I know we talked about this in class today, but I would like to bring it up again with a few new insights. Every time Odysseus arrives in a foreign city, he is greeted with hospitality. The occupants prepare a great feast, then set him up with a ship (or fleet of ships) and a crew to continue his voyage with. Apart from being extremely unusual by today's standards, there is another issue with this hospitality. What happens to the ships and their crew?
So far, every ship and crew that Odysseus has sailed with has perished. The Phaecians nearly made it back to their port, before being smited to Davy Jones locker. All of his other crews suffered a similar fate. The sailors who were selected to be part of the crews (or maybe volunteered) get screwed in multiple other ways. They are leaving their family. They don't know how long it will take to see Odysseus safely to Ithaca, or how long it will take them to return home. Furthermore, they aren't given any share of Odysseus' plunder (as evidences in book 10), so they have no real reason to take a long voyage with a man they just met. This brings up another interesting point: what is Odysseus' relationship to his crew?
Odysseus has gone through many crews and ships. The death toll may be in the hundreds, maybe even close to one thousand. How can he put up with knowing that every crew he sails with will likely die or experience some unfortunate accident? How does he know that this new bunch of strangers will be loyal to him or know where to go? How do the sailors know that Odysseys isn't some madman, trying to capture them and sell them into slavery. Such things weren't uncommon in the ancient times, men from port villages were dragged aboard ships in their sleep, only to wake up on the open sea, forced to become part of the crew. One thing is for certain, however, every crew that has sailed with Odysseus has perished, and none have received any due credit.
I never realized that every crew Odysseus sails with gets doomed in the end. I guess we're supposed to believe that Odysseus is a hero so we don't think that he would be the cause of so many deaths until we think about it carefully. Now that you mention it, it seems a bit strange that none of the strangers become weary of Odysseus.
ReplyDeleteWow, I had never realized this either! It is surprising that the neighboring kingdoms have heard stories of Odysseus, but never noticed his crews' misfortunes. Also, besides just the sailors of Phaecia, the entire kingdom gets screwed because of Odysseus when Zeus and Poseidon surround their port with a rock wall. It seems like helping Odysseus can definitely come with a cost!
ReplyDeleteThis has been something I've been thinking about a lot as well. It definitely taints my view of Odysseus. I feel as though his selfishness and lack of compassion towards people willing to do anything for him really ruins a bit of his heroism for me.
ReplyDeletePossibly this could be flipped around and posed as a tribute to Odysseus' undying optimism? Maybe it can be used to show how just how desperate he is to get home, to be with his family, that he would sentence hundreds to death just to see them again? I don't really buy it either, it's very ambiguous whether this can be chalked up as madness or strong adherence to his cause.
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