Reading Notes: Homer's Odyssey Part A

 

Circe
Source: Wikipedia

Homer's Odyssey
Translated into English by Tony Kline here

All journeys begin with good intentions and high spirits. This one was no different. Even the best meaning choices could lead to terrible results -- like Ulysses' choice to stay and wait for the master of the cave. If he'd listened to the warnings of his men the rest of them might had lived.

But Ulysses ultimately got them out of it using his mind, not his muscle. Tricked the Cyclops with drink then in his sleep blinded him. This is where Ulysses' best laid plans carry as the Cyclops tells those who came to his aid that "Nobody" is trying to kill him, which is the name Ulysses gave him.

But vanity in the end won and doomed Odysseus. By giving the Cyclops his name as he escaped, he made a target of himself with Poseidon. The favor he had among the other gods like Athena would not help him against one of the three brothers, and this was the stone that dropped and started the ripples that kept him from reaching home for so long.

The temptation of women as a theme came into play with Circe. The men who trusted her were turned into pigs, and only Eurylochus and his wariness saved him. Then there was the condoned infidelity for a year until they finally left. Circe, unlike other women used as temptation motifs, supported Ulysses and helped him on his journey with advice to visit the Underworld.

Two take away themes: pride as a downfall and women seducing men to their doom.