Monday, September 21, 2015
The Real Couples of the Odyssey
By the time we encounter Odysseus in Books 5 and 6, we are introduced to several couples in the story: We meet Odysseus and Penelope, although they are apart; Odysseus and Calypso, although Odysseus is held against his will; Agamemnon and Clytemnestra, although not directly; Menelaus and Helen, and, potentially at least, Odysseus and Nausicaa. What is the significance of these couples? Do some of these couples show the ideal of love and marriage while others show flawed and problematic relationships? According to the story, what should you look for in a relationship and what should you avoid? Do you agree?
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
This comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteI think that Odysseus and Penelope are the prime example of a “good couple”. Odysseus knows how much he loves her and wants to be with her and gives up a perfect life of immortality with Calypso to be mortal with his wife and son. This path with Calypso would have given him godly food, endless sex, and no stress for the rest of his life; however, if he chose to spend his life with Penelope, he would have had to worry about day to day things once again and try to again find the pleasure in living life as an ordinary citizen while his son takes over his kingdom. He knows all of this and still comes back because he loves her and his son. Odysseus describes his relationship with Penelope to Calypso by saying, “She falls far short of you, your beauty, stature. She is mortal after all and you, you never age or die… nevertheless I long—I pine, all my days—to travel home and see the dawn of my return” (Homer 159). However, the way Calypso loves Odysseus is also very powerful and true. The only problem was that Odysseus loved someone else more and Calypso was left in the dark. So even though Odysseus had never agreed to the relationship in the first place, he wasn’t loyal to Calypso when he left her. In conclusion, according to the book, you should look for true love and loyalty in a relationship. You should never want to leave them, even if someone “better” comes along and seems to have interest in you.
ReplyDeleteI think that Odysseus and Penelope are the prime example of a “good couple”. Odysseus knows how much he loves her and wants to be with her and gives up a perfect life of immortality with Calypso to be mortal with his wife and son. This path with Calypso would have given him godly food, endless sex, and no stress for the rest of his life; however, if he chose to spend his life with Penelope, he would have had to worry about day to day things once again and try to again find the pleasure in living life as an ordinary citizen while his son takes over his kingdom. He knows all of this and still comes back because he loves her and his son. Odysseus describes his relationship with Penelope to Calypso by saying, “She falls far short of you, your beauty, stature. She is mortal after all and you, you never age or die… nevertheless I long—I pine, all my days—to travel home and see the dawn of my return” (Homer 159). However, the way Calypso loves Odysseus is also very powerful and true. The only problem was that Odysseus loved someone else more and Calypso was left in the dark. So even though Odysseus had never agreed to the relationship in the first place, he wasn’t loyal to Calypso when he left her. In conclusion, according to the book, you should look for true love and loyalty in a relationship. You should never want to leave them, even if someone “better” comes along and seems to have interest in you.
ReplyDeleteOdysseus and Penelope are the kind of couple that comes to mind when you are thinking about the ideals of love and marriage. They haven’t seen each other in many years, but they still love each other. Penelope comes up with schemes and excuses so that she doesn’t have to choose one of the suitors; the scheme mentioned in the story involves her loom. She tells her suitors that she will choose one of them when she finishes her weaving, but she unravels all she has done each day in the dark of night. While all of this is going on in Ithaca, Odysseus is trying to return home; he’s in distress because he’s away from Penelope and his son, Telemachus. Agamemnon and Clytemnestra are the farthest thing from being a good couple. Clytemnestra was cheating on Agamemnon with Aegisthus while he was away at Troy. When Agamemnon returned home, his wife and her lover killed him. Menelaus and Helen aren’t a very good couple, either. All of the fighting at Troy was a result of Helen running off with her lover, Paris. Odysseus and Calypso are another example of a horrible couple. She offered him immortality, sex, and great food. None of this mattered though, because Odysseus was trapped on this island. It’s probably hard to enjoy these things when you’re constantly thinking about how you are far away from your family and don’t have a way to escape the island you’re trapped on. These things make me think that the book is saying that you should look for true love and faithfulness in a relationship. All of the examples of bad relationships above involve gods, unfaithfulness, and promises of immortality and other luxuries. The reason that Odysseus and Penelope are a great couple is because they just love each other, no strings attached. I agree with the book that a simple, uncomplicated relationship that is built on love and trust is what you should look for.
