‭Greek Poets - The Odyssey‬

‭Lecture 1‬
‭Odyssey = Epic = an extended narrative on heroic themes‬
‭-‬ ‭Callimachus (poet in hellenistic period) - “Epics are about kings + battles”‬

‭Odyssey = poem = written in verse - in dactylic hexameter + uses homeric similes‬

‭-‬ ‭24 books - 24 letters in the Greek alphabet? Correlation?‬
‭-‬ ‭Referenced by book, line, number =‬‭Odyssey‬‭8.167 =‬‭odyssey book 8 line 167‬
‭-‬ ‭Odyssey = sequel to Illiad‬
‭-‬ ‭First half = the telemachy‬
‭-‬ ‭Second half =‬

‭ ’anne Philologique‬
L
‭Trojan war = 10 years approx - our understanding comes from various different texts = seen‬
‭in Iliad - odyssey focuses on the consequences of the trojan war + Odysseus’ return to his‬
‭home in Ithaca = NOSTOS (a return, homecoming) - been gone for 20 years‬
‭Links to the word nostalgia - a desire for a sense of familiarity‬

‭-‬ ‭Odysseus’ most famous feats are not featured in the iliad - bc it’s not about him‬

‭ he most famous thing Odysseus is known for = The trojan horse = led to the fall of Troy‬
T
‭Depicts epithet - resourceful, cunning, god-like‬

‭ HE HOMERIC QUESTION‬
T
‭We don’t know;‬
‭-‬ ‭Who they were‬
‭-‬ ‭When they lived‬
‭-‬ ‭Whether they existed at all‬
‭-‬ ‭Whether the Iliad + the Odyssey have the same author‬
‭-‬ ‭How and when the poems were composed‬

‭ 9th century analysts vs unitarians‬

1
‭Analysts‬‭searched for the pure + authentic Homer hidden‬‭in the middle of additions +‬
‭corruptions by other authors‬
‭Unitarians‬‭tried to explain incongruencies, repetitions,‬‭believing that all was part of a planned‬
‭+ artistic whole‬

‭ arly 20th century Developments‬

E
‭MIlman Parry (and Alfred Lord)‬
‭-oral composition‬
‭Compared to oral poetry practices in contemporary Yugoslavia‬
‭Conclusion = there is no “real Homer”, but rather a long + changing tradition of oral‬
‭composition by generations of poets - kinda like the bible??‬
‭Problem = Iliad + Odyssey = lot longer thann Yugoslav oral poetry‬
‭ onclusion 2 = existence of orally - derived texts - in transition between oral + written‬
C
‭compositions‬

‭Neoanalysis : 20th + 21st century focus‬

‭-‬ ‭General agreement on oral composition / orally derived texts‬
‭-‬ ‭Debate about the relationship between the Iliad + the odyssey‬
‭-‬ ‭Extent of influence of earlier‬
‭-‬ ‭Debates proposed between‬
‭-‬ ‭Conclusion = most scholars are separatists‬

‭ ral Performance‬
O
‭Poems were performed + recited by bards (aidos in Greek) - they are sung to the lyre +‬
‭known by the ancient audience‬
‭-‬ ‭Phemios Bk 1,22 + Demodokos Bk 8‬
‭Ancient Greek poetry does not rhyme - it is written in dactylic hexameter = 6 feet per line‬
‭Metre = the time it takes to say each syllable‬
‭1 long syllable = 2 short syllables‬

‭ omeric Formula‬
H
‭Scholar Parry - “a group of words which is regularly employed under the same metrical‬
‭conditions to express a given essential idea”‬
‭= HOmeric formulas are repeated phrases‬
‭EPithets give information about a character‬

‭Direct Speech = predominant = half of the poem = characters speaking directly‬

‭-‬ ‭Descriptions of banquets‬
‭-‬ ‭Descriptions of the treatments of guests - xenia‬
‭-‬ ‭Descriptions of sacrifices + religious rituals‬

‭Use of digressions‬

‭Homeric Similes‬
‭-‬ ‭Can be long + complex - almost telling a story‬
‭-‬ ‭Very suggestive + rich + visual‬

