Symbolism in “The Odyssey”
The Greek culture is known as one of the oldest cultures to be recorded in works of literature. “The Odyssey” appears to be one of the works that recorded the culture of the Greeks. After the fall of Troy, Odysseus becomes a hero, and “The Odyssey” revolves around him. A series make the development of “The Odyssey” of symbols that help in creating the main themes of the poem. Some of the main symbols in “The Odyssey” include the Sea, Ithaca, the Odysseus bow, and even the Shroud. The use of symbols in “The Odyssey” is essential in the development of the ideas in the poem.
One of the symbols that are used in “The Odyssey” is the Ithaca Island. Odysseus has been in hostage in a foreign island for a long time. Enemies have also invaded Ithaca among who are suitors who want to take away Odysseus’ wife. The notion among most of the suitors is that Odysseus is dead, and the Prince is not powerful enough to defeat the enemies. Ithaca represents a home that Odysseus is missing for spending life in a foreign land: “But that man—if they caught sight of his home in Ithaca,” Homer (7). Ithaca is the place where Odysseus can finally meet his wife and son and lead a comfortable life. However, Ithaca cannot be accessed without Odysseus having to fight. Odysseus is in captivity under foreign gods and can only go home after defeating the security measures put to keep him under custody. Moreover, the sea is used to represent the journey of life, with accomplishments and disappointments.
The sea has been used in “The Odyssey” to represent the journey of life that is full of challenges but has accomplishments as well. The only thing that separates Odysseus and his home in the sea and he has to go through it before accessing Ithaca. Generally, the sea presents the hope that Odysseus can go home, although he has some challenges to overcome. For example, Odysseus has incurred the wrath of the sea god, and he is subjected to a further suffering period before being allowed to go home: “though he won’t quite kill Odysseus— drives him far off course from native land,” Homer (5). Also, his journey through the sea ends in a disappointment since Odysseus finally finds out that enemies have invaded ithaca, and he has an additional challenge to overcome. Moreover, the Odysseus bow is another symbol that is used to represent the character of the king.
A king is expected to have a strong character that explains why he remains in his position for as long as he is alive. Odysseus bow represents the strength of the king’s character and presents the inability of the suitors to lead Ithaca: “The hand that can string the bow with the greatest ease— he’s the man I follow,” Homer (333). None of the suitors can unstring the bow, and thus the kingdom is still intact. Generally, the bow presents the king’s effectiveness in leading Ithaca and that no foreigner would lead Ithaca in the right direction. Besides, the Odysseus bow provides a test for the ability of a man to become a king. Odysseus is the only person who manages to unstring the bow in the first attempt, and hence he is the king.
In sum, symbolism is used widely in “The Odyssey” to create a flow in the poem. The sea, Ithaca, and Odysseus bow have been used to represent different ideas presented in the poem. Generally, the development of the themes in “The Odyssey” relies on the symbols used.
Works Cited
Homer, THE ODYSSEY translated by Robert Fagles, 1997
