This paper is due tomorrow. A bit nervous. I need a good grade on this. If you cannot read it, my apologies in advance. Here is the assignment:
"Like the two other essays you've written for this course, this will be an essay that requires you to analyze some elements of works we are reading; but, unlike those earlier ones, this one is a comparative analysis. Focus on one of the following:
- an episode in Ovid's Metamorphoses that is a retelling of something in the Odyssey (that's my focus).
All of these choices involve comparisons. You must read the relevant portion of these texts carefully, and then take note of similarities and differences. The similarities establish the basis of the comparison, and they should be discussed first in the body of your essay. Then, in discussing differences, you should try to connect them to the different concerns of the two works. Your essay's thesis, at the end of your introduction (before the discussion of similarities), should assert what those different concerns are so that you can use that assertion to sharpen your essay's organization and argument."
Transformations in Form and Content: An Examination of the Themes of Change and Folly and the Storytelling Elements in the Tales of Circe in Homer's Odyssey and Ovid's Metamorphoses
Many of the great poets tend to make it a habit to mimic other, similar writers and their styles. From Homer until Heaney, adaptation has been a crucial part to the understanding of poetry. In the case of Ovid and his work, the Metamorphoses, and Homer's Odyssey, there are numerous parallels in certain storylines that are shared with the audience, such as the story of Circe, but are told with various differences-some subtle, some overt. To that end, the similarities in overall form and the differences in the perspectives of archetypal events allow Ovid to focus on the main concept of change in the Metamorphoses and Homer to focus on the notion of human folly in Book 10 of his Odyssey.
An initial example of how this change pervades the story-and retelling-of Circe is demonstrated in the narrator. Ovid utilizes his poetic license by having the story told by someone other than Odysseus. For this reason, the poet is able to insert details that otherwise would not appear in Homer's Odyssey, even something as subtle as the description of what the beasts throw at the group of individuals in the Laestrygonian land. In the Odyssey, the Giants throw boulders at the Achaians; however, as Macareus tells the story, he describes the Giants as throwing "great rocks and timbers after [them] / and sank [their] men and sank [their] ships as well" (Ovid 14.344-45). The depiction of these beasts performing such actions emphasizes their primitive nature.
In addition, in both the Odyssey and the Metamorphoses, the Laestrygonians are seen as extremely barbaric, depicted as "not like men" (Homer 10.120). Because in appearance they do not look men, there is this connotation that these creatures cannot be as civilized. For instance, in Greek society, it is imperative that men treat their guests with dignity, provide good hospitality for them, and honor their guests; however, in the case of the giants, they do not do anything for their human guests. In fact, these beasts do the complete opposite: "[spear] them [the Achaians] like fish" (124) and devour them. Because of their actions, the giants are considered "inhospitable" (Ovid 14.341); this demonstrably shows how these giants are not seen as human in that they do not provide exactly what it is people need upon landing on the shores of their lands. Furthermore, the primitive disposition of the giants is emphasized further with this description of the blood on their faces: giants slaughter some of the Achaians and from this, "the other's blood was smeared across [the giants'] faces" (339). The way in which the Laestrygonians behave is fairly inhuman and demonstrates how their actions are demonstrative of this indecency.
Also, what is interesting about the description of the giants as "inhospitable" (14.341) is that the word appears in Ovid's work. The concept of hospitality is explored in the Odyssey and is a major component of the epic, whereas the major theme of the Metamorphoses is change. Therefore, there seems to be a transfer of themes, if only for the time being, to embolden the idea that these giants are not human: in terms of appearance; in their lack of hospitality; and in their bloody, savage nature. What the Laestrygonians do is "[destroy] men in the very deep harbor" (Homer 10.125); this is far from what they are mandated to do by the gods-tend to their guests and ensure that they are well-nourished, housed, and protected. Killing them and devouring them, "bor[ing] off their gruesome meal" (124) are far from living up to the code of hospitality that is established in Greek society. Thus in stature and in statutes are these giants inhuman.
Not only is the story of the sojourn to Laestrygonia different in certain regards, but also the tale of Circe. There are different emphases in each of the two takes of the story: one focuses on Odysseus and his relation, discussion, and exchange with Circe, while the other interpretation focuses on the men's transformation into swine and the following events detailed only briefly. The way that the story in the Metamorphoses can be told is due in part to an Ovidian technique of creating new characters. Ovid uses details in Homer's epic that leave room for creativity, such as Odysseus' "appoint[ing] a leader for each [group]" (Homer 10.204): himself and Eurylochos. Therefore, the poet is able to have new personae like Macareus introduced and expand other characters, e.g. Polites and Eurylochos.