ReplyDeleteI think that there are many errors in the relationships mentioned in the Odyssey. Not a single pairing has been completely successful. Quite a few of the couplings has one half unwilling to be with the other half. For example, Odysseus is stranded on an island with Calypso, held there against his will. Relationships like this are unhealthy to both parties. Unhealthy for the unwilling, because they have to suffer without who they really want, and are stuck with the other person. However, it is also unhealthy for the overly willing. Even if they can finally coax the other person to come around, they have to live knowing that their feelings are not reciprocated. Knowing that they were not good enough for whoever it was they wanted so badly that they had to force them into a relationship. “But all his days he’d sit on the rocks and beaches,/wrenching his heart with sobs and groans and anguish,/gazing out over the barren sea through blinding tears,” (5. 174-6). Another common path of a relationship in the Odyssey is one of adultery. Many times, there have been complaints of one’s spouse and/or lover taking another behind one’s back. This is so common that even the gods are doing it; Aphrodite, for example, cheats on her husband Hephaestus with the war god, Ares. Finally, many might say that Odysseus and Penelope are the perfect couple. But are they really? Yes, Odysseus’ denial of Calypso and Circe and others in favor of Penelope shows devotion but is Penelope showing the same amount of restraint? While she refuses to choose a suitor with whom to wed, it does not make it seem like she is trying very hard to drive them away. There doesn’t seem to be a single perfect relationship in The Odyssey. But that makes one wonder; are there really ever any perfect relationships?
ReplyDeleteEach of these couples has a significant impact on the storyline of the Odyssey. While on the surface, many of these relationships seem perfect and beautiful, each of them is deeply flawed. The clearest example of a flawed couple is the relationship between Odysseus and Calypso. This is described in book five, “But all his days he’d sit on the rocks and beaches,/wrenching his heart with sobs and groans and anguish,/gazing out over the barren sea through blinding tears,” (5. 174-6). Calypso offers him immortality and amazing things to stay on her island, but Odysseus longs for the true love he has in Penelope. He spends his days on the island sobbing his heart out, and his only relief is at night when he and Calypso make love. This is clearly a very unhealthy relationship. On the other hand, it appears that before the war, Odysseus and Penelope had a great relationship. However, in the twenty years that Odysseus has been away, his wife has been courted by many suitors. She struggles every day to stay faithful to her marauding husband. This couple is the least problematic of any in the others in this book. According to this story, a relationship should involve a powerful husband with lots of prowess, and a meek, quiet wife who oversees the house. The book also indirectly explains that the man in the relationship should have all of the power over his wife. I completely disagree with this idea. I believe that the man and the woman in a relationship should share the power.
ReplyDeleteIn the Odyssey, many of the couples are dysfunctional. For example, Agamemmnon’s wife, Clytemnestra, cheated on him with Aegisthus while he was fighting in Troy. When he returned, Aegisthus and Clytemnestra killed him. However, Agamemmnon was avenged by his son, Orestes, who murdered both Aegisthus and his mother, Clytemnestra. Another example of a bad couple would be Menelaus and Helen. The whole reason that the Trojan War was fought was because Helen fell in love with Paris. Even after Menelaus returned with Helen, there relationship was not stable. After Helen told Telemachus what happened during the Trojan War, Menelaus replied saying “There was a tale, my lady. So well told.” (4.298). He is saying that she was lying about what she said. While this relationship hasn’t led to one killing the other, it is still pretty bad. Another terrible relationship was Odysseus’s and Calypso’s. Odysseus was kept captive on Ogygia, Calypso’s island of exile. She offered him immortality if he stayed with her forever. However, Odysseus declined. He wanted to return to Ithaca to be with his wife Penelope. It says that Odysseus was “weeping, his eyes never dry, his sweet life flowing away with the tears he wept for his foiled journey home,” (5.68-9). Perhaps the only working couple was with Odysseus and Penelope. Even with Odysseus gone for ten years, she never remarried. Penelope has always stayed faithful to Odysseus. However, the same could not be said about Odysseus. He slept with Calypso many times. According to the Odyssey, I should look for a faithful woman. If they cheat on me I should probably leave them before something bad happens. I definitely agree with this because if they cheat on you, they don't really love you so there's no point in having a relationship.
ReplyDeleteWhen thinking of an “ideal couple” the people that come to mind are, Odyssesus and Penelope. Odysseus knows he is in love with Penelope and wants to be with her despite their time apart. When Odysseus gives up the chance of a life time with Calypso to become immortal and live the life every man wants. If Odysseus chose to continue with Calypso he would have the lifestyle of endless passionate sex, great tasty food and a stress free life. A life like that is hard to say no to. The other path Odyssesus took was a chance to come back to the woman he truly loves. The life with Penelope would include ordinary day to day confusion and worries while his son takes over his kingdom. Odysseus describes his relationship with Penelope to Calypso by telling her, “She falls for short of you, your beauty, stature. She is mortal after all and you, you never age or die. Nevertheless I long I pine, all my days-to travel home and see the dawn of my return’’ (Homer 159). This quote, shows the strong love Odysseus has for Penelope. Although Odysseus’s love is strong for Penelope, Calypso’s love for Odyssesus is very strong. If it weren’t for Odysseus’s strong love for Penelope, and her love for him, I believe Odysseus would be with Calypso. Calypso was left behind while Odysseus left her for his journey to return home to his native land where his wife and son await him. Or this is what he wants to believes. Calypso wanted a relationship with Odysseus that could never happen due to Odysseus love for Penelope. Odysseus was never loyal to Calypso. The moral of the story is to stay loyal to the person you love and don’t ever leave them, even if the outcome may seem like the greatest thing in the world.
