is not a safe place to be for maidens
who are in constant danger of kidnap and assault in the ancient world.
There are many paintings of the encounter between Odysseus and
Nausicaä, this painting by Jean Veber pictures the true desperation of
Odysseus in such an embarrassing situation.

Friedrich Preller der Ältere - Odysseus and Nausicaa, painted 1864

Jean Veber, Odysseus and
Nausicaä, painted 1888
Holding a branch of
leaves in front of his
lower portions, Acilles
begins a shrewd
speech, “I am your
suppliant, princess. Are
you some god or
mortal? If you are one
of the gods who hold
the open sky, to
Artemis, daughter of
might Zeus, in beauty,
height, and bearing I
find you most
resemble. ”

Pieter Lastman,
Odysseus and
Nausicaä, painted 1619
Achilles continues, “But if
you are a mortal, most
happy are your father and
your honored mother,
most happy your brothers
also. Surely their hearts
ever grow warm with
pleasure over you, when
watching such a blossom
moving in the dance.”

And he goes on with careful flattery, winning her over, for she is a
princess, she gives him food and a tunic, and she tells him how to present
himself to the king and queen. Princess Nausicaä is the age when she needs
to marry, and as his visit progresses, Odysseus becomes a prime candidate.
Later that day when he presents himself at the palace, the queen notices
the stranger is wearing a tunic belonging to her daughter.

Jacob Jordaens - The Meeting of Odysseus and Nausicaa, painted 1600’s

Jean Broc, Odysseus and the Phaecians, painted early 1800’s
King Alcinous shows great
hospitality and xenia, inviting
the stranger to a banquet
where a blind bard sings of
the mighty deeds of
Odysseus and his Trojan
horse that won the war,
bringing the stranger to
tears, arousing the curiosity
of the king. Odysseus is
invited to athletic games
hosted by the king, much like
Patroclus’ funeral games in
the Iliad.
The next day, after a night of
much needed rest, Odysseus
tells the tales of his travels
after the sacking of Troy.

Eckersberg, Christoffer Wilhelm,
Ulysses Fleeing the Cave of
Polyphemus, painted 1812
In one of their first adventures, Odysseus
and his men sail to the land of the
Cyclops. Odysseus and a dozen men climb
up to the cave of one of the giant
cyclops. After the giant rolls a huge stone
over the opening of the cave, and tends to
his flock of sheep, he asks the strangers
who they are. Odysseus asks for
hospitality. The giant responded by
“seizing two of the men and dashed them
to the ground like dogs. Their brains
spattered on the floor. Tearing them limb
from limb, he made his supper, and ate like
a mountain lion, leaving nothing, entrails,
or flesh, or marrow bones.”

Odysseus and his men are now sure of one fact, that this monster Cyclops
has a rather backwards notion of xenia, as he is rather unhospitable
towards strangers.
Odysseus plotted. The next, after the Cyclops ate another two Odysseus’
men for dinner, Odysseus asked him if he would like some wine from their
ship. After drinking the wine, the giant asks Odysseus his name, and he
said it was NoMan.
Why NoMan? We shall soon see.
While the Cyclops was fast asleep from the wine, Odysseus and his men
drove a large wooden stake into his one eye, blinding him. The Cyclops
jumped up and tried feeling about for the men in vain.

Constantin Hansen, Odysseus in Cave of Polyphemus, painted 1835

But now they have to find their way out of the cave since the Cyclops has
rolled a huge stone over the mouth of the cave, much too large for the
men to budge.
The next morning, Cyclops rolls the stone enough to let his sheep
through. Odysseus and his men escape by hanging onto the bottom of
the large sheep and rams when they are let out to pasture, as Cyclops only
feel the top of the sheep when he lets them out to pasture.

Jacob Jordaens, Odysseus in Cave of Polyphemus, painted early 1700’s

Jacob Jordaens, Odysseus in Cave of Polyphemus, painted early 1700’s
“When Odysseus and his men were far away from the cave, he
shouted, ‘Cyclops, no weakling’s comrades you were destined t o
devour in the deep cave, with brutal might. But it was also
destined your bad deeds should find you out, audacious wretch,
who did not hesitate to eat the guests within your house! For
this did Zeus chastise, Zeus and the other gods.

