A Response to Book 1 of the Odyssey, which is attributed to Homer
Odysseus’ absence in Book 1 of The Odyssey means that the reader’s first impression of this hero comes through the words and opinions of other characters, both mortals and immortals. We see that the gods admire this hero, especially Athena, who appreciates his cunning. We also see Odysseus’ wife and son remaining loyal to him after so many years after away from home by rejecting and condemning the suitors even while they continue to uphold guest-host relations by allowing the suitors to remain in their house. Due to Odysseus’ absence, there is a lot of tension and anxiety in his household. The epic raises the question of inheritance with Telemachus; at first, he is unable to step up and assume authority. However, Athena, who goes to Ithaca in disguise in order to motivate Telemachus, gives him advice: “You must not cling to your boyhood any longer—/it’s time you were a man” (1.340-1). Therefore, we come into the epic seeing Ithaca overrun by suitors and Telemachus on the verge on becoming a man. The opening book turns the epic’s focus to Odysseus’ home and his family, which gives the reader a picture of Odysseus’ end goal. We know what Odysseus must face upon his return.
Book 1 emphasizes this idea of the unwelcome hero returning home by telling the story of Agamemnon, who was killed upon his homecoming. The anxieties of the hearth are echoed and amplified by Agamemnon’s story. Clytemnestra’s adultery demonstrates the worst possible outcome for a hero returning home from war. This theme of adultery is paralleled not only by the presence of the suitors but also by Telemachus’ doubting his mother. When Athena comments on the “[u]ncanny[1] resemblance” Telemachus bears to his father (1.241), Telemachus says, “Mother has always told me I’m his son, it’s true,/but I am not so certain” (1.249-50). He expresses anxiety about his mother’s faithfulness; he questions the validity of his inheritance. The story of Agamemnon’s homecoming also introduces the idea of revenge that ‘fixes’ a home. Orestes murders his mother and Aegisthus, her lover, after he discovers they are responsible for his father’s death. In fact, Orestes’ actions effectively end the cycle of violence that has existed in his family for generations. Therefore, bloodshed and revenge become a part of the home, and then the problem becomes how and when to stop that violence. We do not yet see this violence occurring in Odysseus’ home in Book 1, but Agamemnon’s story introduces the idea to us; the story of the unwelcome hero within a scene taking place in Odysseus’ home evokes the same tension and anxiety in the reader that the characters feel. Our anxiety, which stays with us throughout the epic, is heightened due to this dramatic irony, because we know what awaits Odysseus although he does not.
[1] The word ‘uncanny’ is an interesting choice for the translator to make because it is so closely related to ‘home.’ It means both familiar and unfamiliar, known and unknown, like the home yet simultaneously off or not quite right. The word may apply to Telemachus’ resemblance to his father, but it applies to the state of their home as well.
Weekly Literature 