Thursday, April 25, 2013
Fame -- I Want to Live Forever
Odysseus demonstrates a passionate desire for kleos or fame through much of the Odyssey. Consider, for example, his taunting Polyphemus with his name as he escapes his island (and there are other examples) Yet, is it presented as an unequivocally good pursuit? Does the search for kleos help or hinder his journey? What about situations in which he disguises his identity? What is the importance of kleos to Odysseus and the Odyssey (the two may not be the same answer)?
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I think that with Odysseus searching for kleos, fame, all of the time has put him in very tight spots, but at the same time, gives him the strength to go on. Odysseus is the type of man who wants recognition for what he does. An example of this is found when he defeats Polyphemus. Instead of just saying that he was “Nobody”, he wanted Polyphemus to know who defeated him. Odysseus wanted to make sure that his name was known throughout the land. He loves being the center of attention and getting the respect the thinks he deserves. However, the search of kleos has almost put him, not to mention his men, at death’s door. An example of this is found right after he told Polyphemus his real name, Odysseus. After Odysseus told Polyphemus his real name, Polyphemus was raging. “Ripping off the peak of a towering crag, he heaved it so hard the boulder landed just in front of our dark prow and a huge swell reared up as the cock went plunging under – a tidal wave from the open sea” (9.538 – 41). This is very problematic for the men because thanks to Odysseus’s pride, they almost go themselves killed. Odysseus men were very smart when they told Odysseus “The rock he flung in the seas just now, hurling our ship to shore once more – we thought we’d die on the spot! (9.551-2). At the same time, it is also the rush that Odysseus gets when he is recognized for his valor that help him continue on his journey home. I also think that Odysseus takes his pride so close to heart, because he has done so many important things, and he wants people to realize all of the hard work he has put forth for all his victories. I feel as if Odysseus does not want to be the person who gets forgotten when he is gone. Nothing would kill Odysseus more, than to be forgotten.
ReplyDeleteThroughout his life, Odysseus has made it his goal to be famous. He was a famous general in the Trojan War who came up with the idea for the Trojan horse. He took his voyage back to Ithaca, and all along the way he has searched for fame. Throughout the Odyssey, Odysseus has searched for many ways to spread his fame throughout all of Greece. At many times, Odysseus even puts his crew in danger just so he can become famous. One example of this fame seeking is on the island of the Cyclops. Odysseus has his crew stay in the Cyclops’ house for many days, and when they finally leave, Odysseus has lost two men. Odysseus then tells the Cyclops his name Odysseus tells him, “say Odysseus,/ raider of cities, he gouged out your eye” (9.360-61). ˇhis quote explains that Odysseus is very cocky in the way that he wants to be famous. In this instance, Odysseus tells Polyphemus the Cyclops that he is the “raider of cities” which tells the Cyclops that he is very powerful. Not only this, but Odysseus wants the Cyclops to tell all the other Cyclopes that Odysseus stabbed his eye, and that they should be scared of him if they even encounter his again. I also believe that Odysseus search for fame has hindered his trip back to Ithaca simply because Odysseus takes a lot of time to search for fame, and sometimes strays far from the task, which is to return to Ithaca. Odysseus, and his obsession for fame have harmed his journey greatly, and hindered his return to Ithaca. Odysseus feels that he must be famous, and his name be known all the places which he visits, but that is not acceptable when he is dealing not only with his life, but the lives of his crew as well.
ReplyDeleteWhile looking at the many situations in which Odysseus was involved, it is evident that kleos is one of the most important things to Odysseus. He will stop at nothing to ensure his name does not get ruined and that the public sees him as a great hero. Odysseus is proud of himself and wishes to ensure his name is passed on for generations to come. This doesn’t necessarily mean that just because Odysseus wants fame this hinders his performance, although while only thinking of his fortune, he lets mistakes get in the way. Wanting fame gives you drive and determination which is indeed a good pursuit, yet Odysseus lets his own pursuit of fame get in the way of things more important. By focusing on kleos, Odysseus is unable to think through the actions he is taking and acts on impulse as opposed to thinking clearly before making stupid mistakes. Odysseus easily could have resisted yelling his name to Polyphemus and this would have left Poseidon on his good side. The fact that Odysseus only thinks of himself and kleos hindered his journey for his men and for himself due to the fact that by only thinking of kleos he made many mistakes that ultimately ruined his journey. In situations where he disguises his identity, Odysseus was able to accomplish things as he stepped aside from his perfect self and was able to transform into someone that has no need to think of kleos because they have no fame to look forward too. To Odysseus, fame means everything. It is what he strives to accomplish. The whole point of returning home besides seeing his wife and son once again is to return to being king and being the hero of Ithaca.