After escaping the men loaded the sheep onto their ships, and hearing
them, Cyclops roared at them and threw boulders into the sea near their
ships, missing them, due to his blindness.

Arnold Böcklin - Odysseus and Polyphemus, painted 1896

Arnold Böcklin - Odysseus and Polyphemus, painted 1896
When the other Cyclops yelled at him asking who did this to him, he
yelled back, “Noman blinded me.” Odysseus should have just
quietly escaped, and his men tried to dissuade him, but Odysseus
just had to yell back, “Cyclops, if ever mortal man asks you the story
of the ugly blinding of your eye, say that Odysseus made you blind,
the spoiler of cities, Laertes’ son, who home it Ithica.”

That was a mistake, that was perhaps a bit of hubris that cost
Odysseus and his crew dearly.
Cyclops is the son of Poseidon, and now that he knows the
identity of the leader who blinded him, he prays to his father
Poseidon, and Poseidon agrees to delay the homecoming of
Odysseus for many years in return.

Isaac Moillon, Aeolus Giving the
Winds to Odysseus, painted 1600’s
Odysseus and his men
encounter many
adventures as they seek to
sail home. They visit King
Aeolus who gives them a
bag of all the winds except
the west wind, which they
need to sail home.

The ship comes within sight of Ithaca, but Odysseus has a bad habit of
falling asleep just when Ithaca comes within sight. His men squabble
and become envious of the treasure-filled bag given to Odysseus by King
Aeolus, and they start to wonder whether Odysseus plans to share the
gold in the bag with the crew. So the men open the bag, and the winds
blow all the ships back across the Mediterranean Sea, back to uncharted
lands. King Aeolus refuses to help them further, suspecting they have
been cursed by the gods.
In more adventures Odysseus and his crew encounter cannibals, then
they land on an island where the goddess Circe, who turns many of his
men into swine until Odysseus, with the help of the god Hermes, blunts
the force of her magic, threatens her, and convinces her to undo the
magic.

Jacob Jordaens (I) - Ulysses threatening
Circe, 1630-35
Having promised to
undo the spell, Circe
invites Odysseus to
dine but Odysseus
objects, “Ah, Circe,
what upright man
could bring himself
to taste of food or
drink before he had
released his friends
and seen them with
his eyes? But if you
in sincerity will bid
me drink and eat,
then set them free;
that I with my own
eyes may see my
trusty comrades.”

Circe develops respect for Achilles and his wily ways, and she transitions from
being an evil sorceress to becoming his lover for a year, though he has little say in
the matter, though she is persuaded to let him go, providing him with much
needed advice and directions.

Angelica Kauffmann, Circe
and Odysseus, painted 1786
Bartholomäus
Spranger, Odysseus
and Circe, painted
1580-85

Giovanni Battista Trotti's fresco of Circe returning
Ulysses' followers to human form, painted 1610
“The heavenly goddess
Circe said, ‘High-born
son of Laertes, ready
Odysseus, stay no
longer at my home
against your will. But
you must first perform
a different journey, and
go to the halls of Hades
and dreaded
Persephone, there to
consult with the spirit
of Teiresias of Thebes,
the prophet blind,
whose mind is
steadfast still. To him,
though dead,
Persephone has
granted reason, to him
sound understanding,
the rest are flitting
shadows.’”

Pieter Brueghel el Joven, Museum El Prado, Greek Underworld
In the Underworld, the ghost of
Tiresias prophesies, “On the island
of Thrinacia feed the many cattle
and sturdy flocks of the Sun
God.” “Of them, no young are
born, nor do they ever die.” If you
leave them unharmed, you will still
reach Ithaca, though you shall see
many hardships. But if you harm
the cattle, then I predict the loss of
ship and crew, and even if you
yourself escape, late shall you
return home with many troubles,
without your crew.”

In the Underworld, Odysseus also speaks to Achilles, who regrets not
living out a normal and humble life in Greece, he speaks to his mother,
who has died pining for his return, and he speaks to several other
phantoms, and to other Greek heroes.
Odysseus and his men also sail past a six-headed monster and a deadly
whirlpool, and many other adventures.

Alexander Bruckmann, Odysseus
and the Sirens, painted 1829 Circe told Odysseus that,
after leaving her island,
they will encounter the
Sirens’ voices, by him no
wife nor little child shall
ever stand, glad at his
returning home; for the
Sirens cast a spell of
penetrating song, sitting
within a meadow.
Nearby is a heap of
rotting human bones;
fragments of skin are
shriveling on them.”

