STORY 49:47 listening time
Athena sends Telemachus off on his first ever “road trip” – to Pylos and to Sparta – in the hopes that it might help the milquetoast young man to “grow a pair”. Telemachus meets some familiar characters from Iliad: windy old king Nestor, blustery Menelaus, and the “enigmatic-as-ever” Helen of Troy (now, once again, “of Sparta”). Telemachus witnesses unresolved marital hostility between Helen and Menelaus – concerning those awkward “Paris years”. And then Helen drugs her (possibly abusive) husband’s dinner wine.
COMMENTARY: Virtuous Hero or Despicable Villain? Odysseus, from Homer to Virgil listening time 22:05
This commentary samples how different cultures have interpreted Odysseus over time. My aim is to show how “complicated Odysseus” has always been malleable clay—easily reshaped to suit the needs and values of each new author. I begin with Homer’s largely positive portrait: Odysseus as the wordsmith hero of metis intelligence. From there, I explore how the classical Greek playwrights—and later Virgil in the Aeneid—completely rewrote the man, turning him into something far darker.
RELATED IMAGES
I struggle to find details – title of work, name of artist, date – for some images. If you can help, please forward information to me. Thanks. Jeff
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- Telemachus Departing from Nestor, Henry Howard, 1769-1847
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- Telemachus and Pisistratus take a road trip
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- Helen and Menelaus, by Jan Styka, 1858-1925 (no wonder she drugged his wine!)
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- Helen of Troy, by Rossetti, 1863 (Did Menelaus provide that black eye?)
