sign in sign up
<<
Home , The Odyssey (Smith), Tiresias

2019 STUDY GUIDE BY JAMILA REDDY

A Study Guide to Aquila Theatre’s Production of 'S THE Translation by Emily Wilson | Adaptation by Desiree Sanchez

Homer’s is the epic tale of one man’s decade-long struggle to return home. One of the most famous tales in world I N T HI S STUDY GUIDE literature, The Odyssey remains an influential and moving portrait of ’ monumental journey – one fraught with obstacles, dangers, and temptations. A testament to perseverance and the WHO WAS HOMER? human spirit, The Odyssey was originally performed by highly skilled bards across the ancient Mediterranean world. Now, Aquila Theatre presents a thrilling new dramatic adaptation of this timeless poem. SYNOPSIS Odysseus is the great strategic mind of the Greek army at . He is at first reluctant to leave his wife and newborn son to go to battle, but his brilliant tricks of deception help defeat the Trojans and end the ten-year-long war. His homecoming is just as long and CHARACTERS treacherous as the war itself. As Odysseus sails across the seas, forced to confront a fantastical array of mythical creatures, sorcerers, monsters, and divine forces, he must use all his strength, SAY WHAT?: skill, and intellect to survive. When he finally returns home to Ithaca, he comes disguised as a beggar. His own halls are plagued with VOCABULARY WORDS gluttonous suitors determined to force Penelope to choose a new husband and king. How can this warrior return home after so many years of war, violence and trauma? AQUILA'S ADAPTATION Aquila Theatre's acclaimed adaptation of Homer’s : Book One was hailed by The New York Times as “thrillingly embodied.” In The Odyssey, Aquila applies its signature style of innovative THINK ABOUT IT! storytelling and ensemble movement, bringing another of Homer’s DISCUSSION Q'S. classic poems to life. WHO WAS HOMER?

Homer is the presumed author of the Iliad and the Odyssey, two largely influential epic poems that describe the , a conflict between the Greeks and the city of Troy (fought about 1200BCE.)

He was born sometime between the 12th and 8th centuries B.C.E., possibly somewhere on the coast of modern day Turkey.

While some scholars believe Homer is solely responsible for writing these works, others claim that the poems are based on oral legends — retold and revised by numerous people — but attributed to a storyteller named Homer.

Whether he was the sole author or not, Homer is considered to be one of history’s most influential writers.

The Iliad and The Odyssey influenced global standards and ideas — providing the basis of Greek education and culture Source: Getty Images throughout the ancient Mediterranean world and beyond and inspiring many of the world’s most famous works of literature, music, art and film The Greeks saw Homer's poems as more than just works of literature; they knew much of them by heart and valued them as an ancient source of moral and even practical instruction.

https://www.britannica.com/biography/Homer-Greek-poet SYNOPSIS

The house of Penelope and Odysseus in

Odysseus, the husband of Penelope and father of , has been away now for twenty years. The first ten he was fighting with the Greeks at Troy, the following decade he was wandering lost and unable to find his way back home. In that time he lost his command, questioned his beliefs and even his own identity.

While Odysseus has been away, his wife, Penelope has been besieged by many suitors, keen to inherit a leading position in the community and marry Penelope who was famous for her intelligence and beauty. But Odysseus’ son, Telemachus is coming of age and resents the suitors and so the leading suitor, Antinious hatches a plot to do away with him once and for all.

Odysseus’ loyal pig farmer, has been watching over the family. , the goddess who has taken Odysseus and his family under her wing, encourages Telemachus to leave and search for his father and in so doing gets him out of harm’s way.

Meanwhile, Odysseus is wandering unable to return, suffering many misfortunes, and ends up seeking refuge at the house of Alcinious and and their fellow Phaecians. They take the disguised Odysseus in and when he hears a song about the war he fought in, he becomes emotional and reveals himself. Then he tells the Phaecians his own story and they help him in the telling, knowing that he can only get home once he comes to terms with the life he has lived and who he really is.

Odysseus tells of how after ten long years of war at Troy he and his crew visit the land of the and instead of seeking hospitality they attack the city in an attempt to enrich themselves. This was a foolish plan as they are forced off by a counter attack that cost Odysseus many men. Beaten, confused and hungry they put in at the land of the Lotus Eaters and his troops start to devour the lotus, which offers to erase all memories. Odysseus knows this is the path to self-obliteration and so he forces his crew back on board their ship. Still hungry, they sail to the Island of the in search of supplies. The Cyclopes live alone, apart from each other. Odysseus is ambushed by one of them, who savagely starts killing his men. Odysseus blinds the ’ one eye and escapes. Polyphemus calls out to his compatriots who come to his aid, but the clever Odysseus has told him that his name is “Noman” and so the other Cyclopes think he has gone mad when he shouts “no man is hurting me!” However, Odysseus, let’s his anger and ego get the best of him and reveals his true identity to the Cyclops when he thinks he is out of harm’s way. In turn, the Cyclops curses Odysseus and pleads with his father, the sea god, to avenge him.

