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majorstumbles

2 weeks ago

Love and Power Concerning Odysseus

(Introduction) When most people look at Odysseus, they see a wise strategist who bested various beasts and gods to get back home to his wife and son. But some see a man who embraced other women willingly, followed a corrupt goddess, and did not love his wife as it was stated he did in Homer’s Odyssey. But when one takes a closer look at the text itself, one can see that this is likely not what Homer had intended to imply. Homer meant to display how Odysseus was taken advantage of by goddesses and gods alike. (Thesis) Calypso and Circe both seemed to take joy in the power they held over Odysseus, while Penelope displayed the love for him that truly showed how they cared for each other. (Direction)

(Statement of Facts) Homer lays out Odysseus’s life quite well. Odysseus was a Greek soldier who, after having made the suitors of Helen swear to defend her from any potential threat, was whisked away from his wife, Penelope, and his infant son, Telemachus. Odysseus fought for ten long years at Troy, facing hardships from the Trojans and even within his own ranks. He advised Agamemnon, gave counsel to Achilles, complimented Diomedes on his work ethic, and slaughtered those who stood in his way. After Troy fell and the Achaeans divided the spoils amongst themselves, Odysseus set off for home. For twenty years, he braved trial after tribulation from gods to monsters to betrayal from his own men. Eventually, after making it home and seeing the state of his palace, Odysseus, alongside his now grown son, Telemachus, strung his war-bow and slaughtered the suitors leeching from his wealth and harassing his wife. The interpersonal relationships in his journey are where things get complicated (Homer Iliad) (Homer Odyssey).

(Division) Odysseus’s Roman counterpart, Ulysses, brings an interesting point of view to the discussion. The Romans did not like the Greeks’ Athena, and thus any hero related to her through patronage or skill. This influenced how they depicted Odysseus in their own mythology, which sparked many arguments against him in some modern circles. It is debatable, depending on which book is referenced, whether or not Odysseus was the man to throw Astyanax from Troy’s walls; but, for the sake of argument, this paper will use Pseudo-Apollodorus’s Bibliotheca- or, The Library, as is the English translation-which seems to imply that it was, in fact, Odysseus who committed the murder. The true application of coercion may also be called into question, considering the customs and culture at the time that Homer’s Odyssey was written; however, this paper will be viewing it through modern lenses and definitions for the sake of this discussion. Considering these details, this paper will discuss Odysseus’s relationships with Circe and Calypso and the power they exerted over Odysseus in comparison to how Penelope treated him with love.

(E1P1) Odysseus was coerced into his relationship with Circe based on the threats to the health of his crew and himself, and of the gods’ anger towards him. “…[S]uddenly she struck with her wand, drove them into her pigsties, all of them bristling into swine- with grunt, snouts, yes, and only the men’s minds stayed as steadfast as before” (Homer 238). Here, Circe displays a clear power imbalance between herself and Odysseus’s crew. With a single touch and some magic, she sent them “bristling into swine” with hardly a chance to fight back. Any attempt to stand against her could be reasonably expected to be met with a similar display of power and danger. Later, when Odysseus approaches Circe’s palace to do just that, Hermes- the god of travelers, mischief, and often Odysseus’s own grandfather- approaches, offering the advice of: “..but don’t refuse the goddess’s bed, not then, not if she’s to release your friends and treat you well herself” (Homer 239). Hermes’s approach offers another layer of concern on top of the threat of Circe herself. Odysseus has been shown before to fear the gods’ power when he murders Astyanax, as depicted in Apollodorus’s Bibliotheca and would likely fear Hermes the same, despite their blood relation (239). To have Odysseus “[not] refuse the goddess’s bed” for fear of safety is the definition of coercion, which is an action taken under duress of retribution or harm (Cambridge). Thus, the relationship between Odysseus and Circe could not have been one of love, but only power.

