Odyssey Study Guide Contents
Lion Simile
Odysseus' avenging behavior is beastly. In the Odyssey, there are 7 lion similes, according to William T. Magrath (vs. 30+ in the Iliad). Homer compares Odysseus with a lion gorged on livestock in Book XXII:OD.22.401 εὗρεν ἔπειτ' Ὀδυσῆα μετὰ κταμένοισι νέκυσσιν,
αἵματι καὶ λύθρῳ πεπαλαγμένον ὥς τε λέοντα,
ὅς ῥά τε βεβρωκὼς βοὸς ἔρχεται ἀγραύλοιο:
πᾶν δ' ἄρα οἱ στῆθός τε παρήϊά τ' ἀμφοτέρωθεν
αἱματόεντα πέλει, δεινὸς δ' εἰς ὦπα ἰδέσθαι:
ὣς Ὀδυσεὺς πεπάλακτο πόδας καὶ χεῖρας ὕπερθεν.
She found Ulysses among the corpses bespattered with blood and filth like a lion that has just been devouring an ox, and his breast and both his cheeks are all bloody, so that he is a fearful sight; even so was Ulysses besmirched from head to foot with gore.
Polyphemus the Cyclops
Regardless of provocation, Odysseus is more violent than many a reader would want from their hero. Like Hercules, who in his madness kills his own family, Odysseus is savage. He traveled 10 years among wild animals and wily goddesses. His men were consumed by another unwilling host, Polyphemus. Polyphemus blocked egress from his cave with a stone, a lesson that Odysseus took to heart when he issued his orders to secure the premises in advance of the slaughter, and there are no sheep for the suitors to escape beneath. However, there are differences. Polyphemus consumed his victims. Odysseus just kills them. However wasteful killing for sport may be, cannibalism is more uncivilized than murder.Contrast Between Telemachus and Odysseus: Bird Simile
Telemachus, who hasn't had an opportunity like Odysseus' to shed the veneer of civilization, does not obey Odysseus on the subject of slaying the unfaithful women. Instead of using a blade on them, he strings them up in a noose. Laurel Fulkerson, who delves deeply into the symbolism of this book, says bird imagery used in connection with the women conveys the sexual nature of their crime and punishment. Like the story of Ares and Aphrodite caught in a net as punishment for their sexual indiscretions, the women are caught in what is like a net. Their method of killing (hanging) is one normally reserved for women, and better as a means of suicide than execution. They are hanged outside the house, which is significant because they belonged inside the house but went beyond their duties literally and physically, when they had their assignations with the suitors. Telemachus is setting matters straight by assigning a punishment to fit the crime. Slaying would have been too honorable.Here are some intriguing articles consulted for this book of the Odyssey.
- "Epic Ways of Killing a Woman: Gender and Transgression in 'Odyssey' 22.465-72," by Laurel Fulkerson, The Classical Journal, Vol. 97, No. 4. (Apr. - May, 2002), pp. 335-350.
- "Progression of the Lion Simile in the 'Odyssey'," by William T. Magrath. The Classical Journal, Vol. 77, No. 3. (Feb. - Mar., 1982), pp. 205-212.
- "The Odyssean Suitors and the Host-Guest Relationship," by Harry L. Levy. Transactions and Proceedings of the American Philological Association, Vol. 94. (1963), pp. 145-153.