This concept is explored in Ovid's retelling of the story of Circe; he has Macareus, not Odysseus, tell the story of Circe to Aeneas. For that reason, the poet is able to call Elpenor-another person Ovid creates-a man "who was too fond of wine" (Ovid 14.362). This personality flaw, therefore, makes the transformation scene with Circe that more dramatic, emphasizing in both epics the nature of human error and folly that leads to unfortunate circumstances and horrible fates.
In the Odyssey, however, this theme is a lot more prevalent in Book 10. For example, the story of the bag of winds that is given to Odysseus is lightly touched upon in the Metamorphoses. In the Odyssey, the story of Aeolos and the bag of winds play a major part in understanding the nature of human failure and its relationship with miserable fate. As Odysseus retells his story, he explains the situation: "He gave me the skin of a nine-year-old ox he had flayed, / And in it he had bound the courses of the blustering winds. / For the son of Cronos had made him steward of the winds" (Homer 10.19-21). This gift is very great, as it is something made by a man whose craft is granted to him by a deity. Unfortunately, human jealousy, curiosity, and error lead to the destruction of this gift and to their poor happenstance being on the land of the Laestrygonians and the land of Circe:
My companions...said that I was bringing gold and silver home
As gifts from Aeolos, the great-hearted son of Hippotas.
This is what one, looking at his closest neighbor, would say:
"Well now, how beloved and honored this man is
Among all those men at whose city and land he arrives.
He is bringing much fine treasure out of Troy
As booty. And we...with empty hands. (10.34-42)
Their jealousy leads them to an error: mistaking the bag of winds for that of "gold and silver" (10.45). Because of this assumption, the crew is returned to Aeolos' palace, and, upon being asked if the crew could receive another bag of winds, Aeolos shuns them and yells, "'It is not lawful for me to help or to send on his course / Any man who is despised by the blessed gods. / Go, since you came to this place despised by the gods" (10.73-75). Earlier in his commentary, Aeolos calls the Achaians "most shameful of living men" (10.72). Due to their misassumption that the bag of winds is a sack of loot and their envy of Odysseus, the Achaians unfortunately place themselves in the situation that they face. Therefore, the misfortune that Odysseus' men experience is caused by their lack of judgment and leads them to this unfortunate happenstance.
This circumstance-the encounter with Circe-is focused on more in the Metamorphoses because of a certain event: the transformation of the men into animals. Circe is known for being robed in "a robe of purple and a golden veil" (Ovid 14.374), "[sitting] upon her throne" (373); her beautiful voice; and her use of "woeful drugs that make one forget his fatherland wholly" (Homer 10.236). In the Odyssey and the Metamorphoses, the nymph has a group of individuals drink a potion, mixed with "roasted barley, honey, and strong wine / with curds of milk, whose sweetness would conceal / the drops of juice she furtively slipped in" (Ovid 14.389-91). After consuming the concoction, the men would be subject to having Circe "[strike] them with her wand and shut them up into sties" (Homer 10.238). These men are then morphed into swine.
Macareus describes in detail how he is transformed into a pig; this is an example of ekphrasis. According to Marjorie Munsterburg in her essay on "Writing About Art: Ekphrasis":
The goal of this literary form is to make the reader envision the thing described as if it were physically present. In many cases, however, the subject never actually existed, making the ekphrastic description a demonstration of both the creative imagination and the skill of the writer. For most readers of famous Greek and Latin texts, it did not matter whether the subject was actual or imagined. (Munsterburg, "Writing About Art: Ekphrasis)
An example of ekphrasis occurs in this episode of Ovid's Metamorphoses-Macareus vividly depicts his transformation into a pig:
It shames me, yet I'll say it:
Bristles began to sprout all over me,
And I lost my ability to speak:
Instead of words I only managed grunts,
My face was turned completely to the ground,
And I could feel my mouth becoming hard
And turning into an extended snout-
My neck grew thick with wrinkles, and that part
Which only recently had held the cup
Was now creating hoof prints in the dirt! (Ovid 14.395-404)
The fact that he is transformed into a swine remains the same in both works; however, what is emphasized in Ovid's Metamorphoses is the transformation itself. On the other hand, in the Odyssey, the focus is the punitive aspect of this metamorphosis: the fact that this could have been avoided if curiosity had not caused the men to be drawn to Circe's voice. The Achaians' entrance into Circe's palace proves that men's folly and fallacy lead them to unfortunate circumstances. Eurylochus, however, is the only individual who shows some kind of logic and, if it were not because of him, "[Macareus] would still be among that herd of porkers, / nor would [Eurylochus] have been able to inform / Ulysses of [their] tragic situation" (Ovid 14.410-12).
