The Odyssey

One big difference that I noticed in the first few pages is the conciseness between Homer’s text and the previous two.  It was easy to get through the Epic of Gilgamesh if only for the art of repetition.  The missing pieces were hard to get through.  Genesis was much easier to get through, albeit I wasn't used to such a literal translation.  The author was trying to retain much of the original meaning, as well as the poetry, but the new language was honestly too different to easily get through.  This conciseness I attribute to Fagles’ translation makes it easy and enjoyable to read.  Not to mention, the words paint a fantastic picture of beauty and mysticism in my head.  “That wand in his grip, the powerful giant-killer, swooping down from Pieria, down the high clear air, plunged to the sea and skimmed the waves like a tern that down the deadly gulfs of the barren salt swells glides and dives for fish, dipping its beating wings in bursts of spray…” (154). In addition, Poseidon’s wrath starting on line 321 (page 161) has great imagery.

Even though this text is “western,” it still has a similar feel to Gilgamesh.  I see a lot of similarities by way of the pantheons.  In both stories, the gods and goddesses are portrayed as having many human qualities in demeanor.  There are many times where they seem inconsiderate, selfish, and fickle.  It’s humorous to see that Calypso even calls them out on their conduct in her rant on page 156.  These stories differ from God in the Bible, in that He represents all that is good, and only punishes those who deserve it.  The gods tend to associate themselves with kings, heroes, and others of renown, but perhaps that was only a product of the design of these stories.

Human and divine interaction is integral to the story, as with the other two texts.  Interestingly, after thinking about it, I can actually make a better comparison with God in the Bible and the Greek pantheon, than with both polytheistic stories.  Granted, I’m not entirely through the assigned reading at this point, Homer has an abundance of godly intervention with the story, and it is their direct actions and inspiration that steer the course of Odysseus’ success and torture more often than not.  In the Bible, God directly and indirectly interacts with the characters, whether it be for their benefit or detriment (and by detriment, I mean punishment).  In Gilgamesh, however, the protagonists largely depend on their own abilities to succeed, and rarely do the gods successfully thwart them.  In fact, their gods are more often scoffed at than revered.  Homer made it so the gods were practically behind any type of victory, and this reminds me more of God.

I've noticed that the main male lead characters in the Odyssey and Gilgamesh are strong and brilliant men, but are often shown to have a “woe is me” type personality when things don’t go accordingly (if that makes sense).  This, at first, might seem like a contradiction to what we look for in an ideal tough guy/hero, but it definitely adds depth to the characters, and it serves to deliver drama to the audience/readers.  I suppose it could partially be there to stress their mortality, as it often happens when the works of the divine are beyond their control.

Questions I would like to see answered by others include:

Why do you think these powerful characters (Odysseus, Gilgamesh, Enkidu) are sometimes portrayed with hopelessness when something goes south?  What does it add to the characters and/or the story?

Which of our three readings so far have the most comparable human/divine interaction?  Why?  Is your choice surprising?

Of the three texts so far, which was easiest and/or most enjoyable to read? Why?