MatthewOwens Reading Diary**

"Polykasye, a fair girl, Nestor's youngest,
had meanwhile given a bath to Telemakhos-
bathing him first, then rubbing him with oil.
She held fine clothes and a cloak to put around him
when he came godlike from the bathing place;
then out he went to take his place with Nestor.
When the best cuts were broiled and off the spits,
they all sat down to banquet. Gentle squires
kept every golden wine cup brimming full.
And so they feasted to their heart's content,
Until the prince of charioteers commanded:"

The Odyssey ~ Book Three: The Lord Of Western Approaches - Lines 435 - 497 ~

A common theme throughout the Odyssey, is the glory of an elaborate feast. This is just one example. Homer takes time into every detail of a meal, drawing attention to the magnificent cuts of meat or the shimmering gold plates and cups. The meals are always large, with a great many people; it is symbolism to the gods as they are magnificent like the feast itself. Homer wanted to illustrate not only the gods presence in Olympus as a beautiful picture of perfection, but also in the mortal world. Therefore he creates scenes of gold and silver, armor and swords, food and feasts in astonishing detail to paint a picture, a permanent mark of the gods beauty on earth.

MatthewOwens wrote:"Polykasye, a fair girl, Nestor's youngest,
had meanwhile given a bath to Telemakhos-
bathing him first, then rubbing him with oil.
She held fine clothes and a cloak to put around him
when he came godlike from the bathing place;
then out he went to take his place with Nestor.
When the best cuts were broiled and off the spits,
they all sat down to banquet. Gentle squires
kept every golden wine cup brimming full.
And so they feasted to their heart's content,
Until the prince of charioteers commanded:"

The Odyssey ~ Book Three: The Lord Of Western Approaches - Lines 435 - 497 ~

A common theme throughout the Odyssey, is the glory of an elaborate feast. This is just one example. Homer takes time into every detail of a meal, drawing attention to the magnificent cuts of meat or the shimmering gold plates and cups. The meals are always large, with a great many people; it is symbolism to the gods as they are magnificent like the feast itself. Homer wanted to illustrate not only the gods presence in Olympus as a beautiful picture of perfection, but also in the mortal world. Therefore he creates scenes of gold and silver, armor and swords, food and feasts in astonishing detail to paint a picture, a permanent mark of the gods beauty on earth.

You picked a beautiful passage to analyze and I can really appreciate the take that you have on it. It makes sense that at a feast to the gods it would be very beautiful, splendorous to honor the gods as well as they can. I hardly realized how symbolic such feasts in the book actually were until seeing your analysis of it paired with the beautiful paragraph you chose to use in example. Do you feel that elaborate feasts are also to demonstrate where the gods have placed favor as well as serving to show their illustrious presence on earth? Because in reading such paragraphs as these, I often took it to show off the fact that the host of the feast had been smiled upon by the gods and to signify good graces with the Olympians. It could rightly be both--however, this is just what my original take on the paragraph was.

"The Princess Nausikaa,
exquisite figure, as of heaven's shaping,
waited beside a pillar as he passed
and said swiftly, with wonder in her look:"

~ The Odyssey: Books VII - XII ~ Book VIII: <The Songs Of The Harper>


In this short passage, Odysseus has just come from his bath and is walking back into the hall to join the men for wine. (Trying not to use "I" here, but I feel like I need to explain) The reason I chose this passage, is because in the moment I was reading it, something in my mind clicked. Throughout the book, most of the woman are viewed as either these creatures of divine beauty or temptress sex objects (I suppose the ladder could be viewed as sex objects as well). In the story (thus far) we never hear of an ugly woman, they are all seen as beautiful things used to draw men in. Perhaps Homer wanted to create a story that was appealing to men in a sexual way even for the time period it was written in. Though.... it could also be because Homer wanted to express the angelic beautify of the woman to reflect that of the gods. Either way it's still very fascinating.

Just my thoughts.

