The Greeks had no illusion that the characteristic cleverness of Odysseus had a sinister aspect to it, not the least in the way that he deals with the Trojans after the war. Penelope keeps her suitors at bay by spinning a shroud for three years. She is eventually betrayed by one of the maids in the house, and forced by the suitors to complete it, although the ruse does last for three years. The suitors agree to this, but little do they know that she weaves the shroud by day, and un-weaves it by night. She tries to avoid re-marriage and delays the event by a clever ruse: she agrees to marry a suitor only after she has finished weaving a death shroud for Odysseus’s father Laertes. ![]() Just as Odysseus is too clever for the Trojans - and the suitors - so his wife Penelope is a model of cleverness and circumspection. One might say that Achilles wins his Trojan war by killing Hector, with Athena’s support, but it is Odysseus who is the real destroyer of the city by virtue of a new and different kind of heroism. Achilles never sees the fall of Troy because he dies beforehand (unless one watches the 2004 film Troy). This kind of heroism is very different from Achilles in the Iliad, whose renown is built on his use of the spear and shield in single combat in the bright light of day. His heroism is characterised by these two elements – his cunning intelligence, and his courage in the darkness of confined spaces. He is a kind of “breaker of sieges” in early Greek epic. His role in breaking the siege at Troy is a precursor to breaking the stalemate in his own house. Odysseus can rightly claim to be the conqueror of Troy based on his creative thinking in dreaming up the idea of the horse in the first place, not to mention his courage in going into its belly with the other men. His reaction to the bard prompts his host, the king Alcinous, to ask him who he is and what is his story? And so well does Demodocus sing the story of the horse that tears run down Odysseus’s cheeks and he groans heavily. Odysseus is more than keen to hear about his own heroic exploits. On the last leg of his return he is entertained by the Phaeacians on the island of Scheria (perhaps modern Corfu), where Odysseus, his identity unknown to his hosts, rather cheekily asks the local bard Demodocus to sing the story of the wooden horse, which Odysseus had used to hide the Greek soldiers and surprise the city of Troy. ![]() It is very important in the Odyssey that the hero’s renown as the destroyer of Troy has quickly entered into the oral tradition of the world through which he travels. There is a strong element of the trickster figure about Homer’s Odysseus. All of Odysseus’s men are eventually killed, and he alone survives his return home, mostly because of his versatility and cleverness. Polyphemus is blinded but survives the attack and curses the voyage home of the Ithacans. He and his men enter into the cave of the Cyclops, get him drunk on some seriously potent wine, and then stick a large burning stake into his eye. You can learn more by visiting The Mighty, a digital health community created to empower and connect people facing health challenges and disabilities, or one of the organizations below.The critical episode on the way home is Odysseus’s encounter with Polyphemus, a Cyclops and son of Poseidon (told in Book 9). Genomics is helping solve some of the most challenging problems in the human condition and providing new hope for people around the world. Learn more about how genomics can solve medical mysteries and improve health. The right information at the right time can make all the difference for families affected by genetic diseases. Along with healthcare professionals, advocates, insurers and policymakers, we are working to shorten the time to a definitive diagnosis – and an end to the diagnostic odyssey – for everyone. We are dedicated to overcoming these barriers. Unfortunately, awareness of and access to whole genome sequencing is lacking among many families affected by genetic diseases. ![]() Whole genome sequencing now has the power to help doctors diagnose genetic diseases in days, and helps parents avoid months or years of inconclusive tests, hospital visits, costly treatments, and sleepless nights. ![]() There is new hope for families like the Mights and for the 300 million people affected by undiagnosed genetic diseases – who outnumber people with cancer and AIDS combined.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |