Memory and Fortune in the Odyssey - 753 Words

When scholars analyze themes of meaning in the Homeric epic The Odyssey, a common area of focus is the significance of memory and forgetting to the story. One interpretation of the text poses that characters being able to remember Odysseus brings about fortunate consequences for the protagonist, while forgetting about him or his deeds leads to negative ones. However, the forgetting of Odysseus’s transgressions by the suitor’s fathers at the end of the epic contradicts this as Odysseus is spared through it. It is through the juxtaposition of Athena’s requests for memory and forgetting, respectively, at the beginning and conclusion of the epic that show the retention of the memory of Odysseus by others is not inherently beneficial nor detrimental to him. Rather, memory is a tool: a double-edged sword that can either improve or worsen his condition based on circumstance. What is inherent, however, is the tendency of events to progress, albeit slowly and circuitously , towards the inevitable homecoming of Odysseus, his retaking of the seat of power, and the return to normalcy on Icatha. Memory and forgetting merely serve as a means to achieve that fated end, rather than being objects of meaning themselves. That the remembrance of Odysseus by other characters helps him out later on in the epic is certainly supported by events that transpire in the first half of the story. The action begins with Athena pleading with her father Zeus to release Odysseus from his two-decadeShow MoreRelatedThroughout the epic poem â€Å"The Odyssey† under various circumstances Odysseus presents others with1100 Words   |  5 PagesThroughout the epic poem â€Å"The Odyssey† under various circumstances Odysseus presents others with fictitious identities on his struggle home to Ithaca. Odysseus uses deception, cunning and intellect to persuade others of his fabricated identities. With tales of false histories ridden with poor fortune and intertwined with half-truths allow Odysseus to establish these false identities. Identity is defined asâ€Å"the individual characteristics by which a person or thing is recognized† (dictionary.com) similarRead MoreThe Intertwined Of Myths, Memory, And Me1996 Words   |  8 PagesThe Intertwining of Myths, Memory, and Me Heart beating, breathing, memory making. All of these are done unconsciously. More importantly, they are vital to life. Unlike the first two, memories of a person are not localized to that one individual; instead, they are often shared, in the form of song, dance, poetry, or prose. The Ancient Greeks were quite preoccupied with the concept of memory, starting all of their songs by invoking the Muses, the daughters of Memory. All beings, whether it is godsRead MoreThe Aeneid By Virgil Between 29 And 19 Bc1434 Words   |  6 Pageshe can leave the Underworld: the gate made of horn through which â€Å"true shades† pass and the gate made of ivory through which â€Å"false dreams† return to the world. Aeneas is led by his father through the gate made of ivory, subsequently clearing his memory of the specific visions his father described to him, but maintaining the passion and motivation to move forward in his quest for a home. These visions also give the Roman audience that would have been listening or reading this epic poem a reasonRead MoreAnalysis Of Homer s Odyssey, By F. Scott Fitzgerald Essay2500 Words   |  10 PagesPenelope’s test It is an unspoken truth in Homer’s Odyssey that â€Å"homeâ€Å" is something good. All that Odysseus seems to want throughout the poem is to come home again, but that is one thing he is not granted from the god Poseidon for nearly ten years time. On the first page of the Odyssey we learn that all his friends-in-arms had the fortune of returning home â€Å"while he alone still hungered for home and wife.â€Å" (The Odyssey by Homer, translated by Robert Fitzgerald; Book I, line 21-22). The original intentionRead MoreClassic vs Best Seller1539 Words   |  7 Pagesclassicism or as universally valid including formal elegance and correctness, simplicity, dignity, restraint, order etc. It is often opposed to romanticism. On the other hand, the best seller is one, irrespective of sanctities, capable of making big fortune through the sheer volume of sale of it.         Ã‚  Ã‚  We, of course, are speaking of art that is the activity of human – the intellectual being on the earth. Art is an outcome of the aesthetically skillful exercise of human thinking. Literary works belongRead MoreAnalysis Of Homer s Odyssey, By F. Scott Fitzgerald Essay2726 Words   |  11 PagesPenelope’s test It is an unspoken truth in Homer’s Odyssey that â€Å"homeâ€Å" is something good. All that Odysseus seems to want throughout the poem is to come home again, but that is one thing he is not granted from the god Poseidon for nearly ten years time. On the first page of the Odyssey we learn that all his friends-in-arms had the fortune of returning home â€Å"while he alone still hungered for home and wife.â€Å" (The Odyssey by Homer, translated by Robert Fitzgerald; Book I, line 21-22). The originalRead MoreEssay on The Journey Home: What Makes a Hero2409 Words   |  10 Pages however, must possess one attribute that a story may or may not contain; a hero. The Odyssey is an epic and therefore, it does contain a hero and perhaps even more than one. A hero cannot simply just exist, though, he or she must be shaped into the role through a series of adventures and misadventures that help the reader sympathize and identify with the hero’s progress towards a specific goal. The Odyssey proves no exception as the hero Odysseus’ ultimate goal of returning home to his belovedRead MoreEssay on The Odyssey21353 Words   |  86 PagesThe Odyssey Set in ancient Greece, The Odyssey is about the hero Odysseus long-awaited return from the Trojan War to his homeland, Ithaca, after ten years of wandering. The current action of The Odyssey occupies the last six weeks of the ten years, and the narrative includes many places - Olympus, Ithaca, Pylos, Pherae, Sparta, Ogygia, and Scheria. In Books 9-12, Odysseus narrates the story of his travels in the years after the fall of Troy, and this narrative includes other far-flungRead MoreLife in a Metro2100 Words   |  9 Pagesfestive occasions, when demand of... Man is the architect of his fortune But I excuse myself here! I never architected anything related to my fortune or my life. For me, its so far so good and no look back though I hold back in my heart fonder than the fondest memories of old good days and tramp ahead. Putting myself in the shoes of a timeless traveler, it has been sheer fun for me to explore the good and bad times of this mortal odyssey. Let me begin my essay writing now. The question is CompareRead MoreGreek Mythology: Influences and Effect to Greek Civilization5325 Words   |  22 PagesEach community worshipped a local earth goddess and the mother earth where they came from and this goddess lived within the earth mother to both living and the dead and received prayers for fertility, good health and economy as payment for a good fortune (Rosenburg, 1984; Evans, 2008). And their society reflected the superiority of the women through â€Å"their society which reflected matriarchal principles, particularly the superiority of women, respect and appreciation for the beauty in life and an