Themes in the Odyssey

Themes in the Odyssey

1. Revenge/justice

   • 1st half of the epic focuses on Poseidons's revenge on Odysseus for blinding his son Polyphemus. e.g. sends a storm which nearly kills him, he nearly gives up but sea god Ino comes & gives him veil which helps him to shore aalong with Athene's assistance.
   • in the 2nd half, Homer focuses on Odysseus' revenge on the suitors as they have been taking advantage of his household and been stealing his belongings and sleeping with the house staff. therefore O returns disguised as a beggar so that he can make a surprise attack to get revenge on them for their behaviour in his own house and their treatment of his wife and son.
     • we know this is what O is meant to do as it is prophesised through P's dream about the eagle killing the 20 geese in her house, as well as when the seer tells the suitors that their death is near as he points out the bad omens surrounding them; blood on the walls and a mist covering the sun. but the suitors mock him foolishly.

2. the importance of the Gods

   • driving force for the plot of the epic, e.g. when Athene goes to Nausicaa in her sleeo disguised as a a young girl and tells her to wash her clothes by where O is sleeping in order for them to meet, also makes the ball land in the water to wake O, also when Hermes is sen to Calypso's island to tell her to release O so he can continue on his travels, also when Hermes comes to O before reaching Circe's palace to give him the moly so that he isnt affected by her potion and he can get her on his side and gain her trust.
   • adds a supernatural element, e.g. clouds of mist, making O look more handsome, giving him the veil, the moly.
   • include other stories of gods, context, ares and aphrodite.

3. importance of women

   • Penelope; there as a driving force for O to return home, also driving force for the suitors to compete in the archery competition as she is beautiful and each wants to win her as their wife, clever and devious e.g. unravels the weave every night and provides the chance for O to reveal himself unconsciously.
   • Eurycleia; one of the only servant women in the household that both Telemachus and O can trust with their secrets, e.g. doesn't tell Penelope about T leaving until she is supposed to, doesn't tell P about the disguise of O as the beggar, also can trust her as she tells O which servants have been untrustworthy.
   • Nausicaa: she helps O by taking him to her palace so that he can gain xenia from her parents and tells him how to approach them. could have been a potentially good wife if he hadn't wanted to get home.
   • Calypso and Circe, more than human, strong independent women, both want to keep O as their prisoner but give up in the end and manage to be kind enough to help O on with his journey and give him advice for the way.
   • maids in Itaca, unfaithful to O as sleep with the suitors, lack of loyalty and morality.

4. Odysseus and leadership

   • GOOD - always divides up their food equally and provides for all his men, gives encouraging speeches to ensure that they aren't worried, sets a good example as he buries his men after death and sacrifices to the gods, takes on the advice of others in order to take the best route home concerning the safety of his men.
   • BAD - weak willed, even though he wants to avoid the island with the cattle of the sun god his men persuade him to stop there even though there is a large possibility that they will end up eating the cattle and receiving punishment, doesn't fully trust his men, doesn't tell them what is in the bag that Aeolus gave him which results in them being blown back to his island, doesn't always make the best decisions, he decides to stay in Polyphemus' cave to receive gifts from him which results in him becoming angry and he kills many of the men, puts his own life above the lives of his men as he ends up travelling alone and receiving a new crew from Alcinous.