‭Lecture 2‬
‭The Telemachy - Books 1-4‬

‭Mapping the poem‬

‭-‬ ‭Telemachus = Bk1-4‬
‭-‬ ‭Odysseus = bk 5‬
‭-‬ ‭Nausicaa‬
‭-‬ ‭Telemachus‬
‭-‬ ‭Penelope‬
 -‭ ‬ ‭ umaeus‬
E
‭-‬ ‭Eurykleia‬
‭-‬ ‭The suitors‬
‭-‬ ‭Books 9-12 = Flashback - Odysseus’ narrative‬
‭-‬ ‭From Book 13 onwards, Ithaca‬

‭ he Historicity Issue (historical authenticity)‬

T
‭Do the homeric poems describe historical events and/or a real society and‬
‭material culture?‬
‭Mycenaean Greece - 1600 BC to about 1100 BC‬
‭Dark Ages - usually refers to the 900 years of european history between the‬
‭5th and 14th centuries‬

‭Odyssey =‬‭A poetic Conflation‬‭of elements from different‬‭time periods‬

‭-‬ ‭The objects, institutions and social customs described do not match any‬
‭period in greek history‬
‭-‬ ‭Homeric poems probably do not portray any period at all‬

‭ ouse - oikos, domos‬

H
‭The central space is a great hall with columns - megaron‬

‭ eparation between megaron and the women’s quarters + more intimate‬

S
‭rooms‬

‭ dysseus’ wealth‬
O
‭Wealth + property go together - money doesn’t exist in the homeric world.‬
‭Wealth is measured in land, animals, and precious objects.‬
‭-‬ ‭Maritime trade occurs‬
‭-‬ ‭Slavery exists - can be bought, given as a gift, born, slave = a‬
‭possession‬
‭Odysseus is wealthy bc he has control‬

‭ amily + Household‬
F
‭A structure with the husband/father/master (Kyrios‬‭)‬ ‭at the centre. He has the‬
‭authority over the household + rules it himself‬
‭-‬ ‭The central relationship is husband-wife‬
‭-‬ ‭Weaving + spinning are very important + valued tasks - BK4 Helen‬
‭BK10 Circe Bk1 Penelope‬

‭The slaves‬
 -‭ ‬ ‭ ost of the slaves within the household are women‬
M
‭-‬ ‭Most makes slaves work outside the house proper‬
‭-‬ ‭There is a hierarchy among the slaves‬
‭-‬ ‭There are 50 female slaves in Odysseus’ household‬

‭ dysseus’ family live in uncertainty because of Odysseus’ absolute absence -‬

O
‭their authority is undermined;‬
‭-‬ ‭Penelope’s unambiguous status - she is in limbo - she is widow/wife -‬
‭she has value but no authority‬

‭The suitors + their ambiguity‬

‭-‬ ‭108 suitors from ithaca want to marry Penelope, been waiting 3 years‬
‭-‬ ‭Penelope’s weaving is betrayed by Melantho, who slept with‬
‭Eurymachus‬
‭-‬ ‭Suitors pressure Penelope + Telemachus‬
‭-‬ ‭Telemachus is too weak to kick them out -‬
‭-‬ ‭The suitor’s ambiguous position; they both are, and are not, guests -‬
‭they should know when it is time to leave = xenia guest friendship‬
‭-‬ ‭The suitors are desperate to take on their wealth, yet they are‬
‭plundering it and destroying it all‬

‭Pining for Odysseus; emotional Trauma‬

‭-‬ ‭Odysseus’ absence is felt deeply - his mother (anticleia) died bc of it,‬
‭his father (laertes) isolated himself, eumaeus mourns, Telemachus has‬
‭no memory of his father but suffers with his absence + struggles under‬
‭the weight of his reputation‬
‭-‬ ‭Penelope wants an absolute - she wishes Odysseus’ death + her own,‬
‭so she can have a final answer + not waste away her life in grief‬

‭Telemachus’ concern is with becoming kyrios (not basileus)‬

‭Lecture 3‬
‭The returned: Other tales of homecoming‬
‭-‬ ‭Nestor + Menelaus both return from the Trojan War before‬
‭Odysseus - they are two great chieftains that also enjoy and‬
‭achieve nostos‬
 ‭-‬ B ‭ ook 3-4 provide important links between the world of the‬
‭odyssey and the epic cycle’s trojan war‬
‭The Epic cycle’s trojan war poems‬
‭-‬ ‭Cypria = 11 books = lead up to the war (including the‬
‭judgement of paris) + the first nine years of the war‬
‭-‬ ‭Iliad = 24 bks = the quarrel of agamemnon and achilles, the‬
‭death of hector‬
‭-‬

