The Tale of Odysseus
Now the family had settled down. It was getting late, and the cozy
warmth of the fireplace radiated throughout the living room. Grandpa
was rocking slowly and deliberately as sleepiness descended upon them
all.
After some time, Grandpa broke the silence, saying, “You know, I’ve
told
you all these stories about suffering and success, but I want you to
know that I am no exception. No, I remember when I left my young bride
and went off to fight in the Great War. Of course I wanted to fight for
my country, but I was so devoted to your grandmother that I could
hardly bring myself to go… but the government made that decision for
me, and left for Europe right around 1943. I was no different from any
of you. Don’t you think it scared me? Leaving my wife and my home
behind to go fight in a far off place? Well before I left, my dad gave
me his copy of The Odyssey,
and I read that thing on those cold and lonely nights, and it is a
story I keep close to my heart to this day. Great Odysseus was a man
who would rather have stayed at home with his wife and son, but whose
oaths bound him to his duty to fight in the Trojan War. But it would be
his return, not the war, that would be his enduring legacy.”
Grandpa’s voice then boomed out, “‘Tell me Muse, of the man of many
ways, who was driven far journeys, after he had sacked Troy’s sacred
citadel. Many were they whose cities he saw, whose minds he learned of;
many the pains he suffered in his spirit on the wide sea, struggling
for his own life and the homecoming of his companions.’* So opens the
tale of long suffering, great Odysseus!”
The tranquility of the room was shattered with the passion of
Grandpa’s voice.
“Now, Odysseus, the resourceful king of Ithaka, had just set out for
home after
the glorious victory won by his Trojan Horse scheme. He longed greatly
to see his son Telemachos and his lovely wife Penelope. But many
hardships were yet to come.
“To begin, Odysseus and his men were imprisoned and almost killed by
the Cyclops
Polyphemus, son of the sea-god Poseidon. But one night, after
Polyphemus had already eaten many of Odysseus’ companions, Odysseus got
the Cyclops drunk, and Polyphemus fell into a deep sleep. As he was
sleeping, Odysseus and his men heated Polyphemus’ great staff in the
fire, then JABBED it into his single eye and stealthily escaped by
strapping themselves to the bottom of
the Cyclops’ sheep! Now just think, under all that pressure, Odysseus
somehow managed not to panic and to think of an escape. That’s a real
lesson to be learned. Even in times of trouble, never give up. That is
the way to real success, that is, weather your hardship and suffering,
but do not give in to it. Only then will you realize true success.”
As Grandpa paused, the family’s anticipation only grew. He then went on,
“Now, Odysseus and his men sailed on, having just barely escaped and
having angered Polyphemus’ father Poseidon, the sea god. They came to
many places including an isle of giants, and the isle of the witch,
Circe, who
told them the way home but also warned them not to stop and eat
the cattle of Helios on the island of Thrinacia, for any who ate of
them would die. But the men did not listen. When Odysseus had gone
inland, his men ate the cows, and were subsequently destroyed by Zeus’
thunderbolt. Upon returning, Odysseus wept and lamented, but there was
nothing he could do to bring his companions back. It is a tough lesson
that he learned that day, and one that we all learn in time, that is,
no matter how hard you try to help people, you cannot save them from
themselves.”
With this solemn warning, the family grew calmer, but was still waiting
for Grandpa to continue.
After a moment, Grandpa went on, “So it was, having lost all his
companions and friends that long-suffering Odysseus came to the isle of
Kalypso the beautiful nymph, who intended to keep him as a husband. But
every day Odysseus
would go to the shore by himself and mourn for his comrades, and shed
tears of love for his wife and son. Upon seeing this, Kalypso knew that
he would never be a true husband to her since he would never stop
loving Penelope and so she sent him on his way.
