In Book 18, Odysseus, still disguised as a beggar, “[a]nd the one who knew the world” (144), comments to one of the kinder suitors:
So I will tell you something. Listen. Listen closely.
Of all that breathes and crawls across the earth,
our mother earth breeds nothing feebler than a man.
So long as the gods grant him power, spring in his knees,
he thinks he will never suffer affliction down the years.
But then, when the happy gods bring on the long hard times,
bear them he must, against his will, and steel his heart.
Our lives, our mood and mind as we pass across the earth
turn as the days turn . .
as the father or men and gods makes each day dawn.
I, too, seemed destined to be a man of fortune once
and a wild wicked swath I cut, indulged my lust for violence,
staking all on my father and my brothers.
Look at me now.
And so, I say, let no man be lawless all his life,
just take in peace what gifts the gods will send (18.149-63)
What do the lines above reveal about the impact of Odysseus own journey on him? What has he learned? What insights has he gained? What values does he advocate? What other episodes in the poem up to this point contribute to the viewpoint expressed by Odysseus in these lines? Is Odysseus' journey similar or different to Telemachus' journey to manhood? Has Odysseus changed (has he renounced any of his former values or beliefs)?
I believe that Odysseus has learned the value of life and all of its meanings. This is important because at the start of Odysseus’s famous travel back home to Ithaca, he did not have the knowledge of what the meaning of life is. He was reckless and risked his and his crew’s life. At the end of the journey he wasted all of the crew, who trusted him, just because Odysseus was selfish for his own life. In this quote Odysseus is basically saying that life your life with the gift you receive from the gods. You must follow the path of those strengths and learn how to use them wisely. Also within the quote Odysseys faces what he did in the past and explains how he messed up Odysseus agrees that his violent acts have caused him to lose a lot of that he will regret throughout his life. Odysseus’s experiences as a warrior are to treasure the peaceful and happy moments in life because they will not last forever and his life will eventually start to go downhill. He also learned that violence was a waste of time and that he could have spent his life in more peaceful, better way. He found, through all the fighting he was in, that violence is not worth risking/ losing a bunch of lives. One might get fame or wealth, but it is better to spend your time in peace, to enjoy the peaceful youth while it lasts. Love last longer than fame.
ReplyDeleteIn book 18, dressed and acting as a beggar, Odysseus responds to Amphinomus with knowledge and advice. From his travels, Odysseus learns that fame is not an important value in life. In book 9, fame is tremendously important to Odysseus. After leaving Polyphemus's cave, Odysseus, eager to claim his fame, shouts, "Cyclopes--/if any man on the face of the earth should ask you/who blinded you, shamed you so--say Odysseus." (9.558-60) Fame is significant to Odysseus in the beginning of the Odyssey, as he wishes to have both his name and his feats remembered. However, Odysseus's remark to Amphinomus in book 18 suggests that his idea of the importance of fame has been altered through the course of his journey. Odysseus says:
ReplyDeleteI too seemed destined to be a man of fortune once
and a wild wicked swath I cut, indulged my lust for violence,
staking all on my father and brothers.
Look at me now.
And so, I say, let no man ever be lawless all his life (18.159-63)
Through his words, Odysseus is renouncing fame and claiming that it is no longer an important value. By the words “I too seemed destined to be a man of fortune once,” Odysseus declares that the amount of fame he previously possessed was enough to bring him great wealth and riches. Odysseus saying, "Look at me now" is an implication that his previous obsession with accumulating more power and recognition backfired, an example of this being Polyphemus throwing boulders at Odysseus’s ship after Odysseus calls out to him. Odysseus tells the suitor to not be rebellious and unruly to avoid ending up as he did. Odysseus no longer advocates the value of fame but rather the idea of rejecting fame.
After returning to Ithaca after a long, perilous journey, Odysseus attempts to pass on the lessons he has learned to the most promising suitor, Amphinomus. He is trying to teach the lesson that a man’s fate is given to him by the gods and any efforts made to change that fate can only worsen it. On the idea of a fate given by the gods, Odysseus says, “But then, when the happy gods bring on the long hard times,/ bear them he must, against his will, and steel his heart.” (18.154- 18.155). Odysseus believes that the gods control every human’s fate and that they bring hard times that make the weak humans suffer without cause. This is a lesson that Odysseus has learned from his experiences from the gods Zeus and Poseidon destining him to an almost endless journey home, filled with numerous storms, shipwrecks, and other hardships. Based on how his fate has turned out for him so far, Odysseus seems to have learned a lesson about dealing with that fate: “Look at me now./ And so, I say, let no man ever be lawless all his life,/ just take in peace what gifts the gods will send.”(18.162- 18.164). Odysseus seems to somewhat regret his past decisions and actions to try and change his given fate, such as: blinding a Cyclops to increase his fame or attempting to fight the vicious and horrendous monster Scylla to exhibit his strength and enhance his warrior status. Odysseus wishes that men would not be lawless and reckless in an attempt to change or improve their fate. He has learned that crazy, rash behavior is a bad idea because our fates cannot be improved. The fate given to men is hard enough; humans should be grateful that it is not worse, and not try to change it.
ReplyDeleteThis passage reflects Odysseus’ acceptance that fame is not important, and that humans will never be immortal, so they might as well move on. Odysseus basically renounces fame. Before, Odysseus’ main goal was being remembered, and collecting as much Kleos on his way home as possible. For example, when he was sailing away from Polyphemus’ cave, he could not resist yelling out his name so he could be remembered.