SYNOPSIS

Eventually, Odysseus and his crew manage to sail to Ithaka as they have been given a mystical bag of winds to help in their journey. But Odysseus has not shared this information with his squad and as he falls asleep exhausted, relieved to finally see his home again, they steal the bag and open it, unleashing a terrible storm. They are blown far from home and are lost again.

Odysseus must learn to change in order to get home and so he embarks on a journey to the underworld to learn the prophecy of the dead sage , who is both male and female and knows all. While there he sees his mother, discovering she has died while he has been gone. He also encounters his fellow warriors, , and Ajax.

Now he knows what he must do but he must still pass the test of the Sirens who lure men to their deaths by hypnotically singing and offering to fulfill the listeners’ greatest desires.

Once he has told his story, the Phaecians are so moved that they bring him home to Ithaka. He arrives in disguise and is offered simple hospitality by his old friend, Eumaeus. He tries to lie about who he is and what he has done, but in telling the lie he reveals the truth of what he has endured. Telemachus returns home and meets his father for the first time. Odysseus is also reunited with his beloved dog, who upon seeing his master, dies. Odysseus then sees his wife Penelope for the first time in twenty years but decides to stay in disguise from her.

Odysseus reveals his true identity to Penelope only after he has violently expelled the suitors. This is shocking to Penelope so she devises a way to test him to ensure that this man who has returned is not only really her husband but a man still capable of love.

They reunite and Odysseus tells her of the prophecy that he must leave again, plant his oar far from home and make peace with the gods. Odysseus’ journey is not yet over.

Image from Alexander Pope’s illustrated translations of Homer’s Iliad and Odyssey. THE CHARACTERS

Odysseus - The protagonist of the Odyssey. Odysseus fought among the other Greek heroes at Troy and now struggles to return to his kingdom in Ithaca. Odysseus is the husband of Queen Penelope and the father of Prince Telemachus. Though a strong and courageous warrior, he is most renowned for his cunning.

Telemachus - Odysseus’s son. An infant when Odysseus left for Troy, Telemachus is about twenty at the beginning of the story. He is a natural obstacle to the suitors desperately courting his mother, but despite his courage and good heart, he initially lacks the poise and confidence to oppose them.

Penelope - Wife of Odysseus and mother of Telemachus. Penelope spends her days in the palace pining for the husband who left for Troy twenty years earlier and never returned. Homer portrays her as clever and steadfastly true to her husband.

Athena - Daughter of and goddess of wisdom, purposeful battle, and the intricate arts. Athena assists Odysseus and Telemachus with divine powers throughout the epic, and she speaks up for them in the councils of the gods on .

Poseidon - God of the sea. As the suitors are Odysseus’s mortal antagonists, Poseidon is his divine antagonist. He despises Odysseus for blinding his son, the Cyclops Polyphemus, and constantly hampers his journey home. Ironically, Poseidon is the patron of the seafaring Phaeacians, who ultimately help to return Odysseus to Ithaca. THE CHARACTERS CONTINUED

Zeus - King of gods and men, who mediates the - King of the Phaeacians, who offers disputes of the gods on Mount Olympus. Zeus is Odysseus hospitality in his island kingdom of occasionally depicted as weighing men’s fates in . Alcinous hears the story of Odysseus’s his scales. He sometimes helps Odysseus or wanderings and provides him with safe passage permits Athena to do the same. back to Ithaca.

Eumaeus - The loyal shepherd who, along with Arete - Queen of the Phaeacians, wife of the cowherd , helps Odysseus reclaim Alcinous, and mother of . Arete is his throne after his return to Ithaca. Even though intelligent and influential. Nausicaa tells he does not know that the vagabond who appears Odysseus to make his appeal for assistance to at his hut is Odysseus, Eumaeus gives the man Arete. food and shelter.

Cyclops - An uncivilized one-eyed giant whose island Odysseus comes to soon after leaving Troy.

Tiresias - A Theban prophet who inhabits the underworld. Tiresias meets Odysseus when Odysseus journeys to the underworld in Book 11. He shows Odysseus how to get back to Ithaca and allows Odysseus to communicate with the other souls in .

Achilles - A Greek hero who fought against the Trojans. He's already dead by the time the Odyssey begins, so we only see him in the Underworld.

Ajax - A Greek hero in the Trojan War whom Odysseus encounters in the Underworld. Ajax was angered over not receiving Achilles arms after his death, went mad with rage and committed suicide. He was most angry at Odysseus, who was the one chosen to receive the armor.

