The Odyssey: Books 13-18
Episode 26
Odysseus finally makes it to Ithaca, but his troubles are far from over…
Transcript
Intro:
Hello and welcome to Piper’s Paraphrases. I’m Professor Pipes and today I’m talking about Books 13-18 of Homer’s The Odyssey. So if you’re brand new to this channel, you may need to hit that subscribe button and go back and watch my videos on Books 1-6 and 7-12. Otherwise, this story is going to seem really weird. Well, weirder than usual.
Previously:
Previously in The Odyssey, Odysseus got shipwrecked at the land of the Phaecians after being released from his captor, the goddess Calypso. He then told the king and queen about all the crazy adventures he went on in the ten years after leaving the Trojan War, like listening to dangerous sirens, having a bunch of crewmates eaten by a cyclops, and then even more eaten by some giant cannibals, and even MORE eaten by a six-headed monster (I’m sensing a theme here) all before he ended up at Calypso’s place. Meanwhile, his twenty year old son, Telemachus, who hasn’t seen his dad practically since birth, has travelled to see a couple of war buddies of Odysseus, leaving his mom alone at their palace, dealing with a bunch of horrible suitors who are also plotting to kill him when he returns! Will Telemachus make it home alive?? Will Odysseus make it home EVER?? Well, you’re about to find out.
Summary:
In Book 13, Odysseus is ready to leave the Phaecians, so the king and queen load his boat with a… BOATload of gifts, and he and a crew of Phaecians set sail, and Odysseus sleeps the whole way there and is even carried off the ship and left on the shore of Ithaca, while still asleep. Man. I wish I could sleep that well! Meanwhile, Poseidon saw the Phaecians escorting Odysseus and got REAL mad that they did that, so he decided to turn their ship to stone right before they made it back home. King Alcinous remembered a prophecy that said Poseidon would one day turn their ship to stone and then bury the city under a mountain, proving definitively that SING no good deed goes unpunished! Sorry about that. Anyway, they quickly set about making a bunch of sacrifices to Poeseidon and promising that they’ll never help lost travelers again. Hmm… Not sure that’s a great lesson, but whatever! You do you, Phaecians! Meanwhile, Odysseus wakes up and doesn’t know where he is, so he asks a nearby shepherd (who is secretly Athena in disguise) and finds out that he is, indeed back home! Yay! He makes up a lie about who he is, wanting to make it home in secret, but then Athena reveals her identity and tells him he’s going to have to be clever to defeat the awful suitors and then disguises him as an old man and sends him to go hide out at the home of a swineherd, Eumaeus.
In Book 14, Eumaeus invites Odysseus in, not knowing who he is, and the two get to talking, mostly about - you guessed it - how great Odysseus is. Again Odysseus makes up a fake backstory for himself, but claims that he has news that Odysseus is alive and will be home soon, but Eumaeus is having none of it, saying that too many people have come around, claiming to have news of Odysseus just to get gifts from Penelope. Despite those suspicions, Eumaeus lets Odysseus stay the night.
In Book 15, we head over to Sparta again to see Telemachus. In fact, so does Athena. She appears to Telemachus and tells him to head home quickly and also warns him that those dastardly suitors are planning to ambush him and tells him how to, you know, avoid being killed by them. In the morning, Telemachus takes his leave, and a whole bunch of presents, and is about to leave when an EAGLE swoops down, carrying a goose, and Helen says this is a sign that Odysseus will soon swoop on home and take his revenge on the suitors. I mean, you’re right on the money, girl! On his way home, Telemachus picks up a hitchhiking prophet, as one does, named Theoclymenus, and he’ll be kind of important later on. Back in Ithaca, Odysseus tests Eumaeus’ hospitality by saying he should head out and go see if the suitors will help him, but Eumaeus urges him to stay and warns him that the suitors are pretty awful. After that, they chat some more and Eumaeus tells Odysseus about how he was kidnapped as a young child and then bought and raised by Laertes, Odysseus’ dad. Then Odysseus was like, “well you’re super lucky at least, because even though you were kidnapped and SOLD as a SLAVE, at least you have good masters.” Ummmmmm… No. Not how that works. Pretty soon, Telemachus arrives in Ithaca, and Theoclymenus sees a hawk and dove and says they are a good omen. Then Telemachus sends the rest of the sailors home and he heads out to see Eumaeus! Which is where his dad is! YAY!
