Scenes in Art Based on the Odyssey

By N.S. Gill, About.com Guide

In Odyssey Book V, Athena complains that Calypso is keeping Odysseus against his will, so Zeus sends off Hermes to tell Calypso to let him go. Here's the passage from a public domain translation that shows what the Swiss artist, Arnold Böcklin (1827-1901), captured in this painting:

"Calypso knew [Hermes] at once -- for the gods all know each other, no matter how far they live from one another -- but Ulysses was not within; he was on the sea-shore as usual, looking out upon the barren ocean with tears in his eyes, groaning and breaking his heart for sorrow."

Homer The Odyssey - Book 5: The gods tell Calypso to let Odysseus go | Odyssey Summary Book V | Notes | Major Characters | Quiz on The Odyssey - Book V