Reading Notes: Homer's Odyssey, Part A

 Bibliography

Homer's Odyssey, translated by Tony Kline


They entered a land that they knew essentially nothing about. Odysseus is talking about the savagery of the land and how they are taken care of by the gods without having to do anything. Odysseus and his men killed and ate the Cyclopses goats. “Nine goats were given to each of the twelve ships in my command, and there were ten left for me.” So…118 goats were killed? Odysseus takes twelve men to go see about the people living on the island. Odysseus did not allow his men to steal from Polyphemus, but they ate the cheese he had made in his cave. How does that make sense? Polyphemus killed two men that night and ate them. Because they could not move the boulder that Polyphemus used as a door, they were trapped there and could not kill the Cyclops. Then he killed another two men and locked them in the cave. Odysseus and his men made a spear out of the Cyclops’s club. When Polyphemus came back, he killed another two men. Odysseus got him drunk on wine, and then they stabbed him in the eye with the spear they had made. When Polyphemus called for help, the other Cyclops did not help him because ‘Nobody’ was harming him. Odysseus and his remaining men tied themselves to the rams and escaped through the door that way. Although Polyphemus felt along the backs of the rams, he did not feel along their bellies. Then Odysseus taunted Polyphemus and revealed his actual name, meaning that Polyphemus could ask his father Poseidon (god of the sea) to curse Odysseus.

Then Odysseus and his men come across Circe’s island. Their first day there, Odysseus slaughters a stag. Odysseus and Eurylochus led two parties to discover who was on the island. When the men led by Eurylochus came across Circe’s home, they found it surrounded by mountain lions and wolves, who fawned over the men. Circe invited the men into her home, and only Eurylochus stayed behind, suspecting a trap. Circe turned the men into pigs, and Eurylochus ran for Odysseus. When Odysseus set off to free his men, Hermes appeared. Hermes gave Odysseus an herb that would prevent him from being turned into a pig, then he basically tells him to sleep with her. Once he has done so, his men are freed. Odysseus and his men stay there for over a year, before Odysseus finally consents to leave. Circe tells him to find the ghost of the Seer Teiresias. To do this, Odysseus must journey to the Underworld. Elpenor, who was the baby of the crew, got drunk and fell asleep on the roof. When they were getting ready to leave, he fell and broke his neck. Part A ends here. 

                                                 Circe and Odysseus by Matthijs Naiveu




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