Odyssey Book 10: the Underworld

How does Homer make visiting the underworld a pitiful experience for Odysseus?

Written by a Year 10 Classical Civilisation class from Queen's Gate School

Meeting his crewmate, Elpenor

One way that Homer makes the underworld a pitiful place is through Elpenor. This can be shown when Homer writes "I fell from the roof of Circe's house, and I died. I had not made my end in battle, nor in any great way, but fell from the roof while drunk." This shows his sorrowful state because of his lonely death with no family or friends to be with him in his final moments. Another example of how the underworld is an isolated place for Elpenor is when he says, "I beg you, by your life and knees...but make sure that I get a proper burial." This shows how desperate he is to get a proper burial to cross the river Styx.

Meeting the blind prophet, Teiresias

Homer makes visiting the underworld a painful experience by emphasising Odysseus’s tragic fate during his encounter with Teiresias. In book 11, Teiresias predicts that “your ship and company will be destroyed”. This quote reflects on the fact that all of Odysseus crew will eventually die due to their own recklessness which is particularly tragic as Odysseus has spent a decade committed to fighting in the Trojan war, separated from his family and another 10 years attempting to return to Ithaca. However the journey has been persistently obstructed by the wrongdoings of his crew ,which creates a further painful experience for Odysseus as it could indicate that Odysseus lacks control over his crew and may not have been a strong enough leader to guide them safely and effectively through the challenges in the decades long journey. While it was fated, Odysseus likely felt guilt over his role in being cursed by Polyphemus. This ultimately embodies how Homer makes Odysseus visit to the underworld painful.

Meeting his mother, Anticleia

Anticleia is the mother of Odysseus and as he travels to the underworld, he encounters his deceased mother. This encounter was extremely painful as Odysseus did not know his mother had died. We pity Anticleia as she “recognized [Odysseus] at once,” even though it had been 20 years since they saw each other, this shows that she never forgot him and never stopped thinking about her lost son. We also pity for Anticleia as she cannot hug Odysseus “she slipped through [his] hands” this makes us pity for a mother who would never be able to embrace her son.

Meeting the Greek hero, Achilles

Homer makes the underworld a pitiful experience for Odysseus through meeting Achilles. For example, on page 152, line 488 Achilles stated, “I would rather work the soil as a serf on hire to some landless impoverished peasants than be king of all these lifeless dead”. This powerful quote makes the reader realize how horrible the conditions are in the underworld, as even the strong hero Achilles states that he would rather be in the worst position on earth, than be in the best position in the underworld. Moreover, we feel great empathy towards Achilles as he was well respected in his life as on page 152 line 484 Odysseus quoted “We Argives honored you as though you were a god”, showing that he was greatly admired and was a role model for Odysseus. This makes the reader feel pitiful towards Odysseus, as he meets his idolizing figure in a place so petrifying, even his brave and fierce role model is in a state of vulnerability.

Meeting the cursed Oedipus

Homer makes Odysseus’ experience in the underworld particularly painful by emphasizing the dead souls that he meets. During his venture he meets Oedipus’ mother, and they discuss his suffering, “Oedipus to suffer all the horrors”, Homer uses Oedipus as a warning of the inevitability of fate and the consequences of your actions. The mention of “horrors” Oedipus must undergo reflects his tragic curse. That he was cursed to “kill his father and take his mother to wife”, emphasizes the immense pain and guilt that Oedipus would feel, as he is bond to do something that he is not able to control. As a consequence, he is left with “countless woes” which suggests that he is doomed to live in endless shame. Overall, this makes Odysseus' experience in the underworld painful as he learns about the uncontrollable and regretful actions Oedipus must take, which makes him feel pity for him.

Meeting the King, Agamemnon

Homer makes visiting the underworld a pitiful experience by using Agamemnon’s tragic events. Agamemnon tells Odysseus the betrayal he suffered from his wife when she murdered him. He states “The bitch turned her face aside and could not even bring herself though I was on my way to Hades.” This emphasises Agamemnon’s anger as he feels betrayal from his brutal death. This makes the underworld a place full of unresolved suffering. Furthermore, Agamemnon warns Odysseus: “Never be too trustful, even of you wife” sowing his distrust and how paranoid he is. This represents the emotional torment of the underworld and how past traumas follow you to your experience in the underworld.

Meeting the cursed Tantalus

Homer makes Odysseus’ visit to the underworld pitiful as he presents him the agony Tantalus has to bear whilst in the Underworld. Tantalus is constantly being tempted with ‘dangled fruits above his head’ and ‘a pool of water’ in front of him but whenever he reaches for goods, they disappear right away. Odysseus describes the agonies Tantalus bears as ‘awful’ and feels pity for him as he is already an elderly man who is constantly thirsty and hungry.

Meeting the cursed Sisyphus

Homer makes visiting the underworld a painful experience for Odysseus by making him witness the torture of Sisyphus. According to Homer’s Odyssey, he kept pushing a “boulder uphill” but every time he was about to send it “toppling over the crest”, the boulder’s “weight turned back” and “rolled down”. Just when he was about to succeed and finally push the boulder up completely, it topples back down so he has to keep trying again. This makes it an unpleasant experience for Odysseus because it reminds him how when he was tantalizingly close to Ithaca after a long painful journey, he was sent right back from where he started. Therefore, Homer makes visiting the underworld a painful experience for Odysseus by reminding him of how he was also so close to succeeding, like Sisyphus, but had to start all over again making all his hard work wasted.