Matthew,

You're onto something here (perhaps a good paper topic). I think you're right about Homer's portrayal of female characters as creatures of divine beauty and temptresses, but I'd add a third (which you alluded to) and that is woman-as-prize. In this way, I think we add more depth to the analysis of, say, Penelope: she is both beautiful (in character and appearance) and objectified (although, I think the suitors are more interested in plundering the pantry than marrying her, but that's open to debate).  

Adam

Matthew,
I would have to say upon my reading your paper, a thought also clicked for myself: Every writer, no matter the era, lures in viewers by some way or another. A lot of modern novels appeal to the crowds in a sexual manner, i.e. romance novels and such. The same can be say be said, possibly of Homer. Even though it is a completely different time than that that we are living in now, he still, “created a story that was appealing to men in a sexual way even for the time period it was written in.”
Alphonse Karr, a French novelist, once said, “The more things change the more they stay the same.”

"Come to the cabin. You're a wanderer too.
You must eat something, drink some wine, and tell me
where you are from and the hard times you've seen."

~ The Odyssey ~ Book XIV: Hospitality in the Forest >< Lines 17 - 75

This passage, though short, beautifully shows an example of a very common theme throughout the Odyssey: Xenia. It's based on ritual hospitality for a guest or a random stranger. In this passage Odysseus is taken in by a lowly forester and given food, drink and a nice place to sleep for the time being. Xenia is shown in this passage, very clearly and suggests that even though this forester doesn't know Odysseus he still takes him in seeing how run down and beaten by the elements he is. This idea of Xenia is shown throughout the book, and is a very large part of Greek culture. Where would Odysseus be without Xenia, without the compassion and help of those around him. Odysseus has a very big part in the Odyssey in that he is one of the main characters (trying not the state the obvious here) but lest we not forget all of the smaller roles, those who come in for a page or two, for they play a very large role as well. They provide shelter and a home for Odysseus in his times of need, and play a much larger role than we tend to think.

~Matt

"The forester now led him to his hut
and made a couch for him, with tips of fir
piled for a mattress under a wild goat skin,
shaggy and think, his own bed covering
Odysseus."

~ The Odyssey ~ Book XIV: Hospitality in the Forest >< Lines 17 - 75


As another example of a mans quest for Arete in his life, as he fills his cup with Xenia, the forester brings in who he thinks is a withered old man. Though he does not know it is Odysseus, he brings the old dying man into his home for food, drink and in this passage a nice soft bed of wild goat skin. Xenia or hospitality towards those in need is a huge part of Greek culture, and I very much enjoy finding instances of it within the pages of the Odyssey. If not for our first lecture, I wouldn't have been able to pick up on such a hidden aspect of the book, something that would have been very clear to Homer as he was writing. It seems like, not only did strangers accept travelers into their homes, but they were also very eager to know the stories of those that they took in. A very different world than the one we know today, where if I strange old, tattered man came to your door, you would certainly not show him the light of day.... Or let him sleep in your bed.

~Matt

"AH, you're back! You're back, Talemachus! Sweeter than sunlight!
I thought you would never again bless my sight when I heard you had
sailed a night ship for Pylos -
and without my blessings! But, come now! Tell me! Did you find your father?
Did you see him?
Tactful Telemachus avoided her questions, protesting"

~ The Odyssey ~ Book XVII: Telemachus Visits With Penelope >< Lines 29-56


Odysseus has always seemed very cunning throughout the Odyssey, and has been able to get himself out of sticky situations with the cleverest of lines and actions. Telemachus, on the other hand, is nothing like his father, more quiet, reserved, a hero on the inside. In book seventeen, Telemachus goes back to his home to visit with his mother Penelope. Though it wasn't quite clear at first, one word stood out when Penelope was confronting Telemachus with questions from his journey. Tactful. In all the Odyssey Telemachus is never seen as a smart or intelligent person (a little vague), unlike his father who is smart and tactful when put in sticky situations. Since the reveal of Odysseus being alive to Telemachus in book sixteen, he has become more like his father, knowing Odysseus is alive makes him a better role model for Telemachus. Hence, we see Telemachus taking on some of Odysseus characteristics.
Just a thought.

