When the reader arrives at a
significant moment in The Odyssey and
when the tenseness is almost about to reach its climax, Homer jerks him back in
time to give an exhaustive literary impression of a particular object or
person. At first, the digressions might feel tedious, seem unnecessary and slow
the story down, especially, if one is waiting on the edge of his seat for more
action. However, compared with the modern day excessive amusements and
distractions, Homer and his fellow citizens were not interested in cutting to
the chase, but in embellishing the stories of their heritage and celebrating
the heroes and their culture. This essay will attempt to justify the
essentiality of Homeric digressions.
These digressions add depth and
background, richness and context to the beloved stories. They fully illuminate
themes, ideas and the essential Greek cultural capital of Reciprocity, Hospitality
and Arête. The digressions involve the storyteller himself. In the middle of
the story, Homer chimes in and takes the reader on a tangent, like a little old
man in his rocking chair might do. The digression is where we, the reader, allow
the bard to embellish and celebrate the stories within the story.
Many essays have been written about
the more famous digression of Odysseus’ scar, but there are numerous smaller digressions
that beg for attention. One in particular is the story of how Odysseus obtained
his bow. Penelope dreadfully climbs “up the steep stairs…to a hidden storeroom,
far in the palace depths.”[1]
The reader is anticipating her bringing the bow down to the hall where the
suitors will contend in stringing the bow and cutting the axes. The best man
will become Penelope’s new husband. Yet, leaving us in terrible suspense, Homer
takes us now, to the region of Messene, where youthful Odysseus strikes up a
friendship with Iphitus. We learn that they exchange gifts to mark the start of
their relationship; Iphitus gives his bow, which once was his father’s, the
mighty Eurytus and Odysseus gives his sharp sword and rugged spear. No sooner
than they exchange the friendly tokens, but Heracles, the past master of
monstrous works, kills the gallant Iphitus, Eurytus’ magnificent son, a guest
in his house.
In this digression, Homer expounds
upon some of the themes of heritage, of names, of hospitality, as would an old
wise man continually take to the task of teaching and training the virtues to
the young. He knows his place as a keeper of the Greek values and maintains it
through the oral tradition.
In addition to the reasons we have
already discussed, the digressions occasionally suggest prophecy, omens, or
symbolism. In this one, there seems to be some symbolism in the arrows
described as “shafts of pain.” Heretofore in the epic, we know that Odysseus is the man of pain and has suffered much
pain in the last twenty years, and who is finally on home turf with one last
battle to fight. Nevertheless, instead of his pain, this time it will be that
of the suitors. Furthermore, symbolic of the bow that never “went abroad with”
him, but that he “only took…on hunts at home,” he will use specifically on a
hunt at home; his very home; within his home. But first, Penelope must
search “far in the palace depths” to find the well-constructed bow. Symbolically, she is reaching far within the
depths of her soul for solace and what will bring her the most happiness—her husband
home and by her side. Here she arms herself with the weapon of soon-to-be-mass-destruction,
thinking only of her own imminent destruction and yet, it is the very symbol of
home for Odysseus as it, along with Odysseus’ craftiness and strength, will restore
his home and his family. All this symbolism is made richer, deeper and more
powerful because of the story of the bow.
The stories within the story are
important to these people. Interwoven throughout the Odyssey, the inquiries:
who are you, what is your name, and from whence do you hail, express the
importance of Greek heritage. The story of the
man is the ultimate of who he is. His story embodies him. It is the
cultural capital that portrays Arête. It is the motivation for hospitality and
reciprocity. Without the digressions, we have few stories.
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