In Book 16, Telemachus arrives at Eumaeus’ hut and I assume Odysseues’ internal reaction was similar to Eumaeus’ external one: all hugs and kisses and saying how much he missed and worried about Telemachus, but Odysseus can’t reveal his identity right away, so he just has to act like he has absolutely no clue who this dude is. But then Eumaeus heads out to tell Penelope that her son is home, and Athena transforms Odysseus back into his normal self. Telemachus freaks out and thinks he must be a god, since he just freaking TRANSFORMED, but Odysseus says that Athena changed his appearance and that he’s his long lost dad! They hug and cry and then make a plan to kill all the suitors. Aww! Father son bonding! Meanwhile, at the palace, the suitors who tried to ambush and kill Telemachus arrive back all upset that they weren’t able to murder him. Antinous, who is THE WORST, says they should kill Telemachus quickly, and pretty much everyone agrees except one semi-not-horrible suitor named Amphinomus. Penelope comes out and gets real mad at all the suitors for, you know, trying to kill her son, but Eurymachus (Ur-RIM-a-cus) assured her that they looooove Telemachus and would never, ever hurt him! Scout’s honor!
In Book 17 Telemachus goes home and greets some of the servants and then his mom. He tells her about Nestor and Menelaus and specifically about the news the old man of the sea gave Menelaus, saying that Odysseus was alive, but was trapped on the island of Calypso. He specifically does NOT tell her that he just saw his dad, in Ithaca, a little bit ago, but the prophet Theoclymenus almost ruins that plan by saying that he can sense that Odysseus is already in Ithaca right this very minute. Again, spot on! Meanwhile, Odysseus, who is disguised again, and Eumaeus head into town and meet a real jerk of a shepherd along the way, but yet again Eumaeus ends up proving what an awesome, faithful servant he is by chastising the other servant and wishing Odysseus were back home. At the palace, a sad, old dog - no, not you, Cooper, recognizes Odysseus and then dies after finally seeing him back home in Ithaca. So sad! Pretty soon they come across all the suitors, who are real rude to Odysseus. Antinous even throws a stool at him. Penelope tells Eumaeus to send for the beggar, but Odysseus says he will come speak with her in the evening, so the suitors won’t see.
Finally, in Book 18, Odysseus is still hanging about with all the suitors and another beggar gets all mad that he’s stealing his begging game, so he insults Odysseus and challenges him to a fight. Which he then loses. Miserably. Don’t mess with Odysseus, you guys. The nice-ish suitor Amphinomus congratulates him, and Odysseus tries to warn him that he should go home and stop pursuing Penelope. Unfortunately for him, he doesn’t listen. Penelope then appears before the suitors and basically guilts them into giving her presents, and Odysseus is happy at how sneaky she’s being, getting gifts to help make up for all the food they’ve been eating and all the trouble they’ve been causing. Soon Penelope goes back to her room and when Odysseus encourages the maids to follow her, they just make fun of him. So does Eurymachus, and when Odysseus is taking none of his insults and basically says he’s going to run away as soon as Odysseus returns, Eurymachus throws a chair at him which missed and hit someone else, so all the suitors start getting ready to fight until Telemachus comes in and tells them to all go to bed!
Characterization:
We really get to know more of the major players in this section of the story, and even some of our old faves demonstrate more of their personality traits.
First, even though Odysseus is disguised as a beggar, his status as a true Greek hero shines through in a lot of ways. While he demonstrates love and affection, he also needs to show a deep level of restraint in order to ensure his victory over the suitors, such as when he cannot show his love and relief when he first sees his son, his wife, and even his beloved doggo! He also shows a different kind of restraint when he is incessantly insulted by some of his servants and the suitors. This restraint not only shows mastery over his emotions, but also intelligence, since he knows the importance of maintaining his ruse. However, looking old does not prevent him from also demonstrating his physical prowess in his fight against the rival beggar. Finally, we see him show morality when he faults the suitors for their behavior and their lack of loyalty. He’s got everything a good Greek hero needs: intelligence, morals, restraint, strength, and the courage to put himself amidst over 100 villains.
Eumaeus is another new character, but he’s already proven to be a rather important one. Clearly, he has served as a father figure to Telemachus in Odysseus’ absence, greeting him like a father would greet a son after years apart. We also see that he is completely loyal to Odysseus, which will certainly play a part in the final section of the epic. I know, I know, here I am leaving you on a cliffhanger. I’m mean like that. Interestingly, Homer uses Eumaeus as an opportunity for social commentary. When discussing the servants who no longer care for Odysseus’ dog, Eumaeus says that Zeus takes away half a person’s manhood the minute they become a slave. He’s not actually insulting slaves, but the institution of slavery. He’s saying that treating a person like an animal or like property destroys a part of them. Remember, this was written thousands of years ago. Clearly Homer was ahead of his time.
