And _The Odyssey_. -- Mimetic Theory and Literary Study

[ Show ]

Support VoyForums

[ Shrink ]

VoyForums Announcement: Programming and providing support for this service has been a labor of love since 1997. We are one of the few services online who values our users' privacy, and have never sold your information. We have even fought hard to defend your privacy in legal cases; however, we've done it with almost no financial support -- paying out of pocket to continue providing the service. Due to the issues imposed on us by advertisers, we also stopped hosting most ads on the forums many years ago. We hope you appreciate our efforts.

Show your support by donating any amount. (Note: We are still technically a for-profit company, so your contribution is not tax-deductible.) PayPal Acct: Feedback:

Donate to VoyForums (PayPal):

[ Login ] [ Contact Forum Admin ] [ Main index ] [ Post a new message ] [ Search | Check update time | Archives: 1, [2] ]

[ Next Thread | Previous Thread | Next Message | Previous Message ]

Date Posted: 05:43:05 01/24/08 Thu
Author: j.jackson
Subject: And _The Odyssey_.
In reply to: Jonathan Dunn 's message, "Re: Double Transference and The Iliad" on 18:32:27 01/23/08 Wed

In Book 21 of _The Odyssey_ (trans. Lattimore), Eurymachos explicitly reveals the origins of his own desire for Penelope:
"Eurymachos by now had taken the bow, and handled it,
turning it round and round by the blaze of the fire, but
even
so he could not string it, and his proud heart was
harrowed.
Deeply vexed he spoke to his own great-hearted spirit:
'Oh, my sorrow. Here is grief beyond all others;
it is not so much the marriage I grieve for, for all my
chagrin.
There are many Achaian women besides, some of them close by
in seagirt Ithaka, and some in the rest of the cities;
but it is the thought, if this is true, that we come so far
short
of godlike Odysseus in strength, so that we cannot even
string his bow. A shame for men unborn to be told of.'"
(245-55).
So a few things to take note of:
First, I love the image of his turning the bow round and round, allowing him to meditate on the drama in which he has been participating. The truth is, he understands and admits, that his desire was never for the object per se (Penelope): what an odd thing for the other suitors to hear. He is saddened because he has hoped to displace both his rival and his model--godlike Odysseus. That's it; he simply wants to be/do what Odysseus is/has done. All of this suitor business is secondary; they all come from wealthy, powerful families; there are other acceptable women on the Greek islands, perhaps even more acceptable than Penelope. But what Eurymachos reveals is that he wishes he had godlike Odysseus' girl. So he plays along with the charade.

[ Next Thread | Previous Thread | Next Message | Previous Message ]

Replies:

Re: And _The Odyssey_. -- Jonathan Dunn, 07:54:29 01/24/08 Thu