(E1P2) Calypso exercised her power over Odysseus to keep their relationship afloat, rather than relying on kindled love or affection. “On that tenth, at night, the gods cast me up on Ogygia, Calypso’s island, home of the dangerous nymph with glossy braids who speaks to me in a human voice…” (Fagles 285). Here, Odysseus immediately makes it known how he feels about this nymph. She is “dangerous”, even to a man who had faced down the Cyclopes, the Underworld, and much more. Any relationship built on danger cannot thus be one of love. When earlier, Odysseus had recounted the tale, he made clear mention that “she never won the heart inside me, never. Seven endless years I remained there..” (Fagles 187). Despite the time spent on her island, “seven endless years”, Odysseus never caved to Calypso’s charms. That amount of time would have been more than enough for some semblance of Stockholm Syndrome to kick in, but it never did. Odysseus remained resolute in his dislike of her, even to the point of having “no choice- unwilling lover alongside lover all too willing” when she brought him to her bed (Fagles 157). This is another clear example of coercion- the act, process, or power of coercing, which means using threats or intimidation to force someone to do something against their will (Cambridge). Despite the time Homer lived, he still understood that Calypso’s and Circe’s relationships differed from Odysseus’s with Penelope.

(E2P1) Penelope truly loved Odysseus, unlike how Circe and Calypso treated the Ithacan king. “How well you knew- you heard from my own lips- that I meant to probe this stranger in our house and ask about my husband… my heart breaks for him” (Fagles 393). Penelope, with the first mention of her husband, immediately wilts with grief for Odysseus. She stands up to her own maids and caretakers in defense of this beggar for even a hint of news of Odysseus without even knowing the man himself was in front of her. “…[D]own she sank, laying the case across her knees, and dissolved into tears with a high thin wail as she drew her husband’s weapon from its sheath…” (Fagles 426). Even at the sight of only Odysseus’s weapon, Penelope cannot contain her grief for Odysseus’s absence. Even with the suitors’ adverse personalities, twenty years would be more than enough to decide Odysseus was dead and choose another husband, but Penelope never did. She stayed faithful to Odysseus even through the desolation of her home and desecration of her image. “Living proof- Penelope felt her knees go slack, her heart surrender, recognizing the clear signs Odysseus offered” (Fagles 462). Penelope truly loved Odysseus and her actions showed she saw him as a man, a husband, and a father, rather than a toy to be used and discarded.

(Refutation) According to the Roman iteration of Odysseus, Ulysses, some may say that Calypso’s and Circe’s relationships with Odysseus were willing and filled with love. In Ovid’s Metamorphoses, Maraceus- one of Odysseus’s men- recounts the story of the crew’s encounter with Circe. “Ulysses was happy to join fair Circe in her bed, but insisted that she must restore his friends...” (Ovid 563). Now, the Romans were known to not be fond of Greece or their interpretation of Athena, which would allow for the intentional mischaracterization of Odysseus to justify their hatred of the goddess. Also, this scene is recounted by one of Odysseus’s men- a likely unreliable narrator. Understandably, Maraceus might see Odysseus as ‘happy to join fair Circe in her bed’ as he looked in from an outside perspective without having heard the prior discussion between Ulysses and Hermes. Maraceus did mention Hermes- or the Roman Mercury- meeting Ulysses before he came to Circe’s palace “with [the moly] and the god’s instructions” (Ovid 526). However, it was unlikely that Ulysses recounted the entire set of instructions Hermes gave him to his crew, considering the sensitive nature of the discussion. A misunderstanding would be almost inevitable among the crew. Unfortunately, we do not have a similar recounting of Ogygia from an outside perspective, but similar arguments can be made and rebuffed with the same points.

(Conclusion) Despite many angry men and scheming iterations, Odysseus’s reputation as a faithful, wise man who adores his wife fails to be tarnished by their efforts. Looking at Homer’s text alone, one can see how Odysseus was truly meant to be viewed and how the power held over him by the immortals of his world changed the implication of his journey.

Works Cited

“Coercion | English Meaning - Cambridge Dictionary.” Cambridge Dictionary, dictionary.cambridge.org/dictionary/english/coercion. Accessed 30 Apr. 2025.

Homer. The Odyssey. Translated by Robert Fagles, Penguin, 1997.

Apollodorus. The Library, Volume II: Book 3.10-End. Epitome. Translated by James G. Frazer, Harvard University Press, 1921.

Ovid. Metamorphoses: A New Verse Translation. Translated by D. A. Raeburn and D. C. Feeney, Penguin, 2004.

Homer. The Iliad. Translated by Robert Fagles and Bernard Knox, Penguin, 1990.