Next, I want to discuss the beautiful Penelope. She continues to sing the praises of her husband, demonstrating her faithfulness as a wife. However, she’s more than just a sweet, pretty trophy wife. She’s clever, too, making her a perfect partner for the intelligent Odysseus. This is shown even just by her choice to never choose a husband but also never to dismiss this possibility entirely. This keeps the suitors from more drastic measures and prevents her father from taking the choice away from her. In addition, she tricks the suitors into giving her lavish gifts, since they have been busy eating her out of house and home. Clever girl.
Finally, let’s talk about a couple of the not so nice guys: Antinous and Eurymachus. These two are the ringleaders of the suitors! We’ve seen them before, but now they’re really showing their true colors. Antinous is particularly awful. He’s throwing chairs, he’s threatening the poor, he’s plotting murder. Nothing is below him. Eurymachus, on the other hand, is perhaps equally as horrible, and also tries to throw a chair, but he’s most distinguished by his persuasion. After Penelope rips into the suitors for trying to kill Telemachus, he effectively convinces her that they would never do such a thing and that they truly love her son. Dang, and after I just got done saying how smart she is! I guess he’s just a real good talker.
Analysis:
One of the main themes demonstrated in these chapters is Loyalty. We see this in Penelope’s loyalty to her husband, as she goes to great lengths to ensure that she remains faithful to him, even though time and time again people take advantage of this just for gifts. She praises her husband and continuously tricks the suitors to avoid having to choose one of them as her husband. Odysseus also tests several of his servants to see if they are still loyal to him, and for good reason. As it turns out, while Eumaeus clearly longs for Odysseus’ return, not everyone does. The shepherd he passes does not demonstrate good morals or loyalty and several of the maids have been…. familiar… with the suitors, showing that they no longer honor their king and master.
The next main theme demonstrated in these books is Xenia. So many characters show this! The first one is Eumaeus. It’s clear that he doesn’t have much to give, but what he does have, he’s willing to share with the beggar Odysseus. Several characters also encourage Odysseus to beg among the suitors and townsfolk instead of perhaps telling him to leave the city or find employment. In fact, the one character who does essentially say “get a job” is shown up when Odysseus says that, if he were given any kind of labor to do, he could do it better than the lazy suitor Eurymachus, who does nothing but eat other people’s food. Finally, Penelope’s hospitality is perhaps superior to everyone else’s. She has to put up with the suitors, feed and house them, largely because it would be wrong to turn them away, according to her morals.
Finally, I’d like to discuss Stoicism and its relation to reason. Stoicism was an ancient Greek school of philosophy, which essentially taught that Reason was paramount, and those who were wise would accept things as they come, rather than being ruled by their emotions, fears, or desires. In modern usage, it means the ability to endure struggles and hardships without showing your emotions, and the Odyssey really shows both of these in the character of Odysseus. Over and over again he is forced to endure both physical and emotional pain in these chapters, but he is smart enough and controlled enough to maintain composure and not just lash out or reveal his identity. This is shown when he is attacked and insulted by his servants and the suitors, and also when he has to see his dying dog and his wife and son, but is unable to go up to them and greet them and embrace them. He sees his wife being courted by other men but can’t support or protect her. He sees his beloved dog lying in manure, uncared for and dying, but he can’t even pet him! Don’t worry, Cooper, I’d never do that to you. But I guess that really just means that I’m not as smart and stoic as Odysseus.
Food for Thought:
First, what are your thoughts on Poseidon’s punishment of the Phaecians? And what are your thoughts on Alcinous, considering his previous knowledge of the prophecy and his response to the ship being turned to stone?
Second, there are several “signs” from the gods in these books that people interpret as meaning that Odysseus will soon return and take his revenge. Based on the signs, how do people view Odysseus? What qualities does he seem to be known for?
Third, what are your thoughts on Penelope’s choice to kind of lead the suitors on to request gifts of them? How is she portrayed in these books?
Fourth, what do you think is the significance of Odysseus’ dog, Argos? Why do you think Homer included him, and his death, in the story and what might that symbolize?
Finally, what are your thoughts on Athena? Why do you think she wants to ensure that all the suitors die and what does that suggest about ancient Greek culture?