The reason Eurylochus does not enter the threshold is due to a bizarre scene that transpires immediately before the warriors enter Circe's palace. The men encounter "a thousand wolves, she-bears, and lionesses" that "[come] rushing at [them], frightening [them] all; / [their] fears were groundless, for they meant no harm / and even joined [them], followed in [their] tracks / wagging their tails and fawning just like dogs" (Ovid 14.367-70). In the Odyssey, these animals-"wolves of the mountain and also lions" (Homer 10.212)-are male, not female. What is unusual is that in either interpretation of this scene, both packs of animals do not attack. Normally, however, the wolves would strike and lionesses would defend their pride. Therefore, Eurylochus suspects that because of the strangeness of this situation, there is bound to be something unusual and unfortunate to occur; for this reason, he decides not to join the men as they enter the palace. Thus one, sole instance of human rationality saves the lives of several fools.
The concept of foolishness is explored in Homer's interpretation of the story of Circe in his epic Odyssey. Ovid in his Metamorphoses, on the other hand, focuses on the idea of change, just like the rest of his work. However, both stories complement each other and provide a greater understanding of certain aspects of the story. Creative license allows Ovid to insert new details into the story that make overlooked areas in the Odyssey more significant. Thus the way in which the two tales are told, though similar, provides different takes on the same situation, allowing the audience to fully comprehend the respective intentions of both poets.
Works Cited
Homer. The Odyssey. Trans. and ed. Albert Cook. 2nd ed. New York, NY: W.W.
Norton and Company, Inc., 1974.
Munsterburg, Marjorie. "Writing About Art: Ekphrasis." Writing About Art.
Ovid. Metamorphoses. Trans. Charles Martin. 1st ed. New York, NY: W.W. Norton
and Company, Inc., 2005.
"Like the two other essays you've written for this course, this will be an essay that requires you to analyze some elements of works we are reading; but, unlike those earlier ones, this one is a comparative analysis. Focus on one of the following:
- an episode in Ovid's Metamorphoses that is a retelling of something in the Odyssey (that's my focus).
All of these choices involve comparisons. You must read the relevant portion of these texts carefully, and then take note of similarities and differences. The similarities establish the basis of the comparison, and they should be discussed first in the body of your essay. Then, in discussing differences, you should try to connect them to the different concerns of the two works. Your essay's thesis, at the end of your introduction (before the discussion of similarities), should assert what those different concerns are so that you can use that assertion to sharpen your essay's organization and argument."
Transformations in Form and Content: An Examination of the Themes of Change and Folly and the Storytelling Elements in the Tales of Circe in Homer's Odyssey and Ovid's Metamorphoses
Many of the great poets tend to make it a habit to mimic other, similar writers and their styles. From Homer until Heaney, adaptation has been a crucial part to the understanding of poetry. In the case of Ovid and his work, the Metamorphoses, and Homer's Odyssey, there are numerous parallels in certain storylines that are shared with the audience, such as the story of Circe, but are told with various differences-some subtle, some overt. To that end, the similarities in overall form and the differences in the perspectives of archetypal events allow Ovid to focus on the main concept of change in the Metamorphoses and Homer to focus on the notion of human folly in Book 10 of his Odyssey.
An initial example of how this change pervades the story-and retelling-of Circe is demonstrated in the narrator. Ovid utilizes his poetic license by having the story told by someone other than Odysseus. For this reason, the poet is able to insert details that otherwise would not appear in Homer's Odyssey, even something as subtle as the description of what the beasts throw at the group of individuals in the Laestrygonian land. In the Odyssey, the Giants throw boulders at the Achaians; however, as Macareus tells the story, he describes the Giants as throwing "great rocks and timbers after [them] / and sank [their] men and sank [their] ships as well" (Ovid 14.344-45). The depiction of these beasts performing such actions emphasizes their primitive nature.
