Book contents
- Frontmatter
- Contents
- Preface
- Glossary
- Commentary
- Book One
- Book Two
- Book Three
- Book Four
- Book Five
- Book Six
- Book Seven
- Book Eight
- Book Nine
- Book Ten
- Book Eleven
- Book Twelve
- Book Thirteen
- Book Fourteen
- Book Fifteen
- Book Sixteen
- Book Seventeen
- Book Eighteen
- Book Nineteen
- Book Twenty
- Book Twenty-one
- Book Twenty-two
- Book Twenty-three
- Book Twenty-four
- Appendix A
- Appendix B
- Appendix C
- Appendix D
- Appendix E
- Appendix F
- Bibliography
- Index of Greek words
- Index of subjects
Book Ten
Published online by Cambridge University Press: 23 March 2010
- Frontmatter
- Contents
- Preface
- Glossary
- Commentary
- Book One
- Book Two
- Book Three
- Book Four
- Book Five
- Book Six
- Book Seven
- Book Eight
- Book Nine
- Book Ten
- Book Eleven
- Book Twelve
- Book Thirteen
- Book Fourteen
- Book Fifteen
- Book Sixteen
- Book Seventeen
- Book Eighteen
- Book Nineteen
- Book Twenty
- Book Twenty-one
- Book Twenty-two
- Book Twenty-three
- Book Twenty-four
- Appendix A
- Appendix B
- Appendix C
- Appendix D
- Appendix E
- Appendix F
- Bibliography
- Index of Greek words
- Index of subjects
Summary
This book contains two short adventures (Aeolus and the Laestrygonians), followed by one long one (Circe); cf. Introduction to 9.
1–79 Fourth adventure: Aeolus. This episode illustrates that Odysseus has fallen out of grace with the gods (cf. 9.554–5): Aeolus, himself a man ‘dear to the gods’ (2), concludes, on account of the mishap with the bag of winds, that Odysseus is a man ‘hated by the gods’ (74, 75). Again, the misery of the Greeks is self-inflicted (cf. adventures 1 and 3), as Odysseus-narrator notes, speaking of their ‘folly’ (27) and ‘stupidity’ (79).
The adventure revolves around the *‘sleep’ motif: the companions open the bag of winds while Odysseus is asleep. Their foolish behaviour forms an anticipatory doublet † of their slaughter of Helius' cattle during his sleep (Book 12), an act which will have much graver consequences. For Odysseus, who is worn out, sleep was at first ‘sweet’ (31: γλυΚὺς ὕπνος, a standard combination), but afterwards he calls it ‘cruel’ (68–9: ὕπνος | σχέτλιος a unique combination; the enjambement highlights the qualification). A similar change of focalization of his sleep occurs in 12.327–96n.
This adventure confronts Odysseus with a new variant of hospitality (cf. Introduction to 9): his host first receives him properly (entertaining him, asking interested questions, and providing him with an escort to his next destination), but later rejects him when he returns a second time.
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- A Narratological Commentary on the Odyssey , pp. 250 - 270Publisher: Cambridge University PressPrint publication year: 2001