HJ Draper, Odysseus and
the Sirens, painted 1909
Therefore, sail on, and stop your
comrades’ ears with sweet wax kneaded
soft, that none of the rest may hear.

Otto Greiner, Odysseus and the Sirens, painted late 1800‘s
If you yourself will listen, see that they
bind you hand and foot on the swift hip,
upright against the mast-block round it
let the rope be wound, that so with
pleasure you may hear the Sirens’ song.

Carl von Blaas - Ulyssus and Sirens (1882)

The Sirens, and Circe and Calypso both, all are symbolic of the callousness and
selfishness with which many of us treat our intimate partners, not respecting their
dignity, not keeping their best interests at heart, not loving them as we would love
ourselves.
You can guess what the crew of Odysseus do when they approach the island of the
Sun God, even with the desperate entreaties of Odysseus.
Odysseus wants to sail past, but his men beg him to let them land and rest for the
night, they will fix breakfast from the supplies on the ship and depart. He had his
men swear an oath they would not touch the immortal cows or sheep, but the
next month saw storms and contrary winds trapping them on an island, and the
stores of food ran out, and then the men became ravenously hungry.
The men, mindful of the warnings of Odysseus, and cautious, decide to offer
prayers to the gods as they select the best of the immortal cattle of the Sun God.

The companions of Odysseus rob the cattle of Helios,
Pellegrino Tibaldi, painted 1554-1556
Odysseus remembers, “When the
pleasant sleep fled from my
eyelid, around me came the
savory smell of fat. I groaned and
cried aloud to the immortal gods,
‘O father Zeus, truly to my ruin
you laid me in ruthless sleep,
while my men left behind plotted
a monstrous deed.”
“I rebuked my men, confronting
each in turn, but the cattle were
dead already. Soon the gods
made prodigies appear: the skins
would crawl; the spitted flesh,
both roast and raw, would moan;
and sounds came forth like
crows.”

Some days after the set sail from the island of the Sun God, Zeus struck
their ship, and all of the crew died, save Odysseus. Which, as Professor
Vanderbilt notes, explains why Odysseus, captain of the fleet, returned
home alone, the plot required that it be very clear that their perishing was
not a blemish on the leadership skills of Odysseus, but was due solely to
the moral failings of the crew.
Odysseus drifted on the wreckage to the island of the nymph Calypso,
who became quite fond of Odysseus, holding him for seven years as her
love slave, refusing to let him escape until prompted by the gods.
With him landing on the island of Calypso, we have now come full circle,
the night is late, and Odysseus has finished telling the tale of his
adventures to the Phaecians.

Jan Brueghel the Elder - Odysseus and Calypso, 1616

Giuseppe Bottani -
Athena revealing Ithaca
to Ulysses, painted late
1700’s
These stories of Odysseus’
travels enthrall the Phaeacians,
and they agree to sail their guest
home loaded with a treasure
chest of gift, a treasure more
abundant than that which he
originally sailed from Troy and
lost many years ago.
That night, on board, utterly
exhausted, Odysseus sleeps
deeply. Near morning, they land
in a cove in a grotto on Ithaca,
gently lifting the sleeping
Odysseus onto shore, and
nearby they place his chest, and
quietly depart. When he awakes
Odysseus is not sure where he is.

Professor Vandiver comments on the bittersweet nature of his
return. When we return to our family from a long cruise we long to see
our home approach over the horizon, watch the ship dock, and be
joyously welcomed by our family on our return. Odysseus is denied all of
this on his return, not landing in the main harbor, landing in secret, and he
is in more danger now that he is close to his palace.
The goddess Athena appears to him in the disguise of a shepherd boy,
and after conversing with the shepherd boy who tells him he is indeed in
Ithaca, Odysseus launches into one of his incredibly complex tall tales as
he manufactures his identity and his journey from Troy and how he got
there.

