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The legendary story of Odysseus

The word Odyssey has come to mean a journey of epic proportions. The word
comes from Homer's epic poem The Odyssey, written in the 8th century BC and it is
a sequel to Homer's other epic poem, The Iliad, which describes the last days of the
great Trojan War. The Odyssey speaks of Odysseus' adventures that delay by a
decade the return to his beloved homeland, Ithaca. The Odyssey was probably a
popular story transmitted down the generations orally, with Homer writing down the
story in one narrative. The story is told by Homer in a flashback format and narrates
the legendary journey of king Odysseus to return home, to his palace and family,
after the Trojan War had ended.
Odysseus, a legendary man
According to Homer, Laertes and Anticleia were the parents of Odysseus. He was
married to Penelope and they gave birth to a son, Telemachus. Odysseus was often
called "Odysseus the Cunning" because of his clever and quick mind. Autolycus, his
grandfather, was a famous skilled thief in the Peloponnese. The Romans
transformed the name Odysseus to Ulysses and that is how he is mostly known
today all over the world. Odysseus had a proud and arrogant character. He was the
master of disguise in both appearance and voice. He also excelled as a military
commander and ruler, as is evident from the role he played in ensuring to the
Greeks the victory over Troy, giving thus an end to the long Trojan War.
The fall of Troy
All began the day Paris of Troy abducted Helen, wife of Menelaus, king of Sparta.
Enraged, Menelaus called upon all kings of Greece, including Odysseus, as all had
once vowed to defend the honour of Helen, if someone ever tried to insult her.
Odysseus, however, tried to escape the promise made to Menelaus by feigning
insanity. Agamemnon, the brother of Menelaus proved Odysseus to be lying and
henceforth the legendary warrior set out for Troy, along with Agamemnon the lord of
men, Achilles the invincible, Nestor he wise and Teucer the master archer, as they
were called. Ten years had passed since the Greeks attacked Troy and they were all
still there, outside the strong walls, fighting with the locals, who proved
themeselves brave warriors. In the tenth year of the war, Odysseus the Cunning,
the most trusted advisor and counselor of king Agamemnon, the leader of the
Greeks, devised a plan to deceive the Trojans. He wanted to make them believe that
the Greeks had lost their nerves and had returned back to Greece. In the middle of
the night, the Greeks deserted Troy leaving only a gigantic wooden horse on wheels
outside the gates of the city. When dawn broke, the Trojans were surprised to see no
Greek army surrounding them, only a wooden horse. They indeed believed that the
Greeks had gone and had left this horse as a gift to the gods, to give them a good
sea trip. Thus they wheeled the wooden horse into their city and started revelry to
celebrate the end of the war. However, unknown to the Trojans, Odysseus had built
a hollow into the wooden horse to hide there a few Greek warriors. This plan was
the only way to gain entry to the city that had held its defenses for so many years.
Now that they were inside Odysseus and his men went out the dummy horse and
slaughtered the unsuspecting guards. Then they opened the city gates and allowed
the entire Greek army, who were hiding some miles away, to enter the city. Thus,
thanks to the plan of Odysseus, the Greeks won the Trojan War. With the war over,
Odysseus and his men set sail for their homeland, Ithaca, but in the end only one of
them would come back.
The long journey home
The journey home for Odysseus and his fellows would be long and full of
adventures. Their eyes would see all the strange of the world and Odysseus would
come home with more memories and experiences than any other person in the
world.
The Cicones