ReplyDelete“If any man on the face of the earth should ask you
Who blinded you, shamed you so - say Odysseus,
Raider of cities, he gouged out your eye,
Laertes’ son who makes his home in Ithaca!” (9.558-62)
This quote symbolizes Odysseus’ pride and need for kleos. All he thought of at that moment was of th greatness everyone would think he has for how he was able to ruin Polyphemus. It is a direct answer to what Odysseus’ goal during his journey was. I believe it is not intentional for Odysseus to only be thinking of himself and I think he was unaware of this, yet he still acted with impulse and made many mistakes that ultimately caused his crew to die during his journey. In addition to this, it is obvious that the Odyssey is sending a message to the reader that everything that Odysseus faced during his journey was a result of his actions. This is sending a message to the reader to be careful and not let kleos overcome you. The Odyssey sees no importance in having kleos but rather it is teaching us to try and live without it. Kleos is a dangerous thing to have in your own possession.
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ReplyDeleteIn the Odyssey fame is framed out to be the goal for a human or god when they die. People strive for fame; people even offer their lives up for fame. As we read in Odysseus’ journey to the underworld the story of Achilles. Achilles was given a choice before he embarked on his journey to Troy. The choice was he could stay and rule his land until old age and die a peaceful death, but nobody would remember his name or he could lose his life on the battlefields of Troy and be the most famous human in all three worlds. Kleos( another word for fame)is a dangerous thing.
ReplyDelete“No winning words about death to me, shining Odysseus!
By god, I’d rather slave on earth for another man-
Some dirt-poor tenant farmer who crapes to keep alive-
Then rule down here over the breathless dead.”(11.555-558)
What does this say about fame is it everything it is lives up to be. Achilles the speaker of the passage above tells Odysseus an important point. Fame is a luxury it is a nice thing to have, but what you should treasure is what you have in the present and to treasure life and family over all else. At first when Odysseus arrives in the land of the Pheacians he has a warm welcome and hears his name stated in many stories and fame is a thrill for him. Although he is pleased with these stories, many times fame has almost killed him. When Odysseus was leaving the land of the Cyclops he had to announce his name. That delay almost took out not only him, but his whole crew. I believe that Achilles words stuck with Odysseus, which is why when he returned to Ithaca he hid and did not have a huge announcement that the famous Odysseus had returned. Achilles showed Odysseus that there are more things important in life than fame.
Throughout The Odyssey, I believe that Odysseus’ desire for kleos leads Odysseus to be caught in both good and bad positions. One reason why Odysseus’ thirst for kloes is a good attribute of his is because it seems to me that it allows him to keep his enthusiasm and desire to return back to his home. I believe that because Odysseus wants his name to be known so badly, he does not want to give up his life mysteriously on a return home from Troy. It seems that because Odysseus wants the story of his journey to be known so badly that it keeps him determined to return home rather than let his life go to one of the many obstacles that he encountered, such as the Cyclops and Circe. While I believe that this is upside to Odysseus’ extreme desire for kleos, there is also a significant disadvantage that it has. Since Odysseus wants his name to be known, he puts himself in dangerous positions. One point where this is incredibly evident is on the island of the Cyclops. After Odysseus managed to escape from Polythemus’, a Cyclops, cave and return to his ship, Odysseus decides to shout out that,
ReplyDelete“If any man on the face of the earth should ask you
Who blinded you, shamed you so – say Odysseus,
Raider of cities, he gouged out your eye,
Laertes’ son who makes his home in Ithaca!” (9. 558 – 62) without thinking about the repercussions that could follow. In the end, it turns out that these consequences are extremely serious, as Polythemus is Poseidon’s son. By being vain in his desire for kleos, Odysseus manages to get himself and his shipmates into deadly situations because he made an enemy with Poseidon. In the end, Odysseus’ craving for kleos is both helpful and detrimental.
