Week II: Odysseus

JUSTICE AND THE RATIONALISTIC HERO

September 30, 6:00 PM - 7:30 pm

Reading: Odyssey, 1.1-79, 8.548-576, 9.105-141, 9.170-566, 10.275-347, 13.125-221, 24.345-352. Iliad, 11.378-488

From the very first line of the Odyssey, Odysseus is celebrated for his cleverness and resourcefulness. But he is also condemned—by Achilles among others—for his selfishness and deceitfulness (Iliad 9.308-314). Odysseus makes it back home from Troy, but alone—all his men perished. We consider the cautious or distrustful, even devious, character Odysseus shows, especially with respect to the gods—such as his “testing” of their support for justice during his encounter with the cannibal cyclops Polyphemus (Odyssey 9.173-176, 9.259-262, 9.266-271, 9.551-555).

  • What qualities of mind and heart does Odysseus show in escaping Polyphemus and saving (some of) his men (for the time being)? What deficiencies does he show in wisdom or self-awareness while escaping him?

  • What causes Odysseus to risk the lives of his men (such as by angering Poseidon)?

  • What leads Odysseus to believe that Zeus will punish the Phaeacians for their apparent injustice to him (Odyssey 13.213-214), given that Zeus did not punish Polyphemus? Does Zeus treat the Phaeacians justly? Are there limits to the powers of the gods, or are they “able to do all things” (Odyssey 10.306)? Is belief in support for justice necessary for belief in these gods? in any god (Odyssey 1.32-34, 24.347-352)?

Reading