Odysseus and his legion set sail from Troy aboard twelve ships. Tranquil waters
facilitated the movement of the ships and they were well out to sea. After a few
days, they sighted land and Eurylochus, second-in-command to Odysseus,
convinced him to weigh anchor, go ashore and devastate the city with the
assurance that they would not be harmed. Seeing the ships weigh anchor and
thenceforth the warriors coming ashore, the Ciconians, the local residents, fled to
the nearby mountains. Odysseus and his men plundered and looted the empty city.
However, the men of Odysseus resisted his efforts to get them back aboard the ship
immediately and after a hearty meal accompanied by wine that flew like water, they
fell asleep on the shore. Before the first light, the Ciconians returned with their
fierce neighbors and set upon the warriors, killing as many as they could. Odysseus
and his men beat a hasty retreat to their ships but heavy damages had already
been inflicted on their number. Berating himself for having listened to Eurylochus
and thereafter losing so many valuable men, Odysseus and Eurylochus fought with
each other but they were separated by their fellow-men and peace was once again
established amidst the warriors.
The Lotus-Eaters
Rounding to the south, Odysseus and his men were blown off-course, towards the
land of the Lotus-Eaters. While Odysseus was scouting around the land, some of his
men mingled with the natives and ate the local lotus grown on the land. Soon,
everything went hazy and the men found themselves under the heavy influence of
some intoxicant that caused them to fall asleep. The lotus flowers they had eaten
were narcotic in nature and made them forget all about their family and homeland.
These men wanted to stay on this land and eat lotus for the rest of their lives. They
refused to go home. Desperately, Odysseus and some other men had to carry them
back to the ship. Without delay, they set sail and upon waking these men had to be
bound to the masts to prevent them from jumping into the sea and swimming back
to the shore to consume the lotus flower that they had got so addicted to.
Polyphemus the Cyclops
After sailing for many weeks without further adventure, the warriors chanced upon
a strange land. Odysseus and a handful of his men went ashore to search the land.
A few minutes walk from the ships brought them to the mouth of a gigantic cave.
Curious, the warriors entered the cave and found it to be the habitation of some
gigantic being. Further on, they found flocks of sheep inside the cave and being
hungry, they slaughtered a few of them and feasted on their flesh. Unknown to
them, this was the lair of Polyphemus the Cyclops and this land was the home of the
gigantic Cyclopes. Returning to his cave, Polyphemus blocked the entrance with a
huge rock, as he usually did. Odysseus and his men ran towards the entrance but
they were dismayed at the sight that greeted them. Here was a huge rock
preventing their escape from a being that was even bigger than the rock. Laying his
only eye on the warriors, Polyphemus asked who they were. Without revealing their
identity or mission, Odysseus told Polyphemus they were sea-farers who had lost
their way and had come ashore looking for food. Unhappy that his sheep had been
killed and eaten by these men, Polyphemus refused them to exit his cave. Everyday
he made a meal of two brave warriors, dashing their brains out on the walls of the
cave and chewing them raw. Unable to bear this act of cruelty, Odysseus devised a
plan to get them out. He had with him a gourd of strong wine and one day he
offered it to Polyphemus, who grabbed it and poured it down his throat greedily. The
wine made the Cyclops drowsy and within minutes he fell asleep. Odysseus and his
remaining men took a red-hot poker from the fire-place and thrust it into the
Cyclop's only eye, blinding him. The sleeping giant awoke in shock, howling in pain
and bellowing in rage, demanding to know who had done this. Yet again Odysseus
presence of mind proved of the very essence and he shouted out that his name was
"Nobody". Polyphemus, now on his feet and stumbling around created such a
commotion that his fellow Cyclops came running to his lair to see what had
happened. When they stood outside the cave and asked Polyphemus what had