Giuseppe Bottani - Ulysses transformed by
Athena into beggar, painted 1775
“As he spoke, the goddess,
clear-eyes Athena, smiled
and patted him with her
hand. Her form grew like a
woman’s, fair and tall and
skilled in fine work, and
speaking in winged words
she said, ‘Prudent and wily
must one be to overreach
you in craft of any kind,
even though it be a god who
strives to match you. Bold,
shifty, and wily, will you not
now within your own land
cease from the false and
misleading tales which from
the bottom of your heart
you love?’ “

Giuseppe Bottani - Ulysses transformed by
Athena into beggar, painted 1775
They discuss how they will slaughter the
hundred plus suitors. Athena assures
Odysseus, “I will surely be with you; you
shall never be forgotten when we begin
the work. Some suitors will spatter the
floor with their blood and their brains,
these suitors who devour your
living. But let me make you strange to
all men’s view.”
Athena disguises him as a beggar. “I will
shrivel the fair flesh on your supple
limbs, pluck from your head your yellow
locks, and clothe you in rags that they
who see shall loathe the wearer. And I
will cloud your eyes, so beautiful before
that you may seem repulsive to all the
suitors there, and even to your wife and
the son you left at home. But now seek
out the swineherd, the keeper of your
swine; for he is loyal, loving your son
and steadfast Penelope,” your wife even
after these many years.

Athena announces she will summon Telemachus home from his stay in
Sparta, bidding him to avoid the main harbor where the black ship lies in
ambush, but rather to beach his ship nearby, and meet his father in the
hut of the swineherd.
The swineherd Eumaeus tells his story, his father was a king of an island
near Syria, but he was tricked and sold into slavery, and was purchased by
Laertes, father of Odysseus, many, many decades past.

Weimar, Schlossmuseum, Johann August
Nahl the Younger, Telemachus
recognizes his father Odysseus in the
house of the swineherd Eumaeus

Athena changes the appearance of Odysseus back to that of a beggar,
and in that disguise he scouts out his palace, bearing the many
humiliations beggars always suffer, even at one place having to fight off
another beggar.

Lovis Corinth, Odysseus
fighting the beggar,
painted 1903

When Odysseus first enters his palace yard, “a dog lying
near lifted his head and ears,” This was Argos, only a puppy
when Odysseus left for war. “In times past young men
would take him on the chase for wild goats, deer, and hares;
but now he lay neglected, his master gone away, upon a
pile of dung which had been dropped before the door by
mules and oxen, and when lay there is a heap for slaves to
carry off and fertilize the broad lands of Odysseus. Here lay
the dog, this Argos, full of fleas. Yet even now, seeing
Odysseus near, he wagged his tail and dropped both ears,
but toward his master he had not strength to move.”
Odysseus wipes away a tear but cannot pet his dog or even
show that this dog may be special, he doesn’t even
approach him. Professor Vandiver observes that the aging
dog with fleas lying neglected on the dung heap represents
how the estate of Odysseus has decayed in his
absence. “Argos fell the doom of darksome death when he
beheld Odysseus, twenty years away.”

Here the novel tells us of the abuse Odysseus as the beggar
suffered abuse from the suitors, serving women, and even other
beggars, and how Telemachus had to threaten a suitor with
violence when he threw a stool at the beggar. Odysseus bides
his time, gathering crusts to eat from the suitors, revealing
himself to a few trusted servants to increase his odds, spending
the day enduring the taunts of all the evil suitors and evil
servants.

That night he stays behind when all the suitors retire to their own
homes. He instructs Telemachus to put all the weapons on the wall of
the palace in storage. Penelope asks Eurycleia, wet-nurse to young
Odysseys, to wash his feet. She drops his leg and spills the basin when
she sees his scar and realizes who he is, he has to warn her not to blow
his cover. After sine time, his wife Penelope asks the beggar if he has
heard of the fate of Odysseus. Of course, the beggar has heard of
Odysseus’ fate, and he spins another long version of the tale of how he
is from Crete and he has seen Odysseus many years ago, telling many
tales of the strivings of Odysseus, and how he had a strange dream that
revealed to him that Odysseus would arrive at the palace and slaughter
the suitors.

CW Eckersberg, Return of Odysseus, painted 1812

Penelope also asks to speak to the mysterious beggar herself, and
Odysseus skillfully evades any attempt to find out who he truly is.
Professor Vandiver says that scholars debate whether Penelope suspects
that this mysterious is really her husband Odysseus in disguise, and the
reason for this debate is Homer has artfully provided many clues to
support both the positions of ignorance and perception.

