book xi of The odyssey: The kingdom of the dead - homer
The Odyssey, written by the Greek epic poet Homer, is one of the most famous and most influential epic poems of European literature. It follows the ten year journey of Odysseus, a hero of the Trojan War, from Troy (in modern day Turkey) to his home in Ithaca, Greece.
Book XI sees Odysseus travel to the Underworld in order to speak with the dead blind prophet Tiresias. From Tiresias, Odysseus learns that he will make it home to Ithaca without any of his crew and he will have to fight his wife’s suitors off once he arrives. Once he speaks with Tiresias, Odysseus finds his recently deceased mother and speaks to her about the events at home. After this emotionally upsetting discussion with her, Odysseus speaks to a long line of famous mythological women known either because of their relationships with gods or because of their relationships with heroes. Both Ariadne and Phaedra are included in this parade of women and both are wives of Theseus. In addition to the women, Odysseus speaks to Agamemnon, other heroes of the Trojan War, and several prominent mythological figures, including both Heracles and Achilles, before leaving the Underworld.
By having Odysseus enter the underworld in order to interact with the mythological greats, Homer is able to connect the ancient mythology to the newer. Odysseus’ wish to see more “shades of famous heroes, men who died in the old days and ghosts of an even older age I longed to see, Theseus and Pirithous”[1] sets a clear divide between his generation of heroes and the earlier Heroic Age that contained the Argonauts. Odysseus’ interactions with Achilles and Agamemnon make sense as they fought together in the Trojan War. In contrast, his brief interaction with Heracles seems to leave Odysseus in awe. The way that Homer leaves Odysseus waiting for Theseus speaks very highly of Theseus without having to give any additional information about him. Of course, Homer’s intended audience would be familiar with both the myths of Heracles and the myths of Theseus.
The elevation of Theseus that comes from his mention so soon after Heracles’ cameo is contrasted with the earlier mention of Ariadne and Phaedra. The two women are listed alongside the wives, daughters and cohorts of gods and prominent men in Greece. This brief mention contains very few positive images of Theseus. Speaking of his kidnapping of Ariadne, “he got no joy from her”[2] after taking her from her home in Crete to his own in Athens. The next line contains Ariadne’s death by the goddess Artemis, making Ariadne into a victim of both Theseus and the goddess Artemis. This further comparison of Theseus and Artemis as attackers also serves to raise Theseus as a great hero who closely resembles the gods in their disrespect for mortal women.
Homer is one of the first Greeks to have written literature that remains in full today. There is heavy debate over whether Homer was a single individual or if it was multiple poets coming together to finish the two epics attributed to him, the Odyssey and the Iliad. Because of inconsistencies in plot and stylistic changes, we are led to believe that Homer was an individual who collaborated the songs of many poets or many poets that came together to finish the entire saga.
[1] Homer, The Odyssey, 11.628-631
[2] Homer, The Odyssey, 11.410
Book XI sees Odysseus travel to the Underworld in order to speak with the dead blind prophet Tiresias. From Tiresias, Odysseus learns that he will make it home to Ithaca without any of his crew and he will have to fight his wife’s suitors off once he arrives. Once he speaks with Tiresias, Odysseus finds his recently deceased mother and speaks to her about the events at home. After this emotionally upsetting discussion with her, Odysseus speaks to a long line of famous mythological women known either because of their relationships with gods or because of their relationships with heroes. Both Ariadne and Phaedra are included in this parade of women and both are wives of Theseus. In addition to the women, Odysseus speaks to Agamemnon, other heroes of the Trojan War, and several prominent mythological figures, including both Heracles and Achilles, before leaving the Underworld.
By having Odysseus enter the underworld in order to interact with the mythological greats, Homer is able to connect the ancient mythology to the newer. Odysseus’ wish to see more “shades of famous heroes, men who died in the old days and ghosts of an even older age I longed to see, Theseus and Pirithous”[1] sets a clear divide between his generation of heroes and the earlier Heroic Age that contained the Argonauts. Odysseus’ interactions with Achilles and Agamemnon make sense as they fought together in the Trojan War. In contrast, his brief interaction with Heracles seems to leave Odysseus in awe. The way that Homer leaves Odysseus waiting for Theseus speaks very highly of Theseus without having to give any additional information about him. Of course, Homer’s intended audience would be familiar with both the myths of Heracles and the myths of Theseus.
The elevation of Theseus that comes from his mention so soon after Heracles’ cameo is contrasted with the earlier mention of Ariadne and Phaedra. The two women are listed alongside the wives, daughters and cohorts of gods and prominent men in Greece. This brief mention contains very few positive images of Theseus. Speaking of his kidnapping of Ariadne, “he got no joy from her”[2] after taking her from her home in Crete to his own in Athens. The next line contains Ariadne’s death by the goddess Artemis, making Ariadne into a victim of both Theseus and the goddess Artemis. This further comparison of Theseus and Artemis as attackers also serves to raise Theseus as a great hero who closely resembles the gods in their disrespect for mortal women.
Homer is one of the first Greeks to have written literature that remains in full today. There is heavy debate over whether Homer was a single individual or if it was multiple poets coming together to finish the two epics attributed to him, the Odyssey and the Iliad. Because of inconsistencies in plot and stylistic changes, we are led to believe that Homer was an individual who collaborated the songs of many poets or many poets that came together to finish the entire saga.
[1] Homer, The Odyssey, 11.628-631
[2] Homer, The Odyssey, 11.410