Thursday, April 28, 2011
Odysseus, The Unfaithful?
In The Odyssey, Odysseus does not seem to be that faithful to Penelope. There is two instances in the book where Odysseus has affairs. One time with Calypso and the other time with Circe. But in O Brother Where Art Thou, Ulysses has one instance where he gets tempted by three muses to have an affair, but did not become unfaithful and stuck to his wife. That is a difference between Odysseus and Ulysses, I know that it was probably hard for Odysseus when those experiences came up. But you have to remember that it was also very tempting to Ulysses and he was drunk, which would have made his decision harder to make, yet he stuck by his wife's side even though he had not seen her in years. There is one point though in Odysseus's defence, when he had an affair with Circe, if he had not follow through with it then Circe would have probably turned him into a pig like his crew mates. But still he had an affair with Calypso and he did not have to. And Ulysses did not even have to at all and he still did not. That's the difference between Odysseus and Ulysses, Ulysses is more committed. But I do admit we do not know the whole story, but from what is told, it seems that Odysseus does not seem to care as much even though he had been away from Penelope for twenty years. But in my opinion I think that Odysseus does not seem as faithful and committed.
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I see what you are saying, but these two instances can be explained from the opposite view as well. You make the point of Odysseus having an affair with Calypso, but he was trapped on her island for 7 years and even regrets the time he spent with her. "... and found him there on the headland, sitting, still, weeping, his eyes never dry, his sweet life flowing away with the tears he wept for his foiled journey home, since the nymph no longer pleased. In the nights, true, he'd sleep with her in the arching cave---he had no choice--- unwilling lover alongside lover all too willing..."(157, 167-172). Also you make the point of Odysseus sleeping with Circe, but he only did this because Hermes told him it would save his men. "She'll cower in fear and coax you to her bed--- but don't refuse the goddess' bed, not then, not if she's to release your friends and treat you well yourself." Both of these quotes show that even if Odysseus enjoyed sleeping with the maidens, well not after a year or two with Calypso, it was out of his control whether or not he would sleep with them. With Calypso he was trapped on an island with just her, and Calypso made him sleep with her. The only way for Odysseus to save his men was if he didn't deny her request to join her in bed. In both of the situations Odysseus did what he thought was best.
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