The Homecoming
The Odyssey by the ancient Greek writer Homer takes us into the life of a man called Odysseus. Odysseus, the son of Lartes, has left both his son, Telemachus, and his wife, Penelope, to fight a war in Troy. After 10 years of fighting the war, Odysseus and his men were finally ready to return home to their families, however, the Gods were not finished with Odysseus. They needed to test his wisdom, honor, piety and prudence to prove that he is truly a noble hero. While Odysseus was going through his journey of self-knowledge, battling mystical creatures and fighting off temptation, his wife and his son staved of suitors who wanted Penelope’s hand in marriage and Ithaca’s throne. Through the series of tests the great hero is put …show more content…
Once Penelope truly realizes that it’s Odysseus who’s standing right in before her, we’re shown a different side of Odysseus. The narrator explains how Odysseus “wept as he held his lovely wife, whose thoughts were virtuous” (Bk 23 ln. 232). For the first time Odysseus is depicted to us as more than just a hero. We begin to feel for him and see him as a father and a husband who’s been trying to get home to his family for over 20 years. His tears symbolize the joy of finally being home and the suffering he’s been through. Penelope’s embrace has allowed him to feel like he was truly home again. Very early in book one we’re made aware of the special connection Odysseus and his wife have; one that no woman, even the queenly nymph Kalypso can get between. The narrator describes how Odysseus was “longing for his wife and his homecoming [while he] was detained by the queenly nymph Kalypso, bright among goddesses, in her hollard caverns, desiring that he should be her husband” (bk 1 ln. 13-15). The fact that he rejected Kalypso and her offer showed true desire to return home and the love he has for is wife. If he had no desire of returning home, he would have accepted the immortality offer Kalypso has presented to him but instead he rejects it and continues his journey of returning
The Odyssey by the ancient Greek writer Homer takes us into the life of a man called Odysseus. Odysseus, the son of Lartes, has left both his son, Telemachus, and his wife, Penelope, to fight a war in Troy. After 10 years of fighting the war, Odysseus and his men were finally ready to return home to their families, however, the Gods were not finished with Odysseus. They needed to test his wisdom, honor, piety and prudence to prove that he is truly a noble hero. While Odysseus was going through his journey of self-knowledge, battling mystical creatures and fighting off temptation, his wife and his son staved of suitors who wanted Penelope’s hand in marriage and Ithaca’s throne. Through the series of tests the great hero is put …show more content…
Once Penelope truly realizes that it’s Odysseus who’s standing right in before her, we’re shown a different side of Odysseus. The narrator explains how Odysseus “wept as he held his lovely wife, whose thoughts were virtuous” (Bk 23 ln. 232). For the first time Odysseus is depicted to us as more than just a hero. We begin to feel for him and see him as a father and a husband who’s been trying to get home to his family for over 20 years. His tears symbolize the joy of finally being home and the suffering he’s been through. Penelope’s embrace has allowed him to feel like he was truly home again. Very early in book one we’re made aware of the special connection Odysseus and his wife have; one that no woman, even the queenly nymph Kalypso can get between. The narrator describes how Odysseus was “longing for his wife and his homecoming [while he] was detained by the queenly nymph Kalypso, bright among goddesses, in her hollard caverns, desiring that he should be her husband” (bk 1 ln. 13-15). The fact that he rejected Kalypso and her offer showed true desire to return home and the love he has for is wife. If he had no desire of returning home, he would have accepted the immortality offer Kalypso has presented to him but instead he rejects it and continues his journey of returning