happened, the Cyclops said that Nobody had blinded him. The other Cyclopes
laughed out loud, called him an idiot and told him there was nothing they could do
for "Nobody" had hurt him. The following morning, Odysseus and his men strapped
themselves to the belly of the sheep and in this manner they escaped when
Polyphemus let his flocks out of his lair to graze. Once outside, the warriors ran to
the safety of their ships. Odysseus, however, priding his brilliance, could not resist
taunting Polyphemus. The moment they set sail, he shouted out to the Cyclops that
it was he, Odysseus, who had blinded him. Enraged and unable to see, Polyphemus
threw a massive rock in the direction of the voice. Luckily for Odysseus, it fell short
of its target for else his ship would have been smashed. Polyphemus cried out to his
father, the sea-god Poseidon, to avenge this ignominy and hereafter Odysseus
became a sworn enemy of Poseidon.
The Bags of Aeolus
Fleeing the land of the Cyclopes, Odysseus found his ships nearing Aeolia, home of
Aeolus, the god of the winds. Aeolus used to blow the wind over the sea and the
land. After hearing of Odysseus' journey home, Aeolus gave him a bag full of winds
that would guide him home safely. Odysseus set sail the seas once again and spent
many sleepless nights guarding the bag until one day, too tired and overcome with
fatigue, he fell asleep. Curiosity overcame a couple of his men who had been
awaiting the opportunity to grab the bag to see what their leader was guarding with
his life. They got their chance the moment Odysseus fell asleep, as they were
approaching the shore of Ithaca. Without a minute of hesitation, the two sailors
opened the bag. The winds caught in the bag escaped and created a furious storm
that drove the ships backwards. Sensing something wrong in the motion of the ship
Odysseus awoke with a start only to find himself back at Aeolia. This time, Aeolus
declined to give again the gift of the winds and a heartbroken Odysseus set out
once again on the arduous journey back to Ithaca.
The Laestrygonians
Out of the darkness of night, an island was raising in the distance. This was
Telepylos, an island with natural defenses in the form of the cliffs and with only one
narrow passage in. Each ship passed into the calm harbor surrounded by cliffs with
the exception of Odysseus, who for some reason anchored it in the turbulent waters
outside. Two warriors went ashore to explore the island and they came across a girl
who took them to her father. Nearing the castle, they saw a gigantic woman who
called out to her husband. A giant man, her husband, came running out and
snatching up one of the men devoured him alive. The other ran for his life and the
entire race of giants that inhabited the land gave chase to him. At the harbor,
Odysseus' men ran for cover but the giants smashed their ships with massive rocks
and speared them alive. Only Odysseus managed to escape on his ship with some
sailors on it since he had anchored it outside the island.
Circe the Enchantress
Having barely saved their lives, Odysseus and the men aboard the one surviving
ship landed on the island, Aeaea, home to the powerful Circe, enchantress and
powerful sorceress. With the help of strong magic and unknown to the warriors,
Circe had already envisioned their arrival on her island. Some fellows of Odysseus
who had been sent to explore the island, walked into the palace of Circe and saw
her sitting on her magnificent throne, surrounded by wild animals who were once
men. The beautiful enchantress, with one touch of her stick, turned the mighty
warriors into pigs. With the help of god Hermes, Odysseus drank a certain herb that
protected him from Circe's magic. When she saw him, the sorceress found her spells
to be ineffective and on his demand that his men be turned back into human form,
the sorceress agreed but only if Odysseus shared her bed-chamber. Odysseus
consented and moreover, he and his men spent a whole year on this island. At the
end of that year, Odysseus decided to depart from Aeaea and continue his way
home. Circe, having the ability to predict future, gave him instructions on what to do

