Odysseus’s Caution and Calypso’s Obsession – An Analysis

 

Odysseus’s Caution and Calypso’s Obsession – An Analysis

             “Think: no city of men in sight, and not a soul to offer the gods a sacrifice and burn the fattest victims” (113). Hermes uses these words to describe why he rarely visits Calypso’s island when he goes there to ensure Odysseus sails to his homeland and lives his fate. Hermes doesn’t feel comfortable as gods need their followers near them. There are no humans who pray and show affection to him on this stranded island. I believe the main heroes of the Greek epics resemble the gods of these stories by this aspect, their need for admirers. We can also see this by inspecting the importance of “nostos”. The theme of returning home has a huge part in Odysseus’s story. Those who manage to return from their adventures were greatly admired in Greek culture. This respect is very crucial for heroes, thereby, returning to their fellows also becomes very important for their adventure. For that reason, Odysseus “weeps” and “his eyes never dry” all day long as his journey home, the rest of his adventure, is foiled and now he is far away from his people, his admirers.

 

            Throughout Book 5, Calypso acts selfish and never wants to let Odysseus go, even though she claims she is “all compassion” when she had no other choice but to obey Zeus. For example, when Calypso learns what Zeus wants, she argues furiously: “You unrivaled lords of jealousy — scandalized when goddesses sleep with mortals, openly, even when one has made the man her husband” (131). Calypso’s greed blinds her eyes. She claims the gods have double standards and they want to take Odysseus from her because they are jealous of their relation. She ignores the fact that staying and dying on this island is not Odysseus’s fate and the gods are acting on this behalf. The more absurd part is she believes she made Odysseus her willing husband but this is not the case. In the nights, Odysseus sleeps with her because “he has no choice”. In the mornings he “gazes out over the barren sea through blinding tears” and dreams about leaving Calypso and returning to his homeland.

 

            Calypso then proceeds to argue that she acted all good to Odysseus while Zeus killed all his crew. “Zeus […] crushed [Odysseus’s] racing warship down the sea” she claims, “[…] And I welcomed him warmly, cherished him, even vowed to make the man immortal” (150). Calypso figures her first reasoning didn’t work, she tries a different approach and argues that as she acted so kind and showed good hospitality to Odysseus, gods should let him stay with her. But this is not all true. Odysseus wants to return home but Calypso forcefully keeps him, like a prisoner, and uses him as a slave for her sexual satisfaction against his will. A basic part of “xenia” is respecting the guests. If Calypso was a good host, she would have safely escorted his guest to his next destination and respected his consent, in addition to her gifts.

 

            At last, she submits “there is no way for another god to thwart the will of storming Zeus” (52). She is aware she can’t oppose Zeus and agrees to let Odysseus go. After that, she announces to Odysseus “I am now willing […] to send you off after all” (178). Even this own phrase of Calypso shows that Odysseus can’t act at his own will, but only at Calypso’s. He doesn’t trust her words and believes she is “plotting something else”. He sees her as someone who cannot be trusted and doesn’t understand why she decided to let him go suddenly. “I won’t set foot on a raft until you show good faith, until you consent to swear” he demands, “a binding oath you’ll never plot some new intrigue to harm me!” (179). Odysseus acts very cautiously while talking with Calypso. This conversation between him and Calypso is the first chance he gets to use his main perk, his intelligence, on this island after almost 10 years. This is the moment he doesn’t feel so vulnerable anymore and feels like he can do something to go to his homeland. So, he asks for an oath, to protect himself from any traps and secure his return to home, as he doesn’t trust Calypso’s claims and Calypso obeys. But even if she is genuine about her oath, “never plot some new intrigue to harm” Odysseus, she is not “all compassion” at all. As I mentioned before, Calypso lets Odysseus go solely because she fears Zeus and doesn’t have any other choice.

 

            Lastly Calypso “takes up a new approach” to persuade Odysseus. She claims many “pains are fated to fill [his] cup” and tries to convince him to stay with her and “be immortal”. Odysseus knows by accepting this offer he will end up as a captive of Calypso forever and will never get the chance to leave the island again. This offer of immortality is a trapped gift, more of a trap than a gift. Calypso also uses Odysseus’s wife as a way to trap him again. “Much as you long to see your wife, the one you pine for all your days . . . and yet I just might claim to be nothing less than she, neither in face nor figure” proclaims Calypso, “Hardly right, is it, for mortal woman to rival immortal goddess?” (231). She compares her godly blessings to his wife. If Odysseus did accept she was better than his wife, he would have made her claims stronger and created a vulnerable spot for Calypso to attack him with new arguments. Thereby, he picks his words very precisely. He starts by praising Calypso, as he knows the only way he can leave this island is by persuading her with his nice and intelligent words. He knows she is more beautiful than his wife and “all that [she says] is true” but he nevertheless highlights his wife’s better aspect by saying “Look at my wise Penelope” (239). After that, Odysseus proceeds to tell how he “pine, all [his] days to travel home and see dawn of [his] return” (242). He calmly changes the subject to his homeland and doesn’t let Calypso tempt him by comparing herself to his wife or by other means. In the end, he satisfies Calypso that his heart longs for his wife and his home. Then he leaves the island the next morning.