#1 Athena disguises herself as a man and enters the hall of Odysseus to encourage his son to leave. She lies about her name and where she is from and gives advice to Telemachus that he takes. After she leaves, the narrator reveals that he suspected that she was an immortal in disguise.
Athena dons a new disguise, that of fellow Ithacan Mentor. As Mentor she orchestrates every part of the upcoming journey while Telemachus deals with the affairs of his household. She secures a ship and crewmen.
Athena disguises herself as a friend of Nausicaa and tells her to go to the river so that she may come upon Odysseus. When Odysseus prays to her that she will help him make it home, she makes a pledge that he will not see her real form until he gets to Ithaca.
#2 A competition was scheduled to be hosted with races and games for everyone. You could tell that guests were treated like royalty themselves. Odysseus was asked to participate but politely refused. Someone threatened him by saying that he is too weak and afraid of losing to enter any of the competitions. Because of that comment, he picked up a clay frisbee and threw it with all of his might. Everyone near him dropped to the ground in fear.
Book I:
In disguise as an old friend of Odysseus’, Athena travels to his manor in Ithaka, now overrun with noisy, lustful suitors intent on marrying Odysseus’ wife, Penelope.
Book II:
Meanwhile, Athena walks around town disguised as Telemakhos, inviting men to meet up at nightfall at a ship she has borrowed. At night, Athena makes the suitors fall asleep and, in the form of Mentor, informs Telemakhos of the arrival of his crew. She leads him to his ship, his crew packs up their provisions, and they disembark with Athena on board. They drink to the gods, especially Athena.
Book VIII Summary:
In the morning, Athena, in the form of a crier, calls the townspeople to assemble to meet a stranger. The crowd gathers and sees Odysseus cast in a godly light by Athena. Alkinoos asks them to provide a ship and crew for their anonymous guest, and then prepare for a festival celebrating the stranger. His instructions are followed, and at a feast for Odysseus, the blind bard Demodokos sings a song about the battle between Odysseus and Akhilleus at Troy. Odysseus furtively cries at the memories it stirs, and Alkinoos notices, stops the music, and starts up the pentathlon trials.
Various games are played, and Prince Laodamas asks Odysseus to join. With so much on his mind, Odysseus is reluctant to play, and one of the athletes, Seareach, accuses Odysseus of having no athletic talent. Odysseus takes up the challenge and throws a discus farther than anyone else. Inspired by his throw and by the disguised Athena’s praise of it, Odysseus dares anyone to best him in any athletic contest, especially archery. He silences the crowd, and Alkinoos praises his prowess and suggests a dance performance. Demodokos sings about a tryst between Ares and Aphrodite, which ended when the cuckolded Hephaistos forged chains and snared them when they went to bed together. He then invited the other gods to witness the adulterers caught in the act.
Odysseus enjoys the story, and is impressed by the following dance Alkinoos’ sons perform. Alkinoos gives Odysseus a great bounty of clothing and gold, and Seareach, by way of apology, gives him a fine silver-and-ivory broadsword. On Alkinoos’ orders, maids bathe him. When he returns to the main hall, Princess Nausikaa asks him to remember her; he tells her he owes her his life. During the feast, Odysseus praises Demodokos’ song about the Akhaians, and asks him to sing about the wooden horse Odysseus used to invade Troy. He does, and Odysseus again weeps and only Alkinoos notices. Alkinoos stops the music, questions why the stranger has cried despite all the gifts he has received, and asks him for his name and his full story. do
Analysis:
The various songs-within-the-poem cast light on identity and themes in this book, as interior texts frequently throughout The Odyssey. The slow revelation of Odysseus’ identity emerges through the first and last songs as he betrays his intimate familiarity with the fate of those who died at Troy. The middle song about Ares and Aphrodite is yet another tale of adultery and comeuppance (the one previously used was about Orestes), and should have great relevance for Odysseus, who has been unfaithful to his wife and whose wife is perilously close to being unfaithful to him. However, for once he is not strategically aware of the ramifications, and he finds only “sweet pleasure in the tale” (395).
We see Odysseus in a rare moment of rage when Seareach wounds his pride. The Greeks viewed excessive pride, or hubris, as a major personality defect, and it constitutes one of the main themes of The Iliad. Hubris is not as prominent in The Odyssey, although we see it pop up occasionally – Poseidon’s grudge against Odysseus seems somewhat hubristic, even. But more importantly, Odysseus demonstrates some hubristic tendencies, especially later on when, as a leader, he has occasional slips in judgment.
Within Odysseus’ riled up speech to Seareach and the others, he mentions how great an archer he is. His mention of this skill foreshadows his confrontation with the suitors near the end of poem and creates a satisfying ending.
The legend that Homer was blind – generally discredited now – may have its roots in the appearance in this book of the blind bard Demodokos. Homer – and, apparently, those who believe Homer was blind – takes the idea that lack of visual sight leads to increased mental insight.
materi referensi:
Ucu Agustin 