The Return of Odysseus

8/2/2019 The Return of Odysseus

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The Return of OdysseusPowell ch. 22


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Odyssey

one of the most influential myths in the

western world

In ancient times it was compared with comedy

because it has a happy ending

The iliadwas compared to tragedy


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The Cicones and the Lotus Eaters

Odysseus recounts his adventures at a banquet on theisland of Phaeacia in the court of king Alcinous

The land of the Cicones

Odysseus men sacked the city and against his advicepaused to steal the cattle and the wine. The next daythe Cicones attacked them killing six men from every

ship


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The Cicones and the Lotus Eaters

The remaining Greeks escaped by sea but a storm blew

them into the land of the Lotus Eaters

The local inhabitants consume a plant (lotus) that makes

men forgetful of their purpose and home. Odysseus men

tried it:

Once any of them had tasted the honey-sweet fruit of the

lotus, he lost his desire to return, to boast of his glorious

exploitsignoring their tears I frog-marched them back at

once to the vessels


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Polyphemus

The Greeks next came to the land of the

Cyclopes and encountered Polyphemus The

race of theCyclopes did not know the arts of

civilization, had no political life, and were

cannibals

Polyphemus devoured Odysseus men and

would eat Odysseus as well.


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Polyphemus

he grabbed with his hands two of my sailors

and smashed them down on the rock, as you

kill a superfluous puppy. Their brains burst out

from their skulls and ran all over the floor

Odysseus tricked the Cyclops: He got him

drunk, told him that his name was Nobody,

and blinded him with a sharpened stake


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Polyphemus


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Polyphemus

they picked up the olive-wood log, red-hot and sharp at thetip, and swung it into his eye. Against it I threw my wholeweight and spun it around, like a shipwright drilling a holein a timber

he let out a terrible cry, which the rocky cavern

reechoedhe shouted to other Cyclopes, who lived in thenearby caves to come to his rescuethey asked him whatwas the matter. He replied: Nobody wants to kill me

Odysseus managed to escape from Polyphemus caveunder a sheep

Polyphemus prayed to his father Poseidon to destroyOdysseus

may he come as a beggar, a vagrant for long weary years,may he come in a ship not his own, and find his householdin chaos.


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Polyphemus


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Aeolus, the Laestrygonians, and Circe

Odysseus comes to the island ofAeolus, the wind-king

Aeolus spends his days dining with his six sons and six

daughters, all married to one another Aeolus gives Odysseus a sealed bag that contains all

the dangerous winds. He warns him not to untie thebag under any condition

Favored by the good winds, Odysseus and his menapproach Ithaca


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His men, thinking that the bag contains gold, untie it,

the dangerous winds escape, and the fleet is caught

in a storm and forced to return to the island of

Aeolus

Aeolus orders them away


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The Greeks come to the land of the Laestrygonians,

park their ships in a narrow bay, and send out men to

search the land

They meet the local kings daughter; she leads them toher father, but he gobbles one down

The Laestrygonians are cannibals. They rush forth, eat

Odysseus men, destroy their ships, and only Odysseus

and his crew escape


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Next they come to the island ofCirce

Half the crew goes inland to investigate; Odysseus

remains by his ship

A member of the crew, returns to report that awoman in the island prepared a potion, gave it to the

rest of the men, then touched them with her wand,and turned them into pigs


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Hermes gives Odysseus a magical herb called molyand

Odysseus goes inland

Circe offers him the same drink but nothing happens.

The molyprotects Odysseus Circe recognizes him and invites him to her bed

Odysseus draws his sword and forces Circe to swear an

oath that she will not harm him. Only then do they go

to bed


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Sirens

They approach the island of the Sirens

No one can resist their song

Odysseus stops up the ears of his men, but not his

own, with wax and orders himself bound to themast. If he cries out, they are to bind him tighter

Indeed, Odysseus begs his men to release him. Theybind him tighter


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Sirens


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Scylla and Charybdis

Next they come to a double evil:

Charybdis: a whirlpool that sucks down and spits up a

torrent of water three times a day

Scylla: a monster with twelve feet and six necks, eachwith its own head. Up to her middle she is hidden in a

cave, but she holds her head out to catch passerby

She seizes six men and devours them on the spot


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Scylla


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The Cattle of Helius

They arrive at Thrinacia, the island ofHelius

Circe had told them not to touch the cattle of Helius

but the men are starving and, as they are reduced toeating only fish, they decide to kill the cows and roast

the meat

Odysseus finds out but it is too late


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The Cattle of Helius They leave the island of Helius behind

Zeus, acting on behalf of Helius, smashes theirship. Everyone drowns except Odysseus

He is carried back toward the straits of Scylla and

Charybdis, clinging in a mast Charybdis whips round and round, and Odysseus

is almost sucked down

At the last moment he seizes a fig tree above thewhirlpool


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Calypso

Odysseus washes up on Ogygia, the island ofCalypso

He lives there for seven years. Calypso loves him and

offers him eternal life, if he marries her

But Odysseus longs to go home Athena asks Zeus to release him. Zeus sends Hermes to

inform Calypso. She agrees to let Odysseus go


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Calypso

The Return of Odysseus

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