‭The odyssey and the epic cycle‬

‭-‬ ‭The bards such as phemius and even homer himself, function by filling‬
‭us in the stories of the other achaeans‬
‭-‬ ‭“What mortal man could tell them all” = the whole story of the trojan war‬

‭Nestor‬
‭-‬ ‭King of pylos + the oldest greek king in the iliad‬
‭-‬ ‭Cherished + respected by the other greeks for his wisdom, + rhetorical‬
‭prowess‬
‭-‬ ‭Advisor = tells patroclus to lead when achilles is absent‬
‭-‬ ‭Talks a lot‬
‭-‬ ‭Because he has a didactic function he gets away with a lot‬
‭-‬ ‭In the odyssey he already has had his homecoming - Nestor’s‬
‭household acts as a well functioning model that contrasts with the‬
‭model and behaviour of the suitors in Ithaca- it is based on the‬
‭respected authority of a kyrios = model for proper hospitality + for the‬
‭observance of proper religious rituals‬
‭-‬ ‭BK 3 starts + ends with sacrifices + prayers to Athena + Poseidon =‬
‭interesting bc poseidon is hurting the odyssean family + Athena is‬
‭aiding them‬

‭The benchmark for the successful + relatively easy homecoming‬

‭-‬ ‭Nestor‬
‭-‬ ‭Diomedes‬
‭-‬ ‭Philoctetes‬
‭-‬ ‭Neoptolemos‬
‭-‬ ‭Idomeneus‬

‭ IVINE RETRIBUTION = big fear of NESTOR - hints to the sacrilege that took‬
D
‭place during the war + after‬
‭BY CONTRAST these had a tough homecoming‬
‭-‬ ‭Aiser the lesser‬
‭-‬ ‭Agamemnon‬
‭-‬ ‭MEnelaus‬
‭-‬ ‭Odysseus‬

‭Those who dies in the war‬

‭-‬ ‭Aias the greater‬
‭-‬ ‭Achilles‬
‭-‬ ‭Patroclus‬
‭-‬ ‭Nestor’s son, Antilochus‬

‭MENELAUS‬
‭-‬ ‭The king of sparta, son in law of zeus, married to Helen, brother of‬
‭Agamemnon‬
‭-‬ ‭The trojan war was waged to recover his wife - in the iliad BK3 -paris +‬
‭Menelaus fighting + aphrodite plucks him (paris) out of the sky. IS a‬
‭brave warrior + has a clear moral compass = fights over + retrieves the‬
‭body of patroclus. He ends up recovering helen + undertakes a long‬
‭journey (7years) which hinders him from avenging his brother’s death‬
‭at the hands of clytemnestra + her lover‬
‭-‬ ‭Menelaus is fabulously wealthy + acquired a lot of his wealth during his‬
‭travels = TIMÉ‬
‭-‬ ‭Menelaus visits “real” places vs odysseus who wanders to mythical‬
‭places‬
‭-‬ ‭Homecoming is bittersweet as the memories of the war create grief,‬
‭sadness + horror- he misses odysseus + his brother‬

‭Remembrance + Story telling ; function + effect‬

‭-‬ ‭Information‬
‭-‬ ‭Comforting + calming‬
‭-‬ ‭Also can have an opposite effect - penelope cries hearing phemius sing‬
‭about the trojan war‬
‭-‬ ‭Helen acts as a story teller both orally and through art‬

‭HELEN‬
‭-‬ ‭Female agency - soothes the pain of her husband + men by telling them‬
‭stories but also by drugging them (nepenthe)‬
 ‭-‬ H ‭ elen’s story is about one of Odysseus’ feats at TRoy - he entered the‬
‭city disguised as a beggar to gather intelligence, hints to parallels‬
‭between this story + the events of the second half of the odyssey‬
‭-‬ ‭The story is framed as part of Helen’s homecoming - she claims that at‬
‭this point she already wanted to come back from TROY‬
‭-‬ ‭Helen’s ambiguity - menelaus said that she was shouting out greek‬
‭soldiers’ names to lure out the greeks + distract them vs her story is that‬
‭she really wanted to come home = divided loyalty‬
‭-‬ ‭Helen saw through Odysseus’ plan‬