In addition, in both the Odyssey and the Metamorphoses, the Laestrygonians are seen as extremely barbaric, depicted as "not like men" (Homer 10.120). Because in appearance they do not look men, there is this connotation that these creatures cannot be as civilized. For instance, in Greek society, it is imperative that men treat their guests with dignity, provide good hospitality for them, and honor their guests; however, in the case of the giants, they do not do anything for their human guests. In fact, these beasts do the complete opposite: "[spear] them [the Achaians] like fish" (124) and devour them. Because of their actions, the giants are considered "inhospitable" (Ovid 14.341); this demonstrably shows how these giants are not seen as human in that they do not provide exactly what it is people need upon landing on the shores of their lands. Furthermore, the primitive disposition of the giants is emphasized further with this description of the blood on their faces: giants slaughter some of the Achaians and from this, "the other's blood was smeared across [the giants'] faces" (339). The way in which the Laestrygonians behave is fairly inhuman and demonstrates how their actions are demonstrative of this indecency.
Also, what is interesting about the description of the giants as "inhospitable" (14.341) is that the word appears in Ovid's work. The concept of hospitality is explored in the Odyssey and is a major component of the epic, whereas the major theme of the Metamorphoses is change. Therefore, there seems to be a transfer of themes, if only for the time being, to embolden the idea that these giants are not human: in terms of appearance; in their lack of hospitality; and in their bloody, savage nature. What the Laestrygonians do is "[destroy] men in the very deep harbor" (Homer 10.125); this is far from what they are mandated to do by the gods-tend to their guests and ensure that they are well-nourished, housed, and protected. Killing them and devouring them, "bor[ing] off their gruesome meal" (124) are far from living up to the code of hospitality that is established in Greek society. Thus in stature and in statutes are these giants inhuman.
Not only is the story of the sojourn to Laestrygonia different in certain regards, but also the tale of Circe. There are different emphases in each of the two takes of the story: one focuses on Odysseus and his relation, discussion, and exchange with Circe, while the other interpretation focuses on the men's transformation into swine and the following events detailed only briefly. The way that the story in the Metamorphoses can be told is due in part to an Ovidian technique of creating new characters. Ovid uses details in Homer's epic that leave room for creativity, such as Odysseus' "appoint[ing] a leader for each [group]" (Homer 10.204): himself and Eurylochos. Therefore, the poet is able to have new personae like Macareus introduced and expand other characters, e.g. Polites and Eurylochos.
This concept is explored in Ovid's retelling of the story of Circe; he has Macareus, not Odysseus, tell the story of Circe to Aeneas. For that reason, the poet is able to call Elpenor-another person Ovid creates-a man "who was too fond of wine" (Ovid 14.362). This personality flaw, therefore, makes the transformation scene with Circe that more dramatic, emphasizing in both epics the nature of human error and folly that leads to unfortunate circumstances and horrible fates.
In the Odyssey, however, this theme is a lot more prevalent in Book 10. For example, the story of the bag of winds that is given to Odysseus is lightly touched upon in the Metamorphoses. In the Odyssey, the story of Aeolos and the bag of winds play a major part in understanding the nature of human failure and its relationship with miserable fate. As Odysseus retells his story, he explains the situation: "He gave me the skin of a nine-year-old ox he had flayed, / And in it he had bound the courses of the blustering winds. / For the son of Cronos had made him steward of the winds" (Homer 10.19-21). This gift is very great, as it is something made by a man whose craft is granted to him by a deity. Unfortunately, human jealousy, curiosity, and error lead to the destruction of this gift and to their poor happenstance being on the land of the Laestrygonians and the land of Circe:
My companions...said that I was bringing gold and silver home
As gifts from Aeolos, the great-hearted son of Hippotas.
This is what one, looking at his closest neighbor, would say:
"Well now, how beloved and honored this man is
Among all those men at whose city and land he arrives.
He is bringing much fine treasure out of Troy
As booty. And we...with empty hands. (10.34-42)
Their jealousy leads them to an error: mistaking the bag of winds for that of "gold and silver" (10.45). Because of this assumption, the crew is returned to Aeolos' palace, and, upon being asked if the crew could receive another bag of winds, Aeolos shuns them and yells, "'It is not lawful for me to help or to send on his course / Any man who is despised by the blessed gods. / Go, since you came to this place despised by the gods" (10.73-75). Earlier in his commentary, Aeolos calls the Achaians "most shameful of living men" (10.72). Due to their misassumption that the bag of winds is a sack of loot and their envy of Odysseus, the Achaians unfortunately place themselves in the situation that they face. Therefore, the misfortune that Odysseus' men experience is caused by their lack of judgment and leads them to this unfortunate happenstance.