afterwards. She advised him to go to the Underworld and meet the blind prophet
Tiresius to ask him for instructions.
The Journey to the Underworld
No alive man had ever entered the Underworld. But brave Odysseus decided to do
so, in order to continue his journey and reach Ithaca at last! Odysseus and his men
made sacrifices to god Hades by the shores of the River Acheron and Odysseus
alone took the path to the dark Underworld. Tiresius appeared to Odysseus and the
blind prophet told him that in order to get home he had to pass between Scylla and
Charybdis, two great monsters.
The Sirens
Leaving Hades, Odysseus and his men sailed for many days without sight of land.
Not before long, though, strange disquieting sounds reached the ears of the men
aboard the ship. The sounds tugged at their hearts and made them want to weep
with joy. Odysseus at once realized that they were approaching the Sirens that Circe
had warned him about. The sorceress had told him to block every man's ears with
wax for if any were to hear the song of the Sirens, he would surely jump off the ship,
go close to the Sirens and the winged monsters would kill them. Odysseus did
exactly that with his men, but he himself wanted to hear their strange song. He thus
ordered his sailors to tie him up to the mast so he could not jump into the sea in an
attempt to meet the Sirens. With their ears blocked with wax, the men heard
nothing and the ship passed near the Sirens. Suddenly, Odysseus wanted to get free
of his bonds and swim towards the Sirens for their song had just become clear and it
was very beautiful and captivating. But the ropes were very tight and fortunately he
could not untie himself. His fellows could hear neither the Sirens neither the
screams of their leader, who was praying them to untie him. As the ship was sailing
away from the shore, the song of the Sirens was fading out.
The Cattle of Helios
Weary and tired from the ordeal, Odysseus ordered his ship to weigh anchor at the
island of Thrinacia. This island was sacred to the sun god Helios whose cattle grazed
freely here. Even though Odysseus had been warned by Tiresius and Circe not to
harm any of the cattles, his men defied him and set about slaughtering and feasting
on them. Immediately Helios complained to Zeus, vowing to take vengeance by
sending the sun down to Hades, never to rise again. Zeus in response sank
Odysseus ship with a thunderbolt as it was leaving Thrinacia and destroyed every
man aboard with the exception of the valiant leader. Somehow, a floundering
Odysseus was swept past Scylla and Charybdis and washed up ashore on an
unknown island.
Seven years with Calypso
The island that Odysseus found himself was Ogygia and it was there where he spent
seven years with the nymph Calypso, who found him unconscious on the beach. She
promised him immortality in exchange for his love, but soon Odysseus sensed once
again the desire to see Ithaca and his family, his unfortunate wife and his son who
would have grown up till then. Even a beautiful and powerful goddess like Calypso
couldn't fill this feeling of the unaccomplished that Odysseus was always carrying in
to his heart. However, Calypso had fallen in love with him and wouldn't let him go.
On the behalf of Zeus, Hermes appeared before Calypso and told her to let
Odysseus go. One day finally, on a raft that he built himself, Odysseus set off for
Ithaca with a wooden float but once again he was caught in the middle of a storm
and shore to another strange land.
Meanwhile on Ithaca
Telemachus, the son of Odysseus who had just turned twenty, decided to set out in
search of his long gone father. His mother had woes of her own. She was constantly

