Classic tales of ancient history

Okay, I’ll confess, I was never really into Greek mythology as a kid. Perhaps that is because it was so popular in my school (and I had a friend who had pretty much become a scholar in the works of the Ancient Greeks by age 10) that the curse of contrarianism attached itself to me and made me reluctant to really discover the works of the ancient Greeks (which was also probably a result of the fact that I was 13 and had discovered a little thing called Star Wars and was just getting into the Marvel Cinematic Universe).

However, once I got into university, I decided that I wanted to learn more about areas of literature I have never investigated before – and then I found out about Epic into Novel.

A core module for English students here at Warwick, I was finally able to take it this year, as a second year Film and Literature student, and throw myself into something new, something I have never looked into much before.

Going into learning about the ancient Greek epics, my only pre-existing knowledge was some of the more famous stories (such as Hercules – of which my understanding was partially based on the 1997 Disney film starring James Woods as Hades) as well as basic schematic knowledge such as how Poseidon was god of the sea, Zeus was king of Mount Olympus and so on. However, little did I know just how fascinating these epics were and how much depth they have; serving as a foundation for worldbuilding and character arcs with some very interesting narrative devices and choices used.

I think the best piece of Ancient Greek literature to look at is perhaps The Odyssey by Homer. The Odyssey focuses on the story of Odysseus and his return home from the Trojan War. Written from around 750-650 BCE the story is interesting in that it is, in many ways, a stand-alone sequel to The Iliad which was also (according to historians at least) written by Homer around 30 years prior to The Odyssey.

In the Odyssey, Odysseus – who is featured in The Iliad as a Greek general and king of Ithica – has been captured by the goddess Calypso on his way home from Troy, lost all his men, and has been held captive for just under a decade. In the meantime, his son Telemachus has grown into a young man while a group of warriors have invaded Odysseus’ household, drank his wine and eaten his food, and are attempting to court his presumably widowed wife Penelope to gain access to the throne of Ithica and the riches that come with it.

After being freed by Calypso on the orders of the Gods, Odysseus must travel home to Ithica and claim his rightful place as king, in the meantime taking on numerous disguises and reciting (or inventing) stories of his return home, including an encounter with a Cyclops and avoiding the wrath of Poseidon. What concludes is a bloody confrontation as Odysseus fights to reclaim his household as well as his honour.

The Odyssey is a story which is very multifaceted and focuses on a notable number of themes.

On the surface, the story is simple of a man wanting to return home to reclaim his fortune however perhaps the most interesting aspects are to do with Odysseus himself.

On the surface, the story is simple of a man wanting to return home to reclaim his fortune however perhaps the most interesting aspects are to do with Odysseus himself.

It is made clear in the story that when Odysseus arrives home to Ithica, he is not the same man as when he left – he does not even recognise his own country when he first arrives and needs the help of Athena (the Goddess of Wisdom) to tell him where he is.

Over the course of the epic, Odysseus falls from the triumphant military genius of the Trojan Horse to having to pretend to be an old beggar, washed up on the shores of Ithica. Despite this, Odysseus’ recounting of his travels to various people he comes across on his journey home suggest a different aspect to the man. In his encounter with a Cyclops (a son of Poseidon), Odysseus tricks the monster into becoming inebriated and quickly takes advantage of this by poking the Cyclops’ eye out!

Odysseus is a trickster as much as he is a warrior; he lies about where he is from numerous times; he takes disguises and hides in the shadows like a predator before striking and brutally killing all the suitors without mercy.

One question we should ask in this case is, is Odysseus really a hero?

One question we should ask in this case is, is Odysseus really a hero?

By the Ancient Greek tradition – sort of? Odysseus in The Iliad breaks the hero’s code numerous times, including being a backstabber and someone who murders his enemies in their sleep. In spite of this though, Odysseus still takes on a hero’s journey for he reclaims his honour by the end of the poem: he cements his legacy as a legendary warrior and skilled tactician to his subjects and family.

Another question could be then, is Odysseus a hero according to modern ideas of what a hero is? Well… no. Whilst reclaiming his home is a noble action, the reason for many of his troubles have come into existence is as a result of him upsetting the gods as well as pillaging and attacking innocent settlements which had nothing to do with the Trojan War on his way home (he is even described as a ‘pirate’ in some translations). Of course, we cannot fault this in terms of it being part of the Ancient Greek classification of hero (this would be expected of kings at the time) but Odysseus is by no means a ‘good man’.

Therefore, a final question could be, does Odysseus engage on any sort of character development and narrative arc? Ancient Greek stories are renowned for being foundational for the concept of narrative arcs and character growth?

In The Odyssey, Odysseus does change as he becomes a shrivelled man who needs the help of Athena’s illusions to look like his former self. At the same time, he has been somewhat humbled and has an almost Hamlet-like moment when he encounters Argo, his dog, and it becomes apparent to him how much he has aged when he realises this is the same young dog he had left almost 20 years prior before leaving to war.

At the same time, after reclaiming his place as king, he immediately sets out to engage in more pillaging and pirate-like activity leaving us to question whether Odysseus has really seemed to experience change or a realisation – or if the nature and structures of the Ancient Greek world force Odysseus to take such actions as it is expected of the kings?

Overall, The Odyssey is a must-read for anyone wanting to get into Ancient Greek literature and it certainly is a fascinating tale (just make sure to also read The Iliad as well at some point).