ReplyDelete“if any man on the face of the earth should ask you
who blinded you, shamed you so—say Odysseus,
raider of cities, he gouged out your eye,
Laerte’s son who makes makes his home in Ithaca!” (9:559- 62)
This was the Odysseus before experiencing many hardships, convinced that fame was the path to immortality. He needed to expose his name to the Cyclops, because it was more important than his crew’s lives at the time, and even his own. After his long journey he says,
“I, too, seemed destined to be a man of fortune once
and a wild wicked swath I cut, indulged my lust for violence,
staking all on my father and my brothers.
Look at me now.” (18: 158-61)
He was once a man who seeked fame and fortune, but once he was cursed by the gods, he saw what little power he had. He also says that humans should just take what they are given because they are so weak. In the end, we all die, so we should just be happy with what we have and accept that the gods are more powerful than we are. Essentially, humans are marks on a paper that can easily be erased. Everything we have can be taken from us in the blink of an eye, so for now, all we can do is realize that we are not gods, and should pray for good fortune while we can instead of seeking it out. Humans are not immortal, so they might as well give up on that idea, find a new passion, and move on with their lives. He now believes that fame is pointless because of the hardships he endured.
Odysseus’ speech to Amphinomus reveals Odysseus’ new outlook on fame and how much his expedition has transformed him. Previously, Odysseus wanted to be remembered for his valiant actions. In Book 9, for example, Odysseus gouges Polyphemus’ eye out and flees rapidly after the incident. When Odysseus is sailing away he says:
ReplyDeleteCyclops—
if any man on the face of the earth should ask you
who blinded you, shamed you so—say Odysseus,
raider of cities, he gouged out your eye,
Laertes’ son who makes his home in Ithaca (9. 558-562).
In this quotation, Odysseus is stressing the importance of fame. Stabbing Polyphemus in the eye is a bold act, and Odysseus wants to be remembered for it. He reveals his identity to Polyphemus so he can be remembered as the man that executed this bold action. In Book 18, Odysseus contradicts what he says in Book 9. He says to Amphinomus “But then, when the happy gods bring on the long hard times,/ bear them he must against his will, and his steel heart” (18. 154-155). Odysseus is claiming that whatever the gods may do, bear it with your strong heart and move forward. Earlier in the Odyssey, Odysseus does the contrary; he challenges the gods. This shows how much Odysseus transforms from the beginning of the epic to the end of it.
With these words, Odysseus is trying to instill in Amphinomus the lesson he learned during his journey that fame is not important a value enough to endanger people’s lives to acquire it for. Previously, Odysseus valued fame and power enough to endanger his life as well as the lives of his crew in talking back to the Cyclops, Polyphemus. Afraid that Polyphemus would kill them all, Odysseus’ crewmembers begged Odysseus to stop taunting the Cyclops. Knowing the potential danger of doing so, Odysseus continued his calls to Polyphemus out of his desire to become famous: “if any man on the face of the earth should as you / who blinded you, shamed you so - / say Odysseus, raider of cities, he gouged out your eye” (9.559-561). However, now, with these words to Amphinomus, Odysseus renounces this idea of fame that held so much importance to him previously. With saying, “so long as the gods grant him power, spring in his knees, / he thinks he will never suffer affliction down the years,” Odysseus acknowledges how naïve he was when he thought that his pursuit for fame would not have any consequences because his calling back to Polyphemus was later responsible for him being cursed with the loss of his ship and the death of his entire crew. Then, with saying, “look at me now,” Odysseus is acknowledging that he is now ruined as a result of his foolish actions in his quest for fame. Odysseus is attempting to convey the message to Amphinomus to stop looking for fame by courting Penelope in hopes that Amphinomus will not end up ruined like Odysseus.
ReplyDeleteOdysseus begins his journey as a very self-confident leader who thinks more of himself than the gods. This ends up blowing up in his face when his homecoming is delayed and he gets all of his men killed. His actions on the journey show how inexperienced and naïve Odysseus is. One example is when his fleet docks at the island of the Laistrygonians hoping for supplies. He lets his fleet sail in and dock at the beach, but anchors his ship away from the harbor in order to insure a faster getaway. He could have told the rest of his ships to anchor out just in case of danger, but he let them go and killed many people for it. Then there is the whole reason he is suffering in the first place, which is that he never made any sacrifices to Poseidon and angered him. But in book 18, when talking to Amphinomous he showed that through his suffering and trials he learned that he did not have the tremendous power over the universe that he thought he had when coming home from Troy. Odysseus says:
ReplyDeleteOf all that breathes and crawls across the earth,
our mother earth breeds nothing feebler than a man.
So long as the gods grant him power, spring in his knees,
he thinks he will never suffer affliction down the years.
This quote is saying that even though men think they are so great and awesome, they really only have what the gods have given them, and if the gods take that away, men have nothing and stand no chance against the rest of the world.
Odysseus has learned that it is important to be grateful and appreciate the things you are fortunate enough to have. He has learned that sometimes people do not turn out the way they expect but they should be thankful for what the Gods have given them versus being ungrateful and greedy. “I too seemed destined to be a man of fortune once/ and a wild wicked swath I cut, indulged my lust for violence,/ staking all on my father and my brothers./ Look at me now” (18.159-62). Mortals do not expect the Gods to turn on them and send bad fortune although when they experience unfortunate challenges they blame the outcomes on the Gods. Odysseus realized that the Gods will help you persevere throughout your journey even though others might assume that the Gods have cursed you if you fall upon hard times. It is vital for mortals to remember the help that the Gods have given them before they blame them for the challenges they believe they have given them. Odysseus has learned this idea throughout the epic and is able to demonstrate that he is aware of it. I think that Odysseus is able to accept the gifts that the Gods have given him and realize when they are punishing him, and accept that.
ReplyDelete