‭Menelaus + Proteus‬
‭-‬ ‭He tells telemahcu show he got news of odysseus‬
‭-‬ ‭Stuck on the island of pharos (off coast of egypt) + running out of food,‬
‭menelaus is heloed by the sea goddess eidothee‬
‭-‬ ‭Proteus is a shapeshifting prophet that is cunning + difficult to catch‬
‭-‬ ‭Menelaus caught him listening to advice from proteus’ daughter‬
‭-‬ ‭Proteus is a story teller; he will also tell menelaus about other‬
‭homecomings‬

‭Aias the lesser‬

‭-‬ ‭He incurs the wrath of the gods when he defiles Athene’s temple during‬
‭the sack of troy‬
‭-‬ ‭His ship is wrecked, but he does not die. He finds rescue in the rocks of‬
‭Gyrai‬
‭-‬ ‭But he declares he needs no help from the gods, and so Poseidon kills‬
‭him‬
‭-‬ ‭In other versions, Athena strikes him with lightning‬

‭ he different homecomings‬
T
‭Impossible homcomings;‬
‭-‬ ‭Those who died at Troy - Achilles, patroclus, antilochos, Aias the‬
‭greater‬
‭Successful homecomings‬
‭-‬ ‭Easy + without delay - Nestor‬
‭-‬ ‭Hard + protracted - Menelaus‬
‭Unsuccessful homecomings‬
‭-‬ ‭Killed mid-way - aias the lesser‬
‭-‬ ‭Killed upon arrival - Agamemnon‬
‭Suspended homecoming‬
‭-‬ ‭Odysseus‬
‭Lecture 5‬
‭Gods, monsters + other fabulous creatures‬

‭Denis Peeney - the gods in epic‬

‭The homeric gods:‬

‭-‬ ‭Deathless‬
‭-‬ ‭Powerful - potent against human agency‬
‭-‬ ‭Easy-living - don’t struggle or worry like humans‬
‭-‬ ‭Anthropomorphic = human like/feeling‬
‭-‬ ‭Different levels of beauty + skill which amount to their superior‬
‭status‬
‭-‬ ‭They enforce laws/rules + punish transgressions, not‬
‭governed by same ‘human’ rules‬

‭Iliad vs Odyssey‬
‭-‬ ‭Gods interact much less in the odyssey than in the iliad‬
‭-‬ ‭They play more important roles in the iliad e.g on the‬
‭battlefield - gods take sides + fight with mortals + themselves‬
‭-‬ ‭In the iliad, athena + poseidon are on the same side - for the‬
‭greeks. But in the odyssey which focuses on the fate of one‬
‭man, they are opponents‬
‭-‬ ‭Gods are constrained by oaths, fates, other gods - hierarchy‬
‭of power in olympus = zeus’ power interrelated with fate‬

‭ TORY OF APHRODITE + ARIES/venus + mars - sung by‬

S
‭demodocus‬
‭-‬ ‭Aphrodites gets caught in hephaestus'(her husband) chains‬
‭whilst having sex with aries - they get caught, gods don’t care‬
‭but the people of le stop worshipping aphrodite‬

‭Gods + mortals‬
‭-‬ ‭Humans defined by mortality = fundamentally vulnerable -‬
‭change of fortune can be quick‬
 -‭ ‬ G ‭ ods jealously guard their status + privileges‬
‭-‬ ‭The different gods may have different attitudes regarding the‬
‭same human or set of humans - e.g athene favours odysseus‬
‭+ protects him vs poseidon who goes after him‬
‭-‬ ‭Transgressions can be ambiguous - mortals lack the ability to‬
‭fully understand gods’ actions‬
‭-‬ ‭Attitudes can change as well - athene protected the greeks at‬
‭troy but turned against some of them when they destroyed her‬
‭trojan temple‬
‭-‬ ‭Attitudes proportional to worship ???‬
‭-‬ ‭There is kinship between gods + mortals‬