plagued by suitors asking for her hand, since ten years had passed from the end of
the Trojan War and her husband had not returned. Day after day, she fended off
their advances with an ingenious trick. She told the suitors that she was weaving a
burial shroud for Odysseus' father and only when it was complete, would she even
think to marry anyone of them. Penelope's trick was to weave the cloth in the
daytime and undo it at night, so the suitors were kept waiting indefinitely, until her
husband would return. However, a chambermaid betrayed her to the suitors and
soon they were back, asking for her hand and the kingdom of Ithaca. Knowing that
his mother was successfully keeping her 108 suitors away, Telemachus decided to
set out on his quest. Aided by goddess Athena and along with some of his faithful
warriors, he went to Sparta to meet Menelaus and ask him if he had any news from
his father. Unfortunately, Menelaus knew nothing and Telemachus disappointed
returned to Ithaca.
The Phaeacians
The land of the Phaeacians, which the historians believe is modern Corfu, was
where Odysseus found himself after a terrible storm. Nafsica, the local princess,
found Odysseus exhausted and naked on the shore and led him to the palace of her
father. While in the court of King Alcinous and Queen Arete, he heard the bard
Demodocus sing of the Trojan War. Odysseus was overcome with grief at hearing
stories about the war and of the Trojan Horse that had been his invention. It was
then that the emotions came crashing down on him and he broke down into tears.
The people gathered around him asked who he really was and why the story
affected him. It was then that Odysseus revealed his true identity and his struggles
to reach Ithaca. After listening to his ordeals, the Phaeacians gave him their fastest
ship, the best of their provisions and bid him good luck on his way home. And so it
was that the hero finally returned to Ithaca, eager to see his wife Penelope and son
Telemachus, from both of whom he had been separated for two whole decades.
Finally on Ithaca
The arrival of Odysseus on Ithaca went unnoticed and, in the guise of a beggar, he
approached the palace. He first met his old servants and his beloved son,
Telemachus. From them, he learnt about the suitors that have been bothering
Penelope for so long. Odysseus, still in the form of a beggar, he met his wife, who
didn't recognize him. He told her about her husband's bravery and how he had
helped in winning the Trojan War. These tails brought tears to her eyes. Calming
herself, she approached the suitors who were always hanging around the palace
and set them a simple task. Penelope would marry anyone of them who could string
Odysseus' bow and shoot an arrow through twelve axe-handles joined together. The
suitors pushed and shoved each other to be the first to succeed but little did they
know that the task they faced was impossible. Stringing the bow that belonged to
Odysseus was not an easy task for it required not brute strength but dexterity. One
by one, each suitor tried his luck but to no avail. Finally, Odysseus picked up the
bow, stringing it with ease and in one fluid motion letting fly an arrow that pierced
all the twelve axe-handles. After that, there was chaos. Revealing his true identity,
Odysseus began massacring the suitors and, aided by Telemachus and the
swineherd Eumaeus, they had soon cleared the court of all 108 of them. The suitors
were killed and the maid-servants, who had made themselves the pleasure slaves of
the suitors, were all hung. When Penelope heard the massacre, she run to the court.
Fazed by the sudden spate of events, she refused to believe that this strange
beggar was indeed her long lost husband Odysseus, so she set up another test for
him. In front of Odysseus, Penelope ordered the palace servants to remove the bed
from her bed-chamber to the hall outside. On hearing this, Odysseus bristled with
anger and opposed the idea, saying that this bed had been fashioned out of a living
oak by his own hand and none, save a god, none in the whole world could move it.
Joyful, Penelope rushed to Odysseus and hugged him, with big tears in her eyes, for
she was reassured that this man was her beloved husband returned to her. Only

Odysseus knew the secret about their bed and his words were the proof she needed
to believe him.
The real end
This, however, was not the end of Odysseus' journey. Prophet Tiresius had
forewarned him that once he had re-asserted himself as King of Ithaca, he should
travel inland holding the oar of a ship. Indeed, after a few years, Odysseus crowned
Telemachus King of Ithaca and left him and his wife Penelope to travel on the
opposite inland. Many days did he wander with the oar in hand seeking for people
who would not know what it was but wherever he went, people recognized it as an
oar. One day, far inland, opposite the shores of Ithaca, Odysseus came across those
people who had never seen the sea and hence did not know what an oar was. There
it was that Odysseus finished his life travel and took a local princess for his bride.
For many years, he lived amongst these people and it was here that he breathed his
last, far from the sea, his family and his beloved Ithaca.

LITERARY AND FILM REVIEW


PART I. PLOT ANALYSIS
A. LITERARY WORK
B. FILM STORY
PART II. COMPARISON
A. STORY CHRACTER/S
B. STORY SETTING
C. THE ENDING
PART III. MOVIE REVIEW
A. OVERALL IMPRESSION (Offer your overall impression of the film
while mentioning the movie's title, director, and key actors.)
B. CHARACTER PORTRAYAL (How did the actors portray key character
roles? Did they fulfill your expectations given your knowledge of the original novel
or play (if one exists)?)
C. MOVIE ADAPTATION (Address how well the film represents the novel
or play. Offer evidence for your opinion. Remember to mention use of symbols and
literary devices. Do they "transfer" from the novel/play into the movie well?)
PART IV. THEME
PART V. RECOMMENDATION
PART VI. VISUAL/SYMBOL

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