literature

The Odyssey

The Odyssey was written by Homer during the eight century B.C.E. Homer was a well-known author during this time. He wrote both the Iliad and the Odyssey during this time. Both stories are based on the events of the Trojan war that was between the people of Troy and the Greeks. The Odyssey shows the journey of Odysseus’ trek back to his home after the war was over. The journey shows many obstacles during his journey of his homecoming. The events of the story also tell of the hospitality of the people Odysseus comes into contact with and the loyalty that Odysseus shows to returning to his home. (Norton 124-129).

There are many cases of hospitality in the Odyssey. Hospitality is treating someone kind that you come into contact with. During this time, the Greeks were infatuated with xenia. This meant they took care of guests- whether passing through or staying a while. In this text, Odysseus comes into contact with many people that treated him hospitably. One notable account of hospitality toward Odysseus was that of Calypso. When Odysseus reached the isle that Calypso lived on, she invited him into her home. Over the span of the eight years that Odysseus resided with Calypso, she began to become too hospitable. She allowed him to sleep in her own bed. She provided him with everything he needed and desired. She did not want Odysseus to continue his journey to his home. He was trapped with Calypso. Athena does a most hospitable work to help Odysseus. Athena presents a request to her father, Zeus, to loosen Calypso’s hold on Odysseus to allow him to escape and continue his journey home. (Homer 178-237). Odysseus was fortunate to have encountered such good hospitable people on his long expedition home after the Trojan war.

While there were many good accounts of hospitality, there were many cases that were the inverse. While in the land of the Phaeacians, Odysseus is treated with hospitality by all except Polyphemus, a one-eyed Cyclops. Polyphemus tries to eat the people with Odysseus. Odysseus and his men escape the monster. Odysseus’ men also did not show hospitality to everyone they came into contact with. Odysseus’ men had been told not to come in contact with the cattle of the Sun. They disobeyed this order and killed the cattle which was the most unhospitable thing they could do while passing through the land. (Homer 178-255). Through completing these acts, Odysseus encountered hardships from the monster and brought hardships upon himself.

Throughout this story of the Odyssey, Odysseus presents many examples of loyalty. This loyalty extends to his homeland, his home, and his family. While on the isle with Calypso, Odysseus could have stayed in her house. He would have had anything that he desired or needed. He could have started a new beginning and family with Calypso, a woman much prettier than his own wife, Penelope. Odysseus does not desire this. He longs to return to his own home and his own wife and family. While on the land of the Phaeacians, Odysseus sees how wonderful the land is. The land will grow crops and is beautiful. The land is green and full of life. On the other hand, Odysseus homeland will not grow crops well due to it having so many stones. Odysseus could have also made a new life and home with the Phaeacians, but chooses to continue his journey to Ithaca, his home. Had Odysseus fell trap to each of these things, he would have never returned home. Odysseus was very loyal to his family, his home, and his homeland. (Norton 127-128). Leaving each of these new opportunities to return to something that he has not experienced in ten years and the chance of it not even being there any more, shows a great deal of dedication and love he has for his family.

Odysseus encountered many obstacles on his homecoming journey after the Trojan war. He had to travel across the sea from Troy to Ithaca to even reach his home. Through this voyage, he run into many setbacks. Odysseus was taken captive by Calypso for eight years before Athena helped him escape (Norton 127). When Odysseus reaches the Phaeacians, the horrible one-eyed Cyclops named, Polyphemus tries to serve Odysseus and his men as food. Odysseus has to defeat Polyphemus and continue on his journey to Ithaca. Right after they had set sail again, Odysseus and his crew ended up on another island and were almost eaten by the Laistrygonians. Another obstacle, Odysseus and his crew faced was the year that the crew was turned into pigs. In the span of a year, Odysseus figured out how to change the pigs back into the men. They could continue on the journey now (Homer 178-363). Odysseus continued to press through each obstacle he faced so he could make it back to his home.

Ten years after the end of the Trojan war, Odysseus returned to his home in Ithaca. He faced many trials while on his homecoming journey, but they did not end there. Odysseus had to remain disguised for a while after his arrival to scope out what was taking place in his house. There are suitors in his house that have taken control over it. He has to figure out who he can and cannot trust in his homeland. So many things have changed in the ten years he has been gone. Even though things have changed, including Odysseus, Penelope recognized him even while disguised. Penelope proposes that she will marry anyone who can string Odysseus’ bow and shoot the arrow through a dozen ox heads. This is a feat that she knows Odysseus can only accomplish (Homer 322-466). According to Melissa Mueller with the Texas University Press, the touch and the familiarity with the bow brings Odysseus right back to how things used to be before he had to leave for the Trojan war (Recognition and the Forgotten Senses). He completes the task without any issue and then shoots the opposing suitors. The last obstacle he faced was proposed by his wife. She brings out their bed and she knows if it really is Odysseus then he will know the bed could not be moved. Odysseus passes the test and is happily reunited with his wife and family after 10 long years (Homer 322-466).

Even though this epic was written in the eighth century B.C.E., there are many ways to apply it to daily life. You can see that it was the best for Homer when others that he encountered were hospitable to him and his crew and when he was hospitable to others. Through all of the trials and new opportunities, Odysseus remained loyal and faithful to his wife, family, and home. He loved his family and realized that nothing could be as good as what he already had. Odysseus did not give up on his journey even when he was almost killed many times. He took the journey one day at the time and through much agony, he made it home. He was very elated when he got what he was working towards. If each person would take the same view as Odysseus did then he/she could achieve and complete whatever he/she wanted.

Overall, Homer’s Odyssey was an account that marked literature for years to come. Through this story, Homer showed the accounts of a man’s journey home after the Trojan war. Homer showcased the many trials that Homer faced both on the journey and when he returned home to Ithaca. Odysseus never gave up. This story shows one of perseverance, love for family, and how to treat people. Many things can be learned from the Odyssey.

Works Cited

MUELLER, MELISSA. "Recognition and the Forgotten Senses in the Odyssey."  Helios, vol. 43,

no. 1, Spring2016, pp. 1-20. EBSCO host, libproxy.wmcarey.edu:2048/login?url=http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=tr

e&db=lfh&AN=117003741&site=eds-live.

Puchner, Martin, ed.  The Norton Anthology of World Literature. Shorter Third ed. Vol. 1. New

York: W.W. Norton, 2013. Print.