The Homer Series: Journal Entry 12
If its one thing we should never bring ourselves to deny, its a good book. The Iliad had given us death, dishonor and all the craziness of the Ancient Greek divine life, but the Odyssey has given me more than I actually thought it would. It has been a roller-coaster-literally! We’ve watch Odysseus go around the world and back on is quest for ‘Kleos’, battling the wrath of angry Gods and psychopathic predators. In my opinion, one main feature of a good book is subsequent character growth. If a character doesn’t go on a hodos of their own-mentally, then what’s the reason for it all ?
“The Journey of Life is a mental one, which is taking place in the sea of illusion” — Neville Goddard
As we move closer and closer to the end of a semester, the workload intensifies and its as if we are being swallowed alive. Test after test, project after project, grades after grades, but we have to keep fighting the good fight. Even with the world crumbling beneath my feet, I managed to complete all nine of my reading assignments fro the week. As we moved further in our readings, we get a closer look at Odysseus as a person. We divulge his hidden tricks and values, the strength of his cunning and why is he considered to be polytropos. Odysseus is now in Ithaca and with the aid of Athena, he has managed to obtain the aid of the swineherd Eumaeus. Stories have been exchanged and livelihoods have been explained, a once stolen prince has aided the Prince and King of Ithaca. More specifically, we are introduced to Odysseus’ disguise of being a beggar. He shares his story of being from Crete and what his decisions have been like along her life journey. This story is honestly conjured to appease the swineherd’s curiosity to know where Odysseus is from and what he’s suffered through. However, us now having a greater knowledge of who Odysseus is as a person, can pick similarities between the real Odysseus and his beggar personality. For example, in the beggar’s tale we hear about his likings of the life he chose as a youngster growing up. How he never liked the life of a labourer of the land nor that of home and family, but was far more fascinated in adventure and war. He then after shares a story of how unfortunate he and some of his men were as they tried to raid Egyptian land. A story that sounded way too similar to his encounter with the Cicones. Odysseus is a trickster and though he may not tell the truth, we can still pick out the tiny details he sprinkles into his stories. This journey has taught him the value of how much his home and family means to him, it signifies how much he’s neglected in his journey for greatness. We’ve come to understand that the story of Odysseus seems to have been the opposite of the great Demi-God Achilles, whereas Odysseus ends up choosing to be a great King in his far off land with the nurturing comforts of family. We get to connect these dots after looking back at the story of the Iliad and seeing Achilles in the Underworld. On the other hand, in Book 17 we get to see that character growth coming into play as Odysseus’ journey has molded him into a new version of himself. Self-restraint has never been one of his strong suits, as we’ve seen how his yearning to be great can overshadow him hindsight and foresight-consuming any ounce of restraint within his character. In this book, they are off into the city as they make their way towards the palace. In his vagrant disguise, Odysseus is taunted by the likes of Melanthius, a hostile goatherd. This individual rebukes and mocks both Eumaeus and Odysseus, shoving the hidden King as he moved along. Though he had failed to be knocked over, Odysseus contemplated on bashing his head in and make a scene or maintain his disguise. He chose the latter, it was way too important for him to mess up now. After all his sorrows and trials, he wasn’t about to let this herdsman ruin his return.
The story of the trickster figure is nothing new to modern television. Stories of person once portrayed as cunning and sly, growing to be more than what meets the eye. Stories of playboys that fall inlove and realize that amongst the priamels of lovely conquests from allover the world, there is no one else out there for you but that one ‘Penelope’. Someone that ignites an undying flame that keeps you sane throughout the roughest of storms and darkest of nights. A misguided individual that is enlightened on a journey to not only grow physically, but mentally. The journey is the minds is just as significant or maybe even more so than the physical journey. We’ve seen many trickster figures such as Maui in Moana, Mystique and even Jim Carey’s The Mask.
Upon knowing more and more of Odysseus and his ways, I soon after started to connect his with Katerina Petrova, also known as Katherine Pierce, in the Vampire Diaries. She’s a doppelgänger that is initially portrayed as mischievous and cunning, always trying to manipulate herself out of any situation. On many accounts she takes the persona of Elena Gilbert to manipulate her friends and loved ones into doing her bidding. But if we look deeper, we can even connect the loss and reuniting of a child and a parent. This endless fight for love and the journey of running from the wrath of more superior beings. Here is a YouTube video sharing a short summary of the life of Katerina Petrova:
Back to the bigger picture: Odysseus. None of his family, slaves, nor neighbors had recognized him. It was apart of Athena’s bigger plan for Odysseus. Therefore, it is safe to say that he would not have suffered the same mistreatment endured in this disguise, as he would have if he had shared his true identity.Odysseus knew that this would be the case, because it was his decision to hide his identity in order to discern which of his slaves and comrades were disloyal towards him. Therefore, he was willing to face all of this mistreatment to complete his plan.
This great hero has traveled the world and encounter many great and horrific experiences. Many of these people have either been extremely resourceful or very unethical. However for those that were bad, he has always had the choice of retaliating in the most violent way ever. This was definitely not the case in his encounter with the suitors. These scores and scores of suitors have been the nightmare of the people of Ithaca for the longest time. Odysseus himself has come to experience these hardships. While at the palace Odysseus is encouraged by his son to go around and play the role of a beggar by begging obviously. They treat him very poorly, in Book 17 we see where Antinous even hurls a stool at him, after being enraged by one of his sly responses. Antinous seems to be the instigator of the Suitor, he tends to always rally them to do the most auspicious and ill-willed deeds. We see this more as we read these Books, he was even one of the main individuals that present the plot to kill Telemachus. He is the one that instigates the fight between Odysseus the beggar and Irus. This also another good example of Odysseus’ newly found self-restraint. Nevertheless, though Irus’ brutal and disrespectful scolding had much more to do with it than Antinous turning this disrespect of hospitality into sport. But then again, we can’t be surprise by any lack of hospitality from these Suitors, especially Antinous. They treated the hidden King very disgracefully, he was scolded, scorned and mocked at every given interval. Eurymachus was truly no different, one thing was constant though, Odysseus rebuked them no matter what. He held his ground. Odysseus has lived a life playing the part of many personas, but in this very case he stands to play the tole of Zeus Cronion himself. He is to be the Judge, Jury and Executioner of Ithaca in all it’s entirety. In these moments being back in Ithaca, Odysseus is being acclimated to the new Ithaca and not the Isle he left approximately twenty (20) years ago. So it can be said that the reason he endures so much is not only to maintain his disguise, but also to give everyone a fair shot at redeeming themselves in his eyes. It is only sad that the wrath of a godlike man can be indiscriminate as if he were Zeus himself. It is only sad that the likes of Amphinomus had to get caught up in a battle by association. He was definitely the best amongst the suitors. At every given interval where he was tested, he came through and I think for a minute Odysseus may have empathize with him as he warned him of the fate of man. Oh fickle is the fate of man, when they destiny is weighed on the divine scales. Zeus’ lot-filled urns continue to propel our learning and understanding of life in the ancient world. Amphinomus had stopped them from scolding Odysseus here and there, driven away the thoughts of killing Telemachus from the minds of the suitors and keep them in line when Antinous’ ambitions were getting too far ahead of him. Nevertheless, he was a suitor and Athena had already marked all of them with death by a great hero.
See you next time, be safe.