Throughout The Odyssey, Odysseus is continuously searching for kleos or fame on his journey back home. Even though he has just come back from Troy with many people knowing his name he wants to be even more famous. This want for fame helps and hinders his journey back home. For example it is helpful because it allows Odysseus to never lose the need or want to return home. But his pride, which contributes to his search for kleos, often prolonged his return; making his journey home 20 years long. One time that this happens is when Odysseus has defeated Polyphemus and is leaving the island, “shamed you so-say Odysseus, raider of cities, he gouged out your eye,” (9.560-1). Odysseus had tricked the Cyclops perfectly and the majority of his crew was safe and ready to sail away. However, Odysseus could not sail away without letting the Cyclops know who actually had done this to him; which led to the entire crew being hurt because the Cyclops cursed them. Poseidon realized what Odysseus had done to his son and made his return home harder than it already was. Kleos is very important to Odysseus because he wants his name to last forever and wants everyone to know his name. The importance of that to him is seen over and over again in the book because whenever he does something successful he lets whoever he can know about it. When he arrives in the Phaeacians’ city he gets the chance to tell them his story and he does not hold back, “Now let me begin by telling you my name … so you may know it well,” (9.17-18). He starts his story by telling them his name so they know who the story is about and just in case they tell others they can share his name. That way everyone will know Odysseus’s name and no one will ever forget it either. Lastly, kleos as an overall theme in The Odyssey is not very important because it is only mentioned as a part of the story of Odysseus. The most important theme, I believe, is Odysseus’s journey back home and how he achieves that final goal of returning. Kleos or fame is seen multiple times in the book through Odysseus but in the end it is not the most important thing, Odysseus’s return home is.
ReplyDeleteThroughout the Odyssey, Odysseus is on the look out for kleos, or fame, on his journey back home. Although he was well known in Troy, he desired to be acknowledged wherever he went. Although this search may sound arrogant, I believe it was a helpful factor while Odysseus is returning home. This is helpful because it never drove Odysseus' mind off of home, although his mind may not be prioritizing. But, it was not all good. This frantic search from Odysseus prolonged his journey an extra 20 years longer than it had to be. His journey is made longer when Odysseus defeats Polythemus, a Cyclops, and he says "If any man on the face of the earth should ask you
ReplyDeleteWho blinded you, shamed you so – say Odysseus,
Raider of cities, he gouged out your eye,
Laertes’ son who makes his home in Ithaca!” (9. 558 – 62) without taking the consequences into thought. Odysseus yelling towards the Cyclops was more than just unnecessary because it was dangerous. Most of his shipmates were out alive before the statement Odysseus needed to yell out, thinking it would help him obtain Kleos. These exact words from Odysseus led to the Cyclops cursing the ship, and injuring all of the men though. This would have never happened had Odysseus kept his mouth shut like a true leader. In the end, the search for kleos is not only helpful, but dangerous and risky.
Although Odysseus has had many encounters with Kelos, overall each time it has it has never had a negative effect on him physically. An example form the book is when Odysseus and his men had stabbed the Cyclops in the eye. At first Odysseus told him his name was nothing but after an easy victory agents the Cyclops Odysseus shouted
ReplyDelete“If any man on the face of the earth should ask you
Who blinded you, shamed you so – say Odysseus,
Raider of cities, he gouged out your eye,
Laertes’ son who makes his home in Ithaca!” (9. 558 – 62)
This may have been a bad choice but in the end it never killed or harmed Odysseus in any way. After shouting this to the giant, the only people who were hurt or killed where his men. Another example of fame in the story is when Odysseus meets his old friend in the underworld and he says “No winning words about death to me, shining Odysseus!
By god, I’d rather slave on earth for another man-
Some dirt-poor tenant farmer who crapes to keep alive-
Then rule down here over the breathless dead.”(11.555-558)
This shows that you should never want to be known so bad that you are willing to die. Odysseus’s friend learned this lesson the hard way and now will regret it for the rest of eternity.