The Odyssey - Homer

The Odyssey is one of those magical texts that changes every time you read it. I pour myself into the timeless epic on a fairly regular basis and each reading is never quite the same. At first I put this down to multiple translators, which can impact any story severely, but after reading E. V. Rieu's celebrated translation in its entirety for the second time, I realised that this was not the case. It is a tale that morphs and shifts in much the same way as its main protagonist Odysseus, the man of many ways, conceals himself in various disguises. New scenes reveal themselves, old ones disappear and the characters themselves appear to take on fresh qualities. Perhaps the changeable spirit of oral poetry, passed down through the centuries, remains infused within the narrative, continuing to realign the story even after it has been printed on the page. Whatever the reasons behind this enchantment, it encourages and rewards repeated readings. I first came to the Odyssey as a young boy, starting off on picture book editions and eventually moving onto the full translations. I was spellbound from beginning to end and would spend hours captivated within the world, experiencing fantasies, nightmares and yearnings for the realm of heroes and gods. Never before had my imagination been so affected and thus my love of Greek mythology was sprung.

Homer's Odyssey is a sequel to the Iliad. Following the sack of Troy, it details the aftermath of the famous siege, namely the ten year return voyage of the hero Odysseus and the consequence of his homecoming to Ithaca. In his absence, a bunch of unruly suitors from the neighbouring islands have taken up residence in his palace; courting his wife, bullying his son, and squandering his wealth. The long suffering Odysseus must pit his wits against numerous obstacles if he hopes to see his homeland and family again.The poem was composed in dactylic hexameter and is the second major work of Western literature. It is divided into twenty four books spread over a non-linear plot which pre-empts the modern novel. This format may feel strange at first, especially within an ancient text where one would naturally expect a very formulaic structure, yet the Odyssey is anything but a simple construction. It is a product of multiple genres; adventure, tragedy, fantasy, horror, romance, drama and revenge tale all in one, with plenty of humour scattered throughout. It has the power to reduce its audience to tears just as readily as it can incite laughter, such is the majesty of the verse. The language is truly exquisite; lyrical and resonant, it effortlessly transports the reader to a realm of gilded palaces, echoing porticoes and wine dark seas - to name but a few epithets! When reading the Odyssey, one feels assured of being in very skilled and capable hands, much like the blind bard Demodocus in the palace of King Alcinous.

Although the Odyssey is sometimes cheapened into a run-of-the-mill fantasy adventure, its central themes and motifs are remarkably mature and insightful of human nature. Subjects such as xenia (Greek for hospitality), loyalty, duty, vengeance, love, honour, greed, gluttony, wisdom, intellect, temptation and many others permeate the pages of the sprawling epic, combining to create a complex platter of very real, and very human drives, fears and desires. The supernatural and fantastic elements of the tale are merged seamlessly with the rational and every day. Polyphemus may be a man-eating cyclops, but he acts just like a regular, methodical shepherd towards his cherished flock. In a brilliant reversal of sympathies, we are even made to feel tenderness towards him. The immortal gods themselves are given human attributes; petty jealousies, insecurities, and wanton lust. Magic and sorcery never feel out of place and are dealt with more naturally than any subsequent fantasy romps have managed. The audience is made to accept right from the start that the realms of the natural and the supernatural are one and the same. Characterisation is expertly done and whether likeable or not, I inevitably find myself rooting for Odysseus by the end of the poem.

Praise for the Odyssey aside, I will briefly sum up a few points which new readers (or even old) may take issue with. There is repetition in abundance, particularly with epithets and stock formulas, often entire scenes and speeches are replicated word for word. Rather than finding them wearisome however, I eventually learned to appreciate the poetic device. There are some minor inconsistencies in the plot, but with such an ancient text deriving from oral tradition, it is a miracle that there are not more! In addition to this, there are moments of great cruelty which some readers might find distasteful, the beginning is painfully slow (we don't even meet Odysseus until book 5), and the ending is rather feeble and abrupt. Indeed, there is much indecision as to whether the ending is even authentic and was not later tacked on by a lesser poet. Despite these unavoidable gripes, my enjoyment of the poem remains undiminished and I can quite confidently ascertain that the Odyssey is my favourite work of literature of all time. On the other hand, I completely understand a lot of peoples' aversion to the mighty epic, due largely in part to the horrendous way in which it is force fed at school. I nonetheless urge those with bad experiences to give it another go; Rieu's translation is by no means a bad way to make the plunge.

Rating: 5/5