Book 11 - the Odyssey

Page 1

Book 11 - the Odyssey

Summary :

1. Odysseus tells the Phaeacians about going to the Underworld to hear the prophesy of Tiresias.

2. Circe tells him of what he has to do in order to speak to the spirits of the dead.

3. The first shade he sees is Elpenor. explains that he was drunk and fell of the roof on Circe’s island. He needs to have his funeral rites performed. Odysseus promises to do so.

4. Sees mother. Waits for the prophecy first. (Anticleia)

5. Only after tasting the blood can Tiresias truthfully reveal what Odysseus must do.

6. The prophecy:

- Poseidon will make it difficult.

- when they reach the land of the sun god Helios’ cattle, they must not raid them, but if they do, Odysseus will lose all his companions

- He will return home in "wretched state and on a foreign ship".

- There will be trouble in his house but he shall take revenge. and he will die peacefully.

- He must travel to a land where they do not know of the sea and carry and oar until someone refers it to a 'winnowing fan'. He must then bury the oar and preform a sacrifice to appease Poseidon.

7. Odysseus can talk to the others in the Underworld if they stand in the blood.

8. The shade of Odysseus’ mother, Anticleia, tells her son that she pined away for him and his father isn’t doing very well, either. Odysseus sees many of the famous women of ancient Greece.

9. Break - Odysseus wants to sleep but Alcinous wants more, so O says he will if he becomes well-provisioned. Timé

10. Odysseus talks with the shade of Agamemnon, which tells him about the betrayal by Aegisthus and his wife Clytemnestra and warns generally against the wiles of women. Agamemnon inquires about his son, but Odysseus has no news.

11. Then he sees Achilles' shade, which tells him it’s better to be a farm hand alive than lord of the shades in the Underworld. Achilles also wants to hear about his son and Odysseus has good news for him about his bravery in the horse made by Epeios and in debate.

12. Odysseus tries to talk with the shade of Ajax, but it refuses.He sees the shades of many other creatures, including Hercules, whose body is with the gods, the golden-sceptred judge Minos, and the tortured shades of Tantalus, Sysiphus, and Tityos.

When a crowd of shades gathers round, Odysseus flees for the ship.

Other: Hero comparison

N.B

- Emotive/figurative language

- Imagery

- Foreshadows

- Emphasis (juxtaposition)

- Divine intervention

[20] Homer uses a variety of literary devices to suggest sympathy for Odysseus. He demonstrates Anticlea’s emotions towards the departure of her son by emotive language. She states she feels “heartache” Such powerful emotive language demonstrates her longing for his return and evokes sympathy for Odysseus from the reader, furtherly emphasised by this being the reason for her death - a death which Odysseus did not know of until now. Homer also shows her pride of her son using figurative language; she states: “my glorious Odysseus”. It is this juxtaposition with language which shows that, although his departure was the reason for his death, she will remain eternally proud of her son. Stating Odysseus is “my” glorious Odysseus shows his glory will remain a part of her even in the underworld. This allows for their close family relationship to be shown and sympathy arises as it is evident they shall not see each other in his life on earth.

Homer inspired sympathy for Anticlea by showings that with her death she has lost all it’s good. “That brought my life with all its sweetness to an end.” To her death is not a pleasant alternative, however it seems more durable than a life without the possibility of seeing her son again; as she stated her ”heartache” was the reason for her tragic death. Homer uses the allegory of “sweetness”, representing the glory of having Odysseus safe, and contrasts it with “end” symbolising her death. The end of such a positive essence as life with her son promotes sympathy for Odysseus by the realisation that it was his departure that caused her death.

The reader sympathises with Odysseus by his wish to hug his mother. The repetition of this act “three times” shows his longing to embrace his mother even if he did not know it possible. He asks if it is a “mere phantom” or a “trick” to increase his pain. It is his eagerness to hold his mother despite the pain it causes to try that evokes sympathy at his desperation for her. Homer helps the reader picture his pain by the simile “like a shadow or a ghost”. This imagery caused by the simile of a “shadow” created vivid imagery to the reader, emphasising sympathy for him and the emotional connotation the audience feels towards them both.

Odysseus appeals to his mother with direct speech. “Mother!” shows his anguish towards the situation, even if he could hug her it would have only had given him ‘cold comfort’. It is this direct speech which allows Homer to show Odysseus’ emotions directly to the reader. By this linguistic device Homer allows the audience to have empathy by obviously understanding his shock and pain of knowing of his mothers death, not only this but showing how the situation is not improved by the fact he cannot embrace his mother - it is this direct speech which allows the audience to feel sympathy for Odysseus to grow as it provides direct understanding to his emotional state.

Steps O makes to speak to the spirits of the dead.

1. Sail to the grove of Persephone - the sea where the light never shines

2. Dig a pit as wide and long as a mans forearm

3. Pour libations to the dead:

- milk and honey

- water

- sweet wine

- white barley

4. Make a vow: to sacrifice his:

- finest heifer on return to Ithaca.

- and a separate ram to Teiresias

5. He then takes the sheep and cuts their throats over the pit

> tells comrades to burn them

> The souls come up from "Erebus" and Odysseus tells his men to make

a prayer to Hades and Persephone

New Page