Agamemnon - Former king of , brother of , and commander of the Achaean David Plunkert forces at Troy. Odysseus encounters Agamemnon’s spirit in Hades. Agamemnon was murdered by his wife, Clytemnestra, and her lover, Aegisthus, upon his return from the war. He was later avenged by his son Orestes.

VOCABULARY MUSE

noun: a person or personified force who is the source of INCENSED inspiration for a creative artist. adjective: very angry; enraged. "Tell me about a complicated GRUDGE man. Muse, tell me how he "I think Poseidon will not wandered and was lost when noun: a persistent feeling of cease to feel incensed he had wrecked the holy ill will or resentment because you blinded his town of Troy" - Narrator resulting from a past insult dear son." - Tiresias or injury

Please forgive me, do not keep bearing a grudge because when I first saw you,I would not welcome you immediately."- Penelope SAY MAINSTAY noun: a person or thing on which something else is based or depends.

"f someone murderseven just WHAT? one man, even one who hadfew friends in his community, the killeris forced to run away and leave his homelandand family. But we have killed the mainstayof Ithaca." - Odysseus WINNOWING

verb: blow a current of air through (grain) in order to remove the seed covering. FLOURISHING

"He said that I will know I have adjective: developing rapidly and arrived when I encounter successfully; thriving. someone who calls the object on my back a winnowing fan." - "Gentle death will come to you,far from Odysseus the sea, of comfortable old age,your people flourishing." - Tiresias

LAMENTATION THRESHOLD noun: the passionate expression of noun: a strip of wood, metal, or grief or sorrow; weeping stone forming the bottom of a doorway and crossed in entering They both felt deep desire for a house or room. lamentation,and wailed with cries as shrill as birds, like eaglesor vultures, "Odysseus, disguised as an old when the hunters have deprived beggar,walkedtothethresholdofhi themof fledglings who havenot yet sownoldhome." - Narrator learned to fly. - Narrator AQUILA THEATRE'S ADAPTATION

Emily Wilson is the first woman to translate The Odyssey in English. In November 2017, W. W. Norton published her translation of the Odyssey, and The New York Times named Wilson’s translation as one of its 100 notable books of 2018.

The inspiration for Aquila's adaptation of The Odyssey comes from their work with veterans in a program called the Warrior Chorus, a national initiative that trains veterans to present innovative public programs based on classical text.

The Warrior Chorus brings members of the public together with the American veteran community to experience live stagings, readings, workshops, lectures, and discussions. Veterans reflected on the connections between the works of the ancient Greeks and the issues they reflect in their own lives — specifically the stories of war, homecoming, and the impact of war on their families lives.

The Warrior Chorus initiative uses ancient literature to inspire in-depth public discussions about war, conflict, comradeship, country,, family, injuries, work, and politics. Themes explored for The Odyssey were leadership, survivors guilt, democracy, hospitality, displacement and what home really means. STUDY QUESTIONS

WHY DOESN'T IT GET OLD? WHAT'S SO EPIC What makes The A B O U T I T ? Odyssey timeless? What's so appealing that it's resulted in In what ways is Odysseus an "epic hero?" dozens and dozens of spin-offs?

THINK ABOUT IT!

W H A T D O W H A T D O E S T H E G O D S JUSTICE H A V E T O D O MEAN? W I T H I T ? What does justice mean for the people in The Odyssey? Are revenge and retribution How does Homer portray the the only options, or do they seem to be relationship between gods and working on a different kind of justice? men in the Odyssey? What roles do the gods play in human life?

WHAT DOES ODYSSEUS A B O U T T H E EVOLVE? WOMEN? In what ways does Odysseus develop What kinds of roles do women as a character during the course of the play in The Odyssey? Which narrative? Does he develop at all? women (or goddesses) hold the most power and why? ABOUT AQUILA THEATRE

Aquila Theatre's mission is to bring the greatest works to the greatest number. We believe passionately that everyone should be given the opportunity to engage with classical drama of the highest quality at an affordable price right in their own community, experience the arts from other places and exchange ideas. We re- examine what constitutes a classical work and, in so doing, seek to expand the canon. We endeavor to create bold reinterpretations of classical plays for contemporary audiences that free the spirit of the original work and recreate the excitement of the live performance. Aquila presents its work each year in New York City, tours nationwide, provides extensive educational programming and is well known for its innovative humanities and arts based public programs.

Warrior Chorus is a national innovative public program that trains veterans to present humanities programming based on ancient literature, presented in partnership with the National Endowment for the Humanities. The Warrior Chorus: American Odyssey is currently running in New York, Miami, Florida and Austin, Texas with workshops and events across the country exploring Homer’s The Odyssey from veterans’ perspectives