Reading Notes: Homer's Odyssey Part B

Odyssey: The Sirens, Scylla, and Charybdis Translated by Tony Kline:

Characters: Odysseus, Crew, Sirens, Scylla

Odysseus: Tells crew to tie him to the mast so he can listen to the song that the Sirens sing. He tries to get his crew to release him so he can go the sirens but they do not. Then when they pass Scylla and Charybdis he is in his armor but can not do anything as his men are carried away and probably eaten.

Crew: more of them die. This time to Scylla. I am surprised they were able to resist wanting to listen to the Siren's song. I think it could be interesting if one did.

Sirens: Try to lure Odysseus and the crew towards them so that they can eat them all.

Scylla: Attacks the ship and doesn't have dialogue in the translation. Eats a bunch of Odysseus's men. (maybe a metaphor for cannibalism??)

Plot: After explaining that he has talked to a bunch of dead people, Odysseus has his crew set sail to try to return home to Ithaca. Their first obstacle is the Sirens. The Sirens are a group of half women who sing to sailors to come to their island. This is bad because then they end up crashing their ships and then get eaten by the Sirens. In this case, they claimed to know everything on Earth and probably thought that would make Odysseus and his crew come and crash. He had thought of this though and but wax in all his men's ears and had them tie him up so he could listen but not do anything. They then had to pass Scylla and Charybdis. Charybdis makes a huge whirlpool that would definitely suck in their ship they row too close by. this makes them pass closer to Scylla. Scylla is able to snatch some of Odysseus's men from him as he looks on in his armor, unable to do anything as his men are dragged to their deaths.

Setting: The Ocean.

What I would Change: Once again I think more characterization of the morale and actions of the crew would be nice. Everything is told from one angle so it makes sense that it's biased, but it seems like Odysseus doesn't remember much of his crew. This should all be seared into his brain as he loses all those who fought along side him as he tries to return home.

Comments

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