The Odyssey: Book 15

Book 15 (Julie & Michaela)

Part I
“Laertes is still alive, but night and day / he prays to Zeus, waiting there in his house, / for the life breath to slip away and leave his body. / His heart’s so racked for his son, lost and gone these years, / for his wife so fine, so wise—her death is the worst blow / he’s had to suffer—” (15.393-398)

This quote is spoken by Eumaeus to Odysseus, telling him about his father. This quote is very important to the epic because it shows how tired and worried everyone is about Odysseus. Laertes is so worried about Odysseus that all he does is wait around everyday all day in his house for Odysseus or until he dies. Odysseus’s absence has had a brutal effect on everyone. This is just one example of an effect on someone in the epic.

“And royal King Odysseus answered warmly, / ‘Eumaeus, so much misery! You’ve moved my heart, / deeply, with your long tale—such pain, such sorrow.” (15.542-544)

This passage is part of a conversation between Odysseus and Eumaeus, and Eumaeus was telling Odysseus of his journey to Ithaca. This passage also displays Homeric style. Homer refers to Odysseus as “royal King Odysseus”. When Homer refers to people he usually adds in something about the person he is talking about. In this case, Homer added in the word “royal”. Also, when a character speaks to another, they refer to the person they are speaking to by their name. In this passage Homer does just that. This quote is also significant because it shows the Eumaeus’s journey was a very rough journey.

“Take it to heart, I tell you. / Picked men of the suitors lie in ambush, grim set /in the straits between Ithaca and rocky Same, / poised to kill you before you can reach home, / but I have my doubts they will.” (15.30-34)

This quote is spoken by the Goddess Athena. She is visiting Telemachus in a dream, and is warning him of what is coming ahead, and also informing the reader of what is to come. This dream happens at the beginning of the book and gives the reader a roadmap of what to expect next. The whole book is about Telemachus’ journey back to Ithaca after seeking Menelaus and Nestor. In this quote, we are shown Athena’s dedication to Telemachus. It is important to her to keep him alive, and the way she can do this is by warning him of upcoming danger and giving him ways to avoid that danger. Through the line, “I doubt they will” (15.34), Athena gives Telemachus confidence. It is a way to give him the assurance that she is on his side, and that she is looking out for him.

Part III
Book 15 is very hard to classify in the monomyth form because it is mostly about the main character’s son, Telemachus. If we were to put this book in the order of mythological events, it would best fit under the “return” and “magic flight” categories. At the end of the book, Odysseus is finally home (or at the swine herder’s house anyhow). This takes the part of “return”. Also, it could be seen as the “magic flight” stage of the myth because Odysseus is in the form of a beggar, and Athena transformed him into this disguise. The only reason this wouldn’t be one hundred percent perfect is because the actual transformation took place in an earlier book than 15.

Book 15 (Greta & Ellen)

Important Quotes

"'But you-you make your way to the swineherd first, / in charge of your pigs, and true to you as always. / Sleep the night there, send him to town at once / to tell the news to your mother, wise Penelope- / you've made it back from Pylos safe and sound'" (320. 44-48).

This quote shows foreshadowing from Athena showing that Telemachus and Odysseus will soon meet and that he is, indeed, still alive and trying to make it back home to his family and throne. Its also important that Athena tells him to do this so that he does end up meeting up with Odysseus instead of going straight home and not discovering him.

"' Menelaus, / royal son of Atreus, captain of armies, / Let me go back to my own country now. / the heart inside me longs for home at last'" (321. 69-72).

This quote shows that Telemachus longs for his homeland and his mother. He may miss his father a lot but he missed his home more and all he wanted was to go home. This also showed his love for his mother and her love for him because naturally he wanted to go back to the ones he loves and that love him back and his crew did not love him like his own mother did. It’s also important because it shows his readiness to follow Athena’s advice, which was to head home right away. If he hadn’t obeyed her at once, the story could have ended up way differently, so this is essential to the overall plot.

“When Dawn with her rose-red fingers shone once more / they yoked their pair again, mounted the blazoned car / and out through the gates and echoing colonnade / they whipped the team to a run and on they flew, / holding nothing back, approaching Pylos soon, / the craggy citadel” (325. 211-216).

This quote shows Homer's way of writing. He adds amazing adjectives and illustration so that we can actually visualize it ourselves and it helps us better understand what he's trying to explain. This also show’s his common use of epithets, in this case rose-red fingered Dawn, which is a common one throughout the epic.

Elements of the Monomyth

As Telemachus’ quest to find news of his father is coming to a close, the part of the monomyth that appears is Magic Flight. Magic Flight refers to a supernatural force that helps the hero return home. This is exactly what happens throughout this book, first with Athena urging Telemachus to leave as soon as he can and advising him on precisely how to do so, and then giving his ship the proper winds they need to sail to Ithaca. They wouldn’t have nearly as a successful journey home if it hadn’t been for her. Here are some of Athena’s wise words of advice to Telemachus, acting as the supernatural guide helping the hero return home: “Just give the channel islands a wide berth, / push on in your trim ship, sail night and day, / and the deathless god who guards and pulls you through / will send you a fresh fair wind from hard astern. / At your first landfall, Ithaca’s outer banks, / speed ship and shipmates round to the city side. / But you – you make your way to the swineherd first” (15.38-44).