ReplyDeleteI believe Odysseus and Pennelope is the best example for a good relationship, for each is destined to be with each other and trying hard to be with each other. Odysseus is traveling years and years away from home to be with Pennelope and giving up desirable options. Penelope on the other hand is waiting, trying her hardest to stay away from the suitors, for she believes there is hope of the Odysseus coming home. This is compared to Odysseus and Calypso, Odysseus against his will and Calypso holding him captive. The decision is hard for Odysseus, for he would receive iternal life, food, and sex, but Odysseus turned it down for it was not as great as the love between him and Penelope. Odysseus also has a relationship with Nausicaa, for Nausicaa is in love with the Odysseus, but Odysseus does not feel the same. Odysseus does like Nausicaa, and he might be with her if he was not in love with Pennelope, but she was currently his main desire. There where other relationships in the epic, including the flawed relationship between Agamemnon and Clytemnestra. Truly there was no love between them if Clytemnestra would leave Agamemnon for their own son, which is wrong on so many levels, and on top of that she killed Agamemnon. But one happy couple, Helen and Menelaus, celebrating he weddings of each of their children, and safe from the war. So far everything has gone just perfectly for them, except for the guilt of Helen, for if it weren't for her, there would be no Trojan war, which resulted in the casualties of many. The two married couples create the best relationships, as each truly cares for one another.
ReplyDeleteEvery time a couple is introduced in The Odyssey, an important message is portrayed about the character. A reader can learn a lot about the personality of a specific character in what kind of relationship they have with their partner. For example, you can learn that Penelope is a very loyal person based on her relationship with Odysseus when he is away at Troy. In the twenty years that Odysseus is away at Troy, Penelope never takes in a new husband and never sleeps with another man. In fact, she even creates a scheme to stop all her suitors from marrying her. At one point a suitor is very angry because of Penelope’s trick. He explains, “[S]he’d weave at her great and growing web/by night, by the light of torches set beside her/ she would unravel all she’d done” (2. 115-17). This shows that Penelope is very clever because of the scheme she created and very faithful because she waits for Odysseus and will not sleep with another man. That quote explains a lot about Penelope as a character and it is purely based on her relationship with Odysseus. Additionally, there are many problematic couples as well as loving couples such as Odysseus and Penelope. One of the couples is Odysseus and Calypso. Calypso forces Odysseus to lover her and forces him to live with her on her island. Athena wants Odysseus to leave Calypso’s island, so he can finish his quest she protests to Zeus that he should tell Calypso to let Odysseus go. She says, “Now/he’s left to pine on an island, racked with grief/ in the nymph Calypso’s house—she holds him there by force” (5. 13-15). Odysseus and Calypso are not loving because it is a forced relationship, and Odysseus does not really love Calypso. An ideal relationship, based on the quotes earlier in this passage are being loyal, faithful, and having true love. You should avoid being in a relationship with a forced manner and the people are together based on obligation not love.
ReplyDeleteAs we go further and further into The Odyssey, we meet many potential, actual, and estranged couples. Examples of these include Odysseus and Nausicaa, Odysseus and Penelope, and Agamemnon and Clytemnestra, respectively. These varying relationships show how differently people were expected to behave as well as the difference in circumstance to modern day. For example, back then, the men went off to sea and had no communication with their significant other until they got back if they got back at all. While the men were at sea, the women were expected to wait anxiously for their partner to return and tend to chores, children, etc. Of course, not all of them did that. Take Agamemnon and Clytemnestra for example. While Agamemnon was at sea, Clytemnestra was seduced by Aegisthus and was sleeping with him. In addition to adultery, Clytemnestra and Aegisthus plotted Agamemnon’s death and killed him upon his return. On the other hand is Odysseus and Penelope. While Odysseus is out at sea for years on end, Penelope is courted by many suitors, but she does not marry any of them. These two couples show many different qualities and that is what dictates a healthy or unhealthy relationship. For Agamemnon and Clytemnestra, there is deceit and infidelity. Clytemnestra has lost faith in Agamemnon’s return, thus allowing herself to fall in love with Aegisthus and encouraging him to stab and kill Agamemnon when he returns. With Odysseus and Penelope, there is trust, faith in each other, reliance on each other, and faithfulness. Odysseus’ main goal throughout the story is to get home to see Penelope. Penelope believes in his return and remains faithful to Odysseus, turning away all of her suitors. I think that in a healthy relationship you should have trust, empathy, and love overall; but only a few couples really show those qualities
ReplyDelete