Emotions and Heroism
Something
that has struck me throughout the recent discussions we’ve had in class is Odysseus’
emotions. The first time I really noticed this was in Book 5, which I presented
on. Wilson very explicitly mentions Odysseus’ habit of crying while on Ogygia, “since
he was sitting be the shore as usual, sobbing in grief and pain; his heart was
breaking. In tears he stared across the fruitless sea,” (5. 82-84). At first, I
found this amusing and it didn’t stand out very much to me as Wilson’s language
often feels very familiar. However, when we started planning our presentation
on the book, I looked back at that and noticed that this was something that you
might not see very often from your cliché “hero”. Perhaps you might see the
main hero cry after a character close to them dies, but outside of that, this
is something that is rarely portrayed, particularly in today’s climate of what masculinity
looks like.
As
we continued reading, I was more aware of the times that Odysseus is depicted crying
and I realized that there are definitely quite a few. As we’ve said several times
in class, Odysseus likes to be seen as a hero and Homer is definitely making an
attempt to portray him as a hero. Therefore, it’s interesting to me that he
would be willing to risk that heroic image by showing Odysseus as emotional. It
makes me wonder about what the Greeks’ standards for masculinity and heroism
were and how they might differ from ours today. I can’t help but wonder how
this portrayal of Odysseus might be different were it written today.
Mr.
Mitchell pointed out in class that Odysseus’ emotions and vulnerability might
make him more sympathetic to us as readers. Despite my interest in Greek
culture of the time that might have influenced Odysseus’ emotional
vulnerability, I also think this is a valid point. While I think that sometimes
Odysseus can be a little full of himself as a hero, his emotions give him some
humility. I think that showing him as capable of being humble and having an
emotional connection to the people he knew and the experiences he’s had makes
him human and more relatable to the reader.
This is interesting because I also remember a class conversation where we discussed Telemachus crying after he appealed a meeting in Ithaca. This ended up making Telemachus more sympathetic to the men he was speaking to. Maybe this also suggests that crying and being emotional wasn't a sign of weakness for a male hero?
ReplyDeleteHuh! I had never thought it that way before - the copious amount of crying that he does (while a little repetitive at times) does serve to really enunciate his pain and give him a little bit of humility. We definitely see him suffering more emotionally and mentally than typical 21st century American heroes do (most of their trials being physical, with just a touch of emotion).
ReplyDeleteI think a fair argument is that Greeks did not have the same standards of masculinity as we do now, meaning that crying was not necessarily a non-masculine thing to do. Then again, this is a selective 21st century translation, so perhaps this was a conscious choice on Wilson's part, in order to make him seem more sympathetic to us.
I feel like having Odysseus cry makes him a more relatable character. Who wouldn't cry when you've been away from your spouse for years and haven't ever seen your son's face. I think that Odysseus is still a generally masculine hero (physical and mental prowess, ex-military, war hero, the list goes on), but he's a much more personal and flawed character than generic big macho man that likes to fight. For all I know, crying could be seen as unmasculine in ancient Greece, but Odysseus is in so much pain that he cannot help to cry, showing the reader that even masculine men have their cracks and faults.
ReplyDeleteNice post! I really like that Odysseus shows his emotion and weeps. I think it makes him a much more interesting and sympathetic hero. I hadn't thought about how his emotional vulnerability makes him seem more humble -- that's a great point. I actually wrote my post about how Odysseus doesn't cry about the deaths of his crew and what that shows about his relationship with his crew.
ReplyDeleteOdysseus crying was also really interesting to me. I think it's emblematic of how the hero trope evolves over time- Ody's contemporary Western hero would probably show very little emotion (coughtoxicmasculinitycough) and we'd be like 'wow he's so stoic'. Maybe it adds to the sense of charisma and charm we've seen from Ody throughout the story- people are moved to sympathy by his tears. Personally, I think it's one of the few heroic traits that modern readers can get on board with just as well as ancient ones, but that may not have been the case a few decades ago.
ReplyDeleteI think a part of Homer making Odysseus a character that is so emotional and vulnerable, was to balance how clever and deceitful Odysseus is. For example, imagine if Odysseus didn't cry as much. I think he'd be a much colder inhumane person because of how calculating he is. The vulnerability injects a humanity into Odysseus' smart character which let's the audience relate to him more. But I also agree that it gives him humility, also making him easier to approach emotionally. Great post!
ReplyDeleteThe ancient Greeks were adept at depicting creative and imaginative forms of physical suffering: Odysseus endlessly pushing a rock, Prometheus having his liver pecked out daily, etc. But for Odysseus--whose heroic status largely depends on our perception of his emotional depth, his loneliness and homesickness--we need some measure of his emotional pain, and his tears are an excellent way to depict that. He does suffer physically as well, but the overwhelming emphasis is on his broken heart.
ReplyDeleteEDIT: Of course, I meant *Oedipus* endlessly pushing a rock, not Odysseus. He never has to endlessly push a rock.
ReplyDeleteOdysseus does sort of wander around his own story in tears, doesn't he? I think this serves to make him a much more human character, even though at times he is portrayed as semi-god-like in this story. The fact that Odysseus has enough humanity to sit and weep for his losses distinguishes him from our over-grown, all-powerful man-boys Zeus and Poseidon, who I can't imagine crying for anything.
ReplyDelete