This circumstance-the encounter with Circe-is focused on more in the Metamorphoses because of a certain event: the transformation of the men into animals. Circe is known for being robed in "a robe of purple and a golden veil" (Ovid 14.374), "[sitting] upon her throne" (373); her beautiful voice; and her use of "woeful drugs that make one forget his fatherland wholly" (Homer 10.236). In the Odyssey and the Metamorphoses, the nymph has a group of individuals drink a potion, mixed with "roasted barley, honey, and strong wine / with curds of milk, whose sweetness would conceal / the drops of juice she furtively slipped in" (Ovid 14.389-91). After consuming the concoction, the men would be subject to having Circe "[strike] them with her wand and shut them up into sties" (Homer 10.238). These men are then morphed into swine.
Macareus describes in detail how he is transformed into a pig; this is an example of ekphrasis. According to Marjorie Munsterburg in her essay on "Writing About Art: Ekphrasis":
The goal of this literary form is to make the reader envision the thing described as if it were physically present. In many cases, however, the subject never actually existed, making the ekphrastic description a demonstration of both the creative imagination and the skill of the writer. For most readers of famous Greek and Latin texts, it did not matter whether the subject was actual or imagined. (Munsterburg, "Writing About Art: Ekphrasis)
An example of ekphrasis occurs in this episode of Ovid's Metamorphoses-Macareus vividly depicts his transformation into a pig:
It shames me, yet I'll say it:
Bristles began to sprout all over me,
And I lost my ability to speak:
Instead of words I only managed grunts,
My face was turned completely to the ground,
And I could feel my mouth becoming hard
And turning into an extended snout-
My neck grew thick with wrinkles, and that part
Which only recently had held the cup
Was now creating hoof prints in the dirt! (Ovid 14.395-404)
The fact that he is transformed into a swine remains the same in both works; however, what is emphasized in Ovid's Metamorphoses is the transformation itself. On the other hand, in the Odyssey, the focus is the punitive aspect of this metamorphosis: the fact that this could have been avoided if curiosity had not caused the men to be drawn to Circe's voice. The Achaians' entrance into Circe's palace proves that men's folly and fallacy lead them to unfortunate circumstances. Eurylochus, however, is the only individual who shows some kind of logic and, if it were not because of him, "[Macareus] would still be among that herd of porkers, / nor would [Eurylochus] have been able to inform / Ulysses of [their] tragic situation" (Ovid 14.410-12).
The reason Eurylochus does not enter the threshold is due to a bizarre scene that transpires immediately before the warriors enter Circe's palace. The men encounter "a thousand wolves, she-bears, and lionesses" that "[come] rushing at [them], frightening [them] all; / [their] fears were groundless, for they meant no harm / and even joined [them], followed in [their] tracks / wagging their tails and fawning just like dogs" (Ovid 14.367-70). In the Odyssey, these animals-"wolves of the mountain and also lions" (Homer 10.212)-are male, not female. What is unusual is that in either interpretation of this scene, both packs of animals do not attack. Normally, however, the wolves would strike and lionesses would defend their pride. Therefore, Eurylochus suspects that because of the strangeness of this situation, there is bound to be something unusual and unfortunate to occur; for this reason, he decides not to join the men as they enter the palace. Thus one, sole instance of human rationality saves the lives of several fools.
The concept of foolishness is explored in Homer's interpretation of the story of Circe in his epic Odyssey. Ovid in his Metamorphoses, on the other hand, focuses on the idea of change, just like the rest of his work. However, both stories complement each other and provide a greater understanding of certain aspects of the story. Creative license allows Ovid to insert new details into the story that make overlooked areas in the Odyssey more significant. Thus the way in which the two tales are told, though similar, provides different takes on the same situation, allowing the audience to fully comprehend the respective intentions of both poets.
Works Cited
Homer. The Odyssey. Trans. and ed. Albert Cook. 2nd ed. New York, NY: W.W.
Norton and Company, Inc., 1974.
Munsterburg, Marjorie. "Writing About Art: Ekphrasis." Writing About Art.
Ovid. Metamorphoses. Trans. Charles Martin. 1st ed. New York, NY: W.W. Norton
and Company, Inc., 2005.
