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Reading Notes: Homer's Odyssey, Part B

Homer's Odyssey, retold by Tony Kline 
mythfolklore

One thing I noticed and neglected to mention was the use of wine and those under its influence, almost as a contrast to Odysseus. He is always praised as cunning and smart. Whereas, when he gives the wine to the Cyclops he is able to dull its senses and escape. It is even more evident later when Elpenor drinks wine on Circe's island, climbs onto the roof, misses the ladder, and falls to his death.

I found the entire part with the ghosts to be rather dark and sad, especially when Odysseus meets his mother, who he didn't even know was dead. When he found her, he couldn't embrace her. Also when he meets Agamemnon, who was killed by his wife and his lover. After all that time at war, that was the homecoming he received. He didn't get to see his son or family again before he was killed. He also was very bitter toward women and advised Odysseus not to fully trust his wife, which was bad advice because Odysseus' wife is the most loyal character in all of the books.

Seeing Achilles, Patroclus, and Ajax was particularly sad since they are some of my favorite characters. Achilles is mostly concerned with his son and his father, which is a different side of him. Before, he was a great and relentless warrior, but he also cares about his family. Ajax, who committed suicide was still angry at Odysseus and would not speak to him. That too was a sad moment, since it was likely the last the two met.

Finally, when Odysseus passed the sirens he showed his curiosity by being tied to the mast so that he could listen and when they passed Scylla he didn't tell his crew because he knew they would be terrified and would stop rowing which would spell disaster for them all. He is able to make the hard decisions to help his men, though they do not survive.


Odysseus' crew looks really exasperated at the sirens. 
Photo Credits: wikimedia

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