Thursday, April 21, 2011
Where do you come from?
One of the many important themes in The Odyssey is the importance of lineage, or one's family history. Such examples of this theme are shown when characters are introduced, such as when Arete is introduced, "Arete, she is called, and earns the name: she answers all our prayers...."(book 7: 61-64) This introduction then goes on to explain Arete's lineage, and how she is actually her husband's niece. Another example of lineage being important is that only those with lineage get epithets, such as "Bright/Gray-Eyed Athena", "Giant Killer Hermes" or "White Armed Nausicaa". The point is that since Arete is actually related to Poseidon, and as thus becomes a queen, who then because of her famous, long and important lineage receives a huge introduction. Another example of showing the importance of lineage is the fact that all of the main characters so far are some sort of royalty or related to a god. Odysseus is a king, as well as the great-grandson of Zeus, Penelope is a queen, Telemachus is a prince, Athena is a god, Ino is the daughter of a god, Calypso is the daughter of a Titan, Alcinous is both a king and related to a god, and those are just a few. The character's without important and powerful lineage are almost always minor characters, such as Nausicaa's maids, or most of the suitors, all who don't even receive names. In conclusion, either characters important to the story receive important lineage, or important lineage characters receive important roles in the story. Whatever the case, Lineage shows to be important enough to put a focus on.
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I agree with this. Characters in this epic in general tend to judge people on qualities they cannot control. These mainly include lineage, appearance, and "godlihood."
ReplyDeleteYou got most of the points of lineage so I will explain appearance. Appearance seems to be a major factor in how important characters are and how desirable they are for marriage. Notice that Odysseus and Menelaus both have wives famous for their appearance, but they are rarely described as having impressive personalities. Helen had previously had an affair with Paris, but Menelaus seems to have forgiven her by the beginning The Odyssey, presumably because she is so beautiful and he still wants her.
Meanwhile Penelope is complimented for her cunning, but her constant sadness and whining early on shows how weak she is. For example, she complains when her bard sings a song about Achaeans returning from Troy, "But break off this song- / the unendurable song song that always rends the heart inside me" (Book 1, 392-393). She cannot even handle listening to a song somewhat relating to her husband's dilemma.
Whether or not someone is a god is of extreme importance. Of course powerful gods and goddesses enjoy leisurely lives thanks to their powers, but people are also expected to worship and frequently make sacrifices to them. Menelaus explains to Telemachus that for a long time, he "was in Egypt, where the gods still marooned [him], / ... [He]'d failed, / ... to render them full, flawless, victims" (Book 4, 391-393). Since he failed to fully meet his duty to the gods, they punished him severely as they have the power to do so, even though they have not necessarily earned this power.
The Odyssey seems to support this respect of characters for how they were born. It suggests that people with great appearances or with impressive lineages tend to have the best of other characteristics like bravery and virtue. The main character Odysseus, for example, is renown for his courage and cunning, and he also happens to be handsome and a king. Random ugly peasants never have important (let alone any) roles in this epic. These characteristics from birth are also related to each other. When Odysseus sees Nausicaa for the first time, he is immediately able to determine from her beauty that she is royal or a goddess. Once again, this suggests there is truth to one's value stemming from the blood they were born with.