The poem starts off with Odysseus trying to fight off the temptations of sirens. The Sirens are creatures whose singing lures sailors to their death. The song of the sirens is said to enrapture Odysseus’ crew. The sight of the sirens causes all of the men to abandon the ship and swim towards them. The sailors then sit around on an island until they finally die. The first temptation that Odysseus faces is the singing of the Sirens, which tempts him into wanting to remain with them never to return home. The second temptation he faces is after he gets done listening to their song for many hours.
The siren’s purpose was still not complete because they were appealing for Odysseus to stay there with them forever so they could have their way with him. This would be a form of immorality because Odysseus would be cheating on his wife. The last temptation Odysseus faces is stopping to rest on an island. The crew of the ship are very eager to stop and rest, but they are warned by Odysseus not to do it because if they do they will never make it home. The men listen to him and stay on course for Ithaca. The people of Ithaca welcome him back with open arms by killing anyone who was against his rule.
The temptation by Calypso offers that he never have to worry about Odysseus again, but in the end it is not enough for our hero. The temptation by Nausicaa represents a temptation of a much lighter nature for Odysseus. She offers him a place to clean up and offers him beautiful clothes to wear. The women of the household then feed him dinner which they had prepared especially for him (his journey home). The chemistry between them builds up as she falls in love with his appearance and perhaps if things would have turned out differently he would eventually give into her temptation of spending forever with her.
Particularly, The Odyssey explores how this corruption occurs, through many different forms. The first form is seen when Athena falls for The Odyssey, the second form is The temptation by Calypso and The Temptation by Nausicaa.
The first one has to do with Athena falling in love with Odysseus while she is disguising herself as a shepherdess on Ogygia island. She encourages him to stay on the island as a permanent resident and provides many distractions, such as sleeping together naked together. In this seduction attempt he shows her that he will not abandon Penelope for any woman or temptation. The narrator states “Odysseus spoke then to allay her weeping: ‘My child, why do you cry? What is your sorrow?'” (The Odyssey , Book 5).
The final outcome of this temptation is that Odysseus will not stay and tells Athena he has someone waiting for him: his wife. The overall theme or context of this temptation is ” The Odyssey clearly draws on the ancient tradition of seductive, dangerous goddesses.” The reader can see that these women are not to be trusted especially when they disguise themselves as something else such as a different gender or even an animal at times. The usage of deception in order to get their way shows how it affects the main character, Odysseus.
The second form of temptation Odysseus had to face was with Calypso. She offers him immortality and eternal youth if he would stay with her forever and become her husband. The fact that she has held Odysseus hostage for seven years shows how much she is in love with him and tempts him to stay. The fact that Calypso could not let Odysseus go goes back to the temptation by Athena in The Odyssey, “She gave a cry, a shrill one, and spread her hands before her face: The great slayer of Argos disregarded all this.” The overall theme or context of this temptation is that it shows how persistent seductress women are throughout The Odyssey. It also provides an understanding on why Odysseus does not want to be trapped on the island forever because he wants to get home safe to his wife Penelope so he can resume their life together.
The final form of temptation that Odysseus had to deal with was The Temptation by Nausicaa. The chemistry between this pair builds up as she falls in love with Odysseus appearance and he returns her feelings. He would have went with them to the town but The Temptation by Nausicaa offered him a place to clean up and gave him beautiful clothes to wear at dinner which they had prepared for him specially. The reader can see how much The Temptation by Nausicaa has affected Odysseus because we realize we know we do not get any mention about Penelope during The Odyssey.
When it comes down to it, The Temptation by Nausa also holds back Odysseus from returning home because The Temptation by Nausicaa is going to wait for Odysseus to return and marry her. The overall theme or context of this temptation is that The Temptation by Nausicaa holds Odysseus back from returning home by preventing him from leaving The Temptation. Essentially, The Temptation by Nausicaa tears down what Odysseus has been working towards throughout the entirety of The Odyssey.
In conclusion, all three forms of temptations in The Odyssey affect Odysseus tremendously. He struggles with each one and tries his best to not give into them. Athena’s temptation relates back to Athena’s seduction attempts in The Odyssey, Calypso’s temptation relates back to The Odyssey by showing how Athena holds Odysseus hostage, The Temptation by Nausicaa relates back to The Odyssey where Odysseus is tempted by Calypso. The overall theme or context of this article is that it provides a definition of temptations in The Odyssey.
