Oresteia and Odyssey Throughout the Odyssey, the story of Agamemnon, Klytaimnestre, and Orestes is paradigmatic for that of Odysseus, Penelope, and Telemachos. The Odyssean “Oresteia,” as the story will be referred to here, provides examples of the kinds of perils that could await Odysseus, and of the resources on which he can rely. A number of characters describe or refer to the death of Agamemnon, the treachery… Read more
Ogygie to Ithake When Odysseus himself enters the main narrative of the Odyssey in Book 5, he is, as at the beginning, trapped on Kalypso’s island in the middle of the sea. This is the world of the hero’s divine antagonist Poseidon, from which he will escape in accordance with the plan that Athene puts forward in the first divine council scene in Book 1. As… Read more
The End(s) of the Odyssey Regarding the Odyssey’s three main narrative sequences, then, I have argued that Zeus provides a kind of blueprint for the Telemachia and Mnesterophonia with his Oresteia, and that he orchestrates the Nostos overtly. The latter sequence, as discussed in the previous chapter, comes under Zeus’ control in Book 5, when Athene appears unable to implement the plan she has formulated for Odysseus’… Read more
After the Odyssey Zeus’ settlement at the end of the Odyssey is meant to be permanent: Odysseus will “be ruler forever” (βασιλευέτω αἰεί, 24.483). Of course, this cannot come to pass literally; even the divinely favored Menelaos must cede Sparta and retire to Elysion (Odyssey 4.561-564). The clear implication is that Odysseus will rule Ithake until his death, at which point his heir will assume power. Read more
Nestor’s Nostoi Like Odysseus, the mortal character Nestor focalizes a significant portion of the Odyssey. His narrative helps to establish further the poem’s relationship to the Nostos-tradition, which, as discussed in previous chapters, forms the part of the Odyssey’s backstory that extends from the fall of Troy to the death of Agamemnon. In a speech that extends over more than a quarter of Odyssey 3 (130-200, 262-312),… Read more
Divine plan and narrative plan Thus far I have argued that the Dios boulē theme serves two interconnected functions in the Odyssey: it lends shape and coherence to the narrative, and it mediates the Odyssey’s relationship to other Odysseus-traditions. The attraction of Zeus to the interface between the Homeric and non-Homeric accounts I have explained in terms of the Panhellenic orientation of the former: the Odyssey was… Read more
Appendix 1: Homeric scenes in which Zeus appears and references to his actions Citations include scenes in the main narrative, as well as scenes that, while outside the main narrative, impinge on it (such as the encounter between Helios and Zeus in Odyssey 12) or proceed directly from it (such as the destruction of the Greek fortifications predicted in Iliad 7 and 12). Not included are scenes… Read more
Appendix 2: Typology of Divine Councils in the Odyssey I have throughout this study referred to the five scenes in which Zeus has a speaking role in the Odyssey, in Books 1, 5, 12, 13 and 24, as “divine councils.” From the standpoint of the oral tradition in which the Homeric epics originated, these narrative settings can be described as “type-scenes.” This level of organization in Homeric… Read more
Bibliography Texts West, M., ed. 1998. Homerus Ilias Volumen Prius Rhapsodias I-XII Continens. Stuttgart and Leipzig. West, M., ed. 2000. Homerus Ilias Volumen Alterum Rhapsodias XIII-XXIV Continens. Munich and Leipzig. van Thiel, H., ed. 1991. Homeri Odyssea. Zurich and New York. Allen, T., ed. 1912. Homeri Opera V: Hymnos Cyclum Fragmenta Margiten Batrachomyomachiam… Read more
2. Helen’s Web: Time and Tableau in the Iliad [1] This paper was originally prepared for a panel on “Some Contemporary Approaches to the Homeric Poems.” [2] It describes a case in which contemporary critical theory, when combined with our knowledge of formulaic style, helps to interpret a problematic convention of the Iliad, namely, the suspension… Read more
