By Lawrence Furbish
Having read “The Iliad” many years ago but not “The Odyssey,” when the new movie version of Homer’s classic tale came out with its compelling trailer, I decided it was time to remedy that situation. The first question was which version to read since this timeless classic has been translated by many scholars. A little research resulted in the selection of the version by Robert Fagles, modern and accessible but still in poetic form.
The tale concerns Odysseus, king of Ithaca, and his quest to return home to his wife Penelope and his son Telemachus. His absence had stretched over 20 years, and many on Ithaca presume him dead, including a group of obnoxious suitors trying to convince Penelope to remarry. Telemachus ardently searches for word of whether his father still lives and scrambles to avoid being killed by the dastardly suitors.
Odysseus is not only brave but also clever, smart, and cunning. (He is the one who came up with the idea of the Trojan Horse.) Fagles describes him as “the man of twists and turns.” At the conclusion of the 10-year Trojan war, the victorious Greeks sail for home. Some arrive expeditiously but not Odysseus and his crew. They are faced with 10 years of trial, struggle, and disappointment. They encounter a series of mythical creatures, dangers, and temptations. Odysseus finally makes it back to Ithaca disguised as a beggar to find a few loyal retainers, including the lowly swineherd, who help him. The only being who recognizes him is his loyal old dog, who greets him with a wag of its tail before expiring.
There are several key themes in the book, including a quest for homecoming, friendship and hospitality, and testing. Odysseus needs to determine the loyalty of those around him, including his wife Penelope. (Agamemnon, the Greek king who initiated the Trojan War, returned home only to be killed by his wife Clytemnestra.) Odysseus succeeds, is able to string his bow after the suitors all fail, shoots an arrow through a line of axe heads, dispatches the suitors and the disloyal slaves, and is reunited with his loyal wife.
The decision to use the Fagles version had another plus. Hillsdale College, a small school in the Midwest, offers an interesting collection of free online courses. They have a new 12-lesson course on “The Odyssey” taught by the chairman of their English Department, and it used the Fagles translation.
Now for the movie! It’s good and worth seeing but, as is often the case, not as good as the book. It leaves out several incidents from the book and adds things not in the book, and it makes Odysseus plagued by guilt from the slaughter of war. Matt Damon is very good as Odysseus but completely misses the crafty, clever part of his character’s makeup. Be warned, the movie is worth seeing, but the soundtrack is thunderous, and it is filled with graphic violence.
Read the book.
The post ‘The Odyssey’ by Homer, translated by Robert Fagles appeared first on Sanford Springvale News.
