Identity and Myth in "The Odyssey"

Paper Summary:

This paper explores selected themes in Homer's Odyssey. The writer analyzes the use of disguise in the story to conceal identity, and how Penelope finally identifies Odysseus as her husband in spite of his disguise. The writer examines the role of Athena, who also changes her identity repeatedly, as the mythical power behind Odysseus, and the one who transforms him into an old beggar before his return to Ithaca. The writer discusses the paradoxes that arise from concealing and from changing identities in the story, and concludes that, whether disguised or not, Odysseus is always a powerful presence throughout the story.

Outline
ONE: Among the Most Important Scenes in The Odyssey: Penelope and Odysseus
TWO: Theories of Myth and The Odyssey
THREE: Ways in Which Identity is an Important Theme in The Odyssey

From the Paper:

"This story has within it a lot of imagery and straightforward references about the identity of people, and their changing identities affect the theme of the story. Homer is writing about characters and their identity all though the story; some characters change their identity, some even hide their identity, and it seems as if the symbol of those confusing changes of identity comes down to the poet looking at a common human problem."

Sample of Sources Used:

• Cook, Albert Spaulding. The Odyssey: Homer (Norton Critical Edition). New York: W.W. Norton & Company, 1993.
• Cook, Albert Spaulding. "The Man of Many Turns." In The Odyssey: Homer (Norton Critical Edition). Ed. Albert Spaulding Cook. New York: W.W. Norton & Company, 1993.
• Edwards, Mark W. "Singers, Heroes, and Gods in the Odyssey by Charles Segal." Classical Philology 91.1 (1996): 74-78.
• Segal, Charles. "Bard and Audience in Homer." In The Odyssey: Homer (Norton Critical Edition). Ed. Albert Spaulding Cook. New York: W.W. Norton & Company, 1993.
• Vivante, Paolo. "Time and Life in Homer." In The Odyssey: Homer (Norton Critical Edition). Ed. Albert Spaulding Cook. New York: W.W. Norton & Company, 1993.

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