Odysseus and Penelope, Johann Tischbein, painted 1802

Penelope announces, “I shall propose a contest with
the axes which when at home Odysseys use to set in
line, like trestles, twelve in all; then he would stand a
great way off and send an arrow through. This
contest I shall now propose to all the suitors. And
whoever with his hands shall lightliest bend the bow
and shoot through all twelve axes, him I will follow
and forsake this home, this bridal home, so very
beautiful and full of wealth, a place I shall ever
remember even in my dreams.”
The beggar Odysseus answers, “O honored wife of
Laertes’ son, Odysseus, delay no longer this contest
at the hall; for wise Odysseus will be here before the
suitors, handling the polished bow, can stretch the
string and shoot through the iron.”
Penelope,
Leonidas
Drosis, 1873

Clearly Penelope has seen through his disguise and overheard
the gasps of her favored servant Eurycleia, but Professor
Vandiver relates that many scholars debate whether Penelope
really knows the beggar is really Odysseus, so skillfully has the
bard woven in clues for both possibilities.

As she promised, the next morning
Penelope proceeds down the stairs and
announces to the suitors, “Before you
stands your prize, I offer you the mighty
bow of prince Odysseus; and whoever
with his hands shall lightliest bend the
bow and shoot through all twelve axes,
him I will follow and forsake this home,
this bridal home, so very beautiful and
full of wealth, a place I shall ever
remember, even in my dreams.”
Heva Coomans - Penelope awaiting Odysseus,
painted around 1900

Telemachus tries first, and almost strings the bow, but a look from
Odysseus reaches his eye and he abandons the effort, and the bow is
passed around the room, giving each suitor a try at stringing the bow,
they each tried to bend the bow, they warmed the bow, they rubbed fat
into the bow so they could bend it, they readied the bow for the slaughter
ahead, but none of the suitors could even bend the bow so it could be
strung, let alone try to shoot the arrow through the axes.
Then the beggar disguised as Odysseus asked if he could try, which
outraged the suitors, who feared that perhaps the beggar could string the
bow. Penelope assures the suitors that she would never marry a beggar,
that no harm is done to let him try. Telemachus then urges Penelope and
the women to leave the hall for their quarters and the bow is given to the
beggar to try.

Odysseus wins the contest of
the bow against the suitors;
Lovis Corvinth, painted 1913
The beggar handled the bow
like it was an instrument
played many long years
ago. “Great consternation
came upon the
suitors.” “Laying the arrow
upon the arch, Odysseus drew
the string and arrow notches,
and forth from the bench on
which he sat left fly the shaft,
with careful aim, and did not
miss an axe’s ring from first to
last, but clean through all sped
on the bronze-tipped arrow.”

Rudolph Seitz, Ulysses' revenge on Penelope's suitors, 1893
“Then Then wise Odysseus threw off his rags and
sprang to the broad threshold, bow in hand and
quiver full of arrows. Out he poured the swift
shafts at his feet, and thus addressed the suitors,
‘So the dread ordeal ends! Now to another mark I
turn, o hit what no man ever hit before, will but
Apollo grant my prayer.’”

Here the Odyssey resembles the Iliad, in its rather graphic depictions of
the violence encountered on the battlefield. We cannot see Tom Hanks
on the beaches of Normandy holding but the hand of a comrade he
wanted to save but has instead been blown away, but the epic saga of
Homer delights in many such descriptions.

The suitors in the fight against Odysseus;
Berlinische Galerie, painted 1913
“Achilles spoke, and aimed an
arrow at the main suitor Antinous,
who was raising his golden goblet,
gold it was and double eared, and
even now guided it is his hands to
drink the wine. Death gave his
heart no notice.” “Odysseus aimed
an arrow and hit him in the throat;
right through his tender neck the
sharp point passed. He sank down
sideways; from his hand the goblet
fell when he was hit, and at once
from his nose ran a thick stream of
human blood. Roughly he pushed
his table back, kicking it with his
foot, and scattered off the food
upon the floor.”

How fitting, the suitor who was drinking and eating Penelope out of her
house and home, dies distracted drinking wine, scattering the feast laid
out before him as he falls dead from the arrow cutting through his throat.

Christoffer Wilhelm Eckersberg - Ulysses' revenge on Penelope's suitors, painted 1814
“The suitors assailed Odysseus with indignant words, ‘Stranger, to your sorrow you turn your
bow on men! You never shall take part n games again. Swift death awaits you; for you have
killed the leader of the noble youths of Ithaca. To pay for this, vultures shall eat you here!’”

