Odyssey Book 11

At the Land of the Dead, Ulysses meets with some spirits, or incarnations, of the dead, including, among many, his (deceased) mother. Until this moment, he was unaware that she had died. His mother tells Ulysses that his father, Laertes, is struggling with despair over Ulysses' long absence. 

Ulysses communicates with comrades of his who were lost in battle and others who perished by other means. 

He meets with (the spirits of) Agamemnon and Achilles. Agamemnon was the commander of the Greek invasion of Troy. He survived the war, and returned home, only to be murdered by his wife, Clytemnestra. Achilles laments his death, contrary to the idealistic belief of glorious honor accompanying death. Instead, Achilles says that he would rather be a living slave, rather than the king of the dead. 

He also receives advice and instruction from Tiresias, a seer who can look into the future. 

Tiresias warns Ulysses that Poseidon is angry with him for blinding Polyphemus. Tiresias outlines several explicit instructions that must be followed to avoid Poseidon's wrath. Among the instructions is the warning for Ulysses and his men to not harm the cattle belonging to The God of the Sun, Helios, as doing so will result in their death. Finally, Tiresias tells Ulysses that it is possible that he might return home, but that all of his crew will likely be dead. 

Analysis

Unlike many of the events that Ulysses encounters, this event is not a test of his strength or wisdom but seems to be a retrospective moment that helps Ulysses understand many things. He learns, too, of things such as his own mother's death, of which he was previously unaware (Ironically, she died of a broken heart due to Ulysses' absence). 

Ulysses learns almost too much to bear, and as the dead continue to approach, presumably with even more burdens to lay at Ulysses' feet, he leaves and is glad to do so.