“So Odysseus, after being tossed about upon the sea, finally reached
the island of the Phaiakians, and listening to his tale, they took
Odysseus home to Ithaka. But it was not an easy homecoming. You see,
Odysseus had been gone for twenty years, and all the nobles in the area
had descended on his home to marry Penelope. They were vile men and
they treated the home of Odysseus like an all-you-can-eat buffet. In
addition to their freeloading, they were treating Penelope and
Telemachos like garbage. Odysseus, whose return was still hidden from
his family, knew that his only choice was to
either get rid of the suitors, or be killed by them. So, one night,
Penelope held a contest among the suitors. Whoever could string
Odysseus’ bow and shoot through the loops of the axes would win her
hand. It was this night that Odysseus, known now only by his son, came
home disguised as a beggar. When none of the suitors could even string
the bow, Odysseus took it, strung it, and shot it through the loops.
Then, with the help of Telemachos and his servants, Odysseus opened
fire on the suitors and laid waste to them all. That night, he was
finally reunited with Penelope after twenty years of longing. Just
imagine, all the pain and suffering of his long journey finally being
washed away as he held his wife in his arms. What a homecoming, and
what a story.
“So, as you set off in all directions in your lives, remember that
sometimes we suffer a lot of hardship and sometimes it seems like we’ll
never succeed, but that only becomes true when we give up. So don’t let
things get you down, but like Odysseus, use your heads and stand firm
in your resolve, and you will amaze even yourselves.”
Just as Grandpa finished, the electricity came back and the lights
flickered on. Without thinking, the family turned the lights back off
and sat in darkness near the fireplace listening to Grandpa late into
the night.
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Author’s note: The story of Odysseus is one of my favorites, if
not my very favorite, so it was hard to trim it down to the bare
essentials. I had to leave a lot out, but I think I got the highlights
in. One thing I left out is the episode where Odysseus tells Polyphemus
his name is No Man, so no one comes to help the Cyclops. This little
bit would just not quite fit in there, since it takes a bit to describe
how it pans out.
Also, Odysseus has to go down to the Underworld and meet Tereisias, the
blind prophet, who tells Odysseus about his future.
I also left out the parts where Odysseus sails past the Sirens, and
also the sea-monsters, Scylla and Charybdis. It is an interesting part
because Odysseus will have to choose between the two monsters and
sacrifice either way, but he chooses the lesser sacrifice.
I also wanted to spend more time on Penelope, but since this story is
about Odysseus, it just didn’t fit. She is really a great character,
which is rare for women’s depictions in ancient literature. She is just
as smart and crafty as Odysseus, and has kept the suitors at bay with
her tricks. Also, after Odysseus kills all the suitors, she tricks him
into revealing his identity. Odysseus and Penelope are one of the most
well matched couples in all of ancient literature and The Odyssey is unique in that it
portrays their love in a way that seems more natural to modern readers.
Compare her with Helen, who is stolen and fought over like property.
Altogether, there is so much more to The
Odyssey, but I just tried to portray the concept of success
through suffering as concisely as possible. I would recommend The Odyssey to everyone because its
themes are still relevant today and it is actually a very good read,
and not as dry as some other ancient literature.
Bibliography:
"Adventures
of Ulysses..." Bulfinch, Thomas. Bulfinch's Mythology: The Age of
Fable or Stories of Gods and Heroes. 1855. Sacred Texts
"Oddyseus." Wikipedia.
Accessed: 18 Oct. 2008
"Oddysey." Wikipedia.
Accessed: 18 Oct. 2008
The Odyssey. Homer. Trans. Richmond Lattimore. New York: Harper
& Row. 1965. Note: Although this is my copy of The Odyssey, you can find his 1967
HarperCollins
translation at Google
Books: The Odyssey.
* The portion quoted by Grandpa preceeding the asterisk is the
beginning of The Odyssey as translated by Richmond Lattimore.
Image
information:
Odysseus slays the
suitors. Illustration from Schwab, Gustav: “Die schönsten
Sagen des klassischen Altertums” (1882). Websource: Wikimedia
Commons