"The suitors laughed and dropped their games and entered
the stately palace where they carelessly tossed their cloaks on chairs.
They drew their knives and, as had come to be their ritual,
fell with relish upon helpless animals that had been brought in for slaughter.
Great rams, fat goats, pigs and a cow all fell to their slashing and stabbing.
Blood flooded thickly over the floor as the animals cried in fear and the suitors
laughed and shouted with glee at the sight of the animals' dying."

~ The Odyssey ~ Book XVII: Telemachus Visits With Penelope >< Lines 177-210


Though on the surface this passage may seem like a mindless and brutal example of the suitors power against those who are weaker, who if standing in the suitors way will surly be killed. It also stands for something much more, a larger goal that serves to help the protagonist(s) in the end. As the passage shows, the suitors have just received a large sum of animals, they mindlessly slaughter them. The animals are trapped in this room, with a force much larger and even though the animals are in great number, they are quickly laid to waste. This feeling of being trapped with a force much greater than themselves could be a metaphor for the upcoming slaughter of the suitors by the hand of Odysseus, a power much greater than all the of them combined, just like the animals to the suitors hands. A bit of foreshadowing to their fate.  

Hi Matthew,
I really like your analogy between the suitors slaughtering the animals, and their upcoming death by Odysseus' hand. Perhaps Homer also meant to make the comparison between the suitors and the animals themselves as well? Quoting the old saying, "you are what you eat" - the suitors have shown us some very savage, animal-like characteristics in previous passages. Not only are they trapped in the room, but the suitors are mindlessly eating, drinking, and partying, unaware of their fate. The same comparison could be made between animals in a slaughterhouse, or those in the aforementioned passage.

*Antinous laughed scornfully,
mocking him as he made his, he made his way back
to his chair. "Nonsense," he snorted. "Words like that
cause my blood to boil. You can't string the bow because
you're too weak. The gods have nothing to do with it. . ."*

~ The Odyssey ~ Book XXI: The Test of the Bow >< Lines 148-176


A topic or theme that has come up in discussion is as follows: the suitors (at least a few) have no belief in the gods. In the previous passage to this, "Leodes, the son of Oinops, who used to find visions in the fire smoke for them*" (~ The Odyssey ~ Book XXI: The Test of the Bow >< Lines 148-176) cannot string Odysseus' mighty bow, and places in on the floor, saying that the gods do not will him to do so. Antinous is outraged by his remark that the gods are behind him not being able to string the bow, and states the only reason he cannot is because he is too weak. This passage shows a perfect example of arrogance, and the theme that the suitors don't believe in the gods. The suitors think they are "all that and a bag of chips" and don't need help from the gods with anything. They disregard Xenia as well, by living in Odysseus home, and defiling his good. They show a lack of respect for the gods simply because of their arrogance. They believe that they do not need a gods help for anything, and that in some ways eventually leads to their downfall.

"But he would not let the others touch the woman with
their swords. Instead, he took a long rope that had seen
service on one of the great sailing ships
and tied one end to a pillar and threw the other over a beam.
Then he passed the noose around their necks and raised them until
their toes did not touch the ground. He left them there, dancing and
dangling, caught as certainly as thrushes in a snare set in a thicket.
And then their feet ceased to twitch and jump."

~ The Odyssey ~ Book XXII: The Bloody Hall >< Lines 453-478


Though a very dark and dismal passage, I chose it for two reasons, the first being in the symbolism of killing the woman. Throughout the Epic, Odysseus has had a fair share of trouble with woman. They tempt him, and draw him farther away from his goal of returning him. I believe Odysseus killed these woman not only because they were helping the suitors, but also because he knows that there is only one true woman in his life. Penelope was his goal, and now that he has her again, there is no need for more woman around him, bringing that temptation back.
Something a little less noticeable (at first for me) was that Homer writes "He took a long rope that had seen service on one of the great sailing ships." This is where it gets interesting. Homer could have easily said "he took a rope" but instead he used a rope from the ship, and not just any ship, but a ship that had seen many miles. This rope combined with hanging the woman is the symbol of the struggle that Odysseus faced at sea, his many great battles to return home where his feet finally "ceased to twitch and jump".  

Solid stuff here, especially that last bit.