Reading Notes: Homer's Odyssey, Part A

Homer's Odyssey, by Tony Kline Link to the source

I like how the main character is able to use cunning to defeat the cyclops.  However, seeing if the cyclops was hospitable cost him some crew-mates.  Calling himself Nobody is really funny and creative; this can be used in many situations.  Calling himself Nobody was apparently a strategic move, because it tricked the other cyclops to think that he was sick instead of harmed.  I like the idea of a prophecy. Instead of stabbing him in the eye. maybe the cyclopes has glasses and the break them.


Odysseus is cursed due to the consequences of his taunting.  Odysseus made an offering, but Zeus ignored him.  Turning out of favor from a powerful benefactor is an interesting twist.

The men trusted a goddess and became like literal pigs.  Hermes warns Odysseus.  Circe is unable to enchante them because Hermes gives them Moly.  It is extremely random and lucky that Hermes decides to help them.  They would not have survived without this.  The men were so welcomed by Circe's hospitality that they stayed a year.

My favorite stories in this chapter were the ones that took place on Circe's island.  I like the strong friendship that was demonstrated here.  Odysseus is a fine character, although I think that his ego gets the best of him sometimes.  He is able to outwit characters far greater than himself.  Sometimes the gods work with him, and sometimes they do not.  He might have some trouble because he hurt one of Poseidon's children, the cyclopes. They end this journey by going to the Realm of Hades, which sounds like a place of many adventures.

I think a fun take on this would be from the gods' perspective.  Or maybe a space traveler trying to find his way home instead of an ancient Greek one.  Or maybe a main character who makes terrible decisions and plans but manages to survive them anyway.  

File:Ulisse fugge sotto una pecora di polifemo, I-II secolo ca.jpg
Odysseus clutching to the bottom of a ram  Source:Wikimedia Commons

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