Lacrenon, Odysseus and Telemacus Massacre the Suitors, painted 1812
“Looking on them sternly wise Odysseus said, “Dogs! You have been
saying all the time I never should return out of the land of Troy; and
therefore you destroyed my home, outraged my slave-maids, “

Lacrenon, Odysseus and Telemacus Massacre the Suitors, painted 1812
“and, though I was alive, covertly courted my wife, fearing
that no gods that hold open the open sky, nor that the
indignation of mankind would fall on you hereafter. Now
for you one and all destruction’s cords are knotted!’”

Thomas Degeorge, Odysseus and Telemacus Massacre the Suitors,
Odysseus
continues, “and,
though I was
alive, covertly
courted my
wife, fearing
that no gods
that hold open
the open sky,
nor that the
indignation of
mankind would
fall on you
hereafter. Now
for you one and
all destruction’s
cords are
knotted!’”

Palliere, Odysseus and Telemacus Massacre the Suitors
Odysseus then killed many
more of the suitors with the
remainder of his arrows,
then he and his son
Telemachus and a few
faithful servants, in the ebb
and flow of battle, with
setbacks that were
overcome, after a long
struggle finished off the last
of the suitors, a narrative
you are invited to read for
yourself as Odysseus begins
the battle with the rage of
Achilles in the Iliad,
furiously killing the suitors
with the aid of Athena,
showing no mercy.

The brutality of the slaughter of the suitors, and later the hanging of the
slave-girl concubines of the suitors, are offensive to modern sensibilities,
but we must remember there were no policemen or prisons in ancient
cultures, and no courts in the time of the Iliad, the only possible remedies
in the ancient world were fines, exile, and execution.
Odysseus had visited the underworld to consult with the spirits of the
dead, and here near the end of the Odyssey Homer treats us to the
conversations between the spirits now that Odysseus has defeated the
suitors and resumed his place beside Penelope ruling over his lands.

Francesco Primaticcio - Ulysses and
Penelope, painted 1545
From the Underworld,
Agamemnon, son of Atreus, whose
was slain by his wife and lover on
his return to Greece, spoke,
“Fortunate son of Laertes, ready
Odysseus! You have won a wife full
of all worth. How upright was the
heart of true Penelope, daughter of
Icarius! How faithful to Odysseus,
the husband of her youth!
Wherefore the story of her worth
shall never die; but for all
humankind immortal ones shall
make a joyous song in praise of
steadfast Penelope.”

SOURCES used for our video include Robert Fagles’ translation of the Odyssey, and Professor
Elizabeth Vandiver’s Great Courses lectures on the Odyssey.
This translation of the Odyssey is a delight to read, and it reads much like a modern novel, with
many flashbacks and changes of scene. Unlike the Iliad, you will want to read every page, there
are no real low points in the story.
We have discussed Professor Vandiver’s lectures on the Iliad and Odyssey, so you know we find
them illuminating, since it can be challenging to imagine what life was like so many millennia
ago.

In this video we skipped many memorable adventures and memorable scenes from the
Odyssey. These include Odysseus’ fascinating discussions with the spirits of the underworld,
the detailed story of his stay with Circe and Calypso, and the moral development of Telemachus
in the opening chapters of the Odyssey as he confronts the suitors and travels through Sparta in
search of news about his father, Odysseus. We also have not quoted at length the many
fascinating discussions Athena has with both Telemachus and Odysseus.
We can also marvel at the fascinating way that Odysseus reveals his identity to his son
Telemachus, then to his wife Penelope after the slaughter of the suitors, and finally to his aging
father Laertius in the closing chapter of the Odyssey. We left out many entertaining and
instructive chapters, because, well, we want to encourage you to read the Odyssey for yourself,
and listen to Ms. Vandiver’s lectures, they enable you to enjoy reading the book more
enjoyable.

PLEASE click on the link for our blogs on the Iliad and the Odyssey.
And please click on the links for our YouTube videos on the Stoic
philosophers, and other interesting videos that will broaden your
knowledge and improve your soul.

The Odyssey: A Summary of Homer's Epic Poem

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The Odyssey: A Summary of Homer's Epic Poem