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V Copies of the thesis may be provided to any researcher. :,eieetmg this aHovvs any to request a from Wilhams or to make one from an electronic _ Copying of the thesis is restricted for _ years, at which time copies may be provided to any researcher. This tbe author to set restrictiDns, this an eleClwnic vcrsion of tbe thesis _ Copying of the thesis or portions thereof, except as needed to maintain an adequate number of research copies available in the Williams College Libraries, is expressly prohibited. The electronic version of the thesis will be protected against duplication. Sclect.mg this aIJows no made for researchers. The electronic version of This not dis-aIJow researchers from fonu. Signed (student author) -Signatures Removed Signed (faculty advisor) __ -~ i/v-* Thesis title The Ii Dbr/a oj' Oldy sseus I Date 1/1 /08 Os/I Signature Removed Accepted for the Libraries __ Date accepted )'(1 -t2<j THE APORIA OF ODYSSEUS by Paul A. Woodard David Porter, Advisor A thesis submitted in partial fulfillment ofthe requirements for the Degree ofBachelor ofArts with Honors in Classics WILLIAMS COLLEGE Williamstown, Massachusetts May 19, 2008 Kat <j>SEylJ,a Kat aVEIJ,OEV <j>pOV~lJ,a Kat acr1uVOIJ,OU~ 6pya~ E8t8asa1o Kat 8ucrauA,wv naywv unaiSpna Kat 8ucrolJ,~pa <j>Euynv ~EA,~ naV1onopo~' anopo~ En' OU8EV EPXE1at 10 IJ,EA,A,OV' "At8a IJ,OVOV <j>Evstv OUK EnasE1at· vocrwv 8' alJ,~xavwv <j>uya~ SUlJ,nE<j>pa<nat. -Sophocles, Antigone 353-364 I would first like to thank Professor Porter for all ofthe time, energy, and thought he himselfhas put into this thesis. I would also like to thank Professor Dekel for his help in forming the idea which sparked this thesis. Finally, I would like to thank my parents, without whom none ofthis would have been at all possible. Table of Contents Introduction 1 Chapter One: 'Anopia from Homer to the Sophists 4 Chapter Two: The 'Anopia ofthe Sea 13 Chapter Three: The nopOC; ofTExVll 27 Chapter Four: The nopOC; ofAOYOl 47 Chapter Five: The 'Anopia ofLife 66 Chapter Six: The nOpOl ofLife 85 Conclusion 103 Bibliography 106 Introduction The primary purpose ofthis thesis is to study the ways in which Odysseus responds to and delivers himselfand others from anopla in the Odyssey. The first chapter serves as an introduction to the concept ofanopla and to the ways in which the sophists offifth-century Athens were concerned with it; to this end, I examine Prodicus' /lueO~ about the young Heracles in anopla from Xenophon's Memorabilia and Protagoras' creation /lUeO~ in Plato's Protagoras. In the final portion ofthis chapter, I look at Achilles' encounter with anopla in the Iliad and prepare for a study ofOdysseus' struggles with anopla in the Odyssey. The second chapter examines Odysseus' story in the Odyssey as one continuous confrontation with anopla. As Homer explains at the very beginning ofhis epic, the Odyssey is the story ofOdysseus' struggle to obtain a V0010~; in the first twelve books he fights to reach his homeland, and in the second twelve he ensures that his house remains his home by ridding it ofthe suitors. The anopla arises here from the many obstacles which obstruct Odysseus' V0010~, the greatest one being the sea itself. In the second half ofthis chapter, I look at the 1ExVll required for confronting the sea, the great body of anopla, first by examining the skilled Phaeacians and the unskilled Cyclopes' relationships with the sea. In the final portion ofthis chapter, I study Odysseus' use of TEXVll to cross the sea in his departure from Calypso's island. The third chapter studies the ways in which Odysseus uses the craft ofhis hands to deliver himselfand his companions from anopla. One ofthe greatest examples ofthis is Odysseus' encounter with the Cyclops Polyphemus; Odysseus is able to overcome the 1 much stronger Polyphemus by relying primarily on his quick wit and 'TE:XVll. Once Odysseus finally returns to Ithaca he faces a similarly demanding task in ridding his house ofthe suitors; here again he relies on his superior 'TE:xVll to compensate for the suitors' far greater numbers. Throughout this chapter I also demonstrate that Odysseus' reliance upon 'TE:XVll has the positive effect ofrestoring him and his companions to a human state in the bestial world they traverse. The fourth chapter is a similar study ofthe ways in which Odysseus uses oral persuasion to resolve his anopia. While Odysseus relies mainly on 'TE:XVll to escape the Cyclops' cave, it is actually his skill with words which enables his plan to succeed. "When dealing with friendlier, less bestial characters, Odysseus often relies solely on persuasion-itself, ofcourse, a'TE:xvll as the sophists emphasized-to deliver himself from anopia; in his encounters with Circe and Nausicaa, the Ithacan king uses flattery and his ability to evoke pity to reach his desired end with minimal deception. In contrast, in dealing with the suitors Odysseus turns mainly to deception to give himselfenough time to prepare his final assault against his unwelcome guests. Unlike his use of'TE:XVll in the Cyclops episode, which reinforces his human state, this reliance upon deception in these other instances risks robbing Odysseus ofhis unique human identity, which he accordingly feels the need to reassert. In the fifth chapter I examine a very different kind ofanopia which Odysseus faces. In his encounters with Circe, Calypso, and Nausicaa Odysseus is three times offered an alternative to fighting for his VO()'TOt;, but in each ofthese episodes he eventually chooses to continue on his journey homeward. In this chapter I examine the anopia in which Odysseus finds himself in having to choose between these paths. 2 Although Circe, Calypso, and Nausicaa present three essentially equivalent offers, Odysseus shows increasingly less interest over the course ofhis journey. In examining the gods' encounters with anopia, which do not bear the serious consequences that mortals' encounters with anopia do, I conclude that in choosing to live in the world of mortals Odysseus subjects himselfto unending anopia, which is in part inescapable. In the final portion ofthe fifth chapter, I argue that the Ithacan's great concern with maintaining a human identity suggests that ifa divine life robs him ofthis, it is not a worthy life. In the final chapter ofthe thesis, I examine the aspect ofmorality in Odysseus', as well as the sophists', encounters with anopia. In the Odyssey, the much-traveled man's actions are guided by a strong moral compass; in choosing to embrace mortal life, Odysseus develops a sensitivity to the universal condition ofmortality, which he does not forget even in attempting to escape anopia.