‭Women + gods; men + goddesses‬

‭-‬ ‭Most encounters between male gods + female mortals results‬
‭in offspring = demigods‬
‭-‬ ‭Affairs between goddesses + mortals are less frequent yet we‬
‭see calypso + circe’s relationship with odysseus‬
‭-‬ ‭Marriage between man + goddess are occasional‬
‭-‬ ‭Descendents of gods are still mortals yet they have qualities‬
‭that set them apart from other mortals - e.g helen’s beauty,‬
‭achilles’ prowess‬
‭-‬ ‭Descendents of gods use this info to legitimise their‬
‭rule/authority‬
‭-‬ ‭Apotheosis- mortals changed to gods‬
‭-‬ ‭castelation - given a constellation in the sky‬
‭-‬ ‭Fluidity between the status of gods + heroes??‬

‭ thene - a keen supporter‬

A
‭Most prominent role - helps the odyssean family = on their side,‬
‭through her divine intervention she sparks telemachus’ character‬
‭development‬
‭-‬ ‭Linked to the theme of disguise = her own + of other‬
‭characters - odysseus as a beggar, enhances his stature +‬
‭build with nausicaa‬
 ‭-‬ P
‭ lays a part in the many difficult returns of the greeks after‬
‭they desecrate her temple‬

‭SOPHOCLES’ ajax - READ = ptsd - athene’s power over mortals‬

‭ rathful gods‬
W
‭Main opponent god = poseidon‬
‭= storm bk 5, bk 15 punishes the phaeacians for helping‬
‭odysseus/fated,‬
‭Helios - sun god, asks zeus to kill all odysseus’ crew, can see‬
‭everything, threatens to stop the sun’s light‬

‭Zeus in the odyssey‬

‭-‬ ‭Guarantor + protector of justice + especially of the claims of‬
‭the gods before the transgressions‬
‭-‬ ‭“WHat a lamentable thing it is that the mortals blame us for‬
‭their suffering when it is their own transgressions that bring it‬
‭to pass”‬
‭-‬ ‭Worshipped as the protector of the household + there is an‬
‭altar to him in odysseus’ household bk 22‬
‭-‬ ‭Invoked as the protector of strangers, supplants + beggars‬

‭ ther rituals + ways to commune with deities‬

O
‭prayers , libations, sacrifices‬
‭Burning is the gods consuming‬

‭ acrifice = religious framework for the consumption of meat -‬

S
‭suitors fail to show an appropriate ritual behaviour when they eat‬
‭Prayers - asking for help/ protection‬

‭Prophecies + omens‬
‭-‬ ‭The appearance of bird bk 2,15,20‬
‭-‬ ‭THunder bk 21‬
‭-‬ ‭Sneezing bk 17‬
 ‭-‬ S ‭ pecial case ; the god proteus gives an extended prophecy to‬
‭menelaus bk 4‬
‭-‬ ‭Certain individuals - bk 2 halitherses, the suito leodes,‬
‭theoklymenos‬
‭-‬ ‭Tiresias bk 11‬

‭Dreams + conversations‬
‭-‬ ‭Athena in disguise - bk 10 hermes talking to odysseus in‬
‭Aeaea‬
‭-‬ ‭Gods can communicate with mortals in their true form -‬
‭odysseus + athena in bk 13‬
‭-‬ ‭The special case of circe + calypso - odysseus not only talks‬
‭to them directly but stays with them for a long time = circe 1‬
‭year, calypso 7 years‬

‭Summoning the dead + the homeric underworld‬

‭-‬ ‭Ritual called nekyia to summon the ghosts from the‬
‭underworld in order to consult tiresias - doesn’t actually travel‬
‭to the underworld like aeneas‬
‭-‬ ‭Odysseus meets heroes + heroines including several‬
‭important characters from the iliad - aias the greater, achilles,‬
‭agamemnon‬

‭ nthropomorphic monsters‬
A
‭Laistragonians = political action‬
‭cyclops = lack of community , dont know how to make ships, each‬
‭individual rules their own household, don’t govern their lives by‬
‭zeus’ rules‬
‭Skylla + charibdis = bring death + destruction, both monsters +‬
‭geographical features,‬
‭The siren’s song = wins odysseus kleos‬