Response Paper: Odysseus' Trip To Hades

Response Paper Name Institution Response Paper Introduction The Nekuia gives an account of Odysseus' trip to Hades, the land of the dead to seek counsel from the spirit of Theban Teiresias on how to get himself and his crew back home to Ithaca. Odysseus acts on the advice of Circe, the beautiful witch-goddess of Aeaea, and sets on a voyage to Hades where carries out the rituals as specified by the latter. The unfolding events in the land of the dead make for interesting occurrences as Odysseus comes to get various revelations through the ghosts of different individuals across the divides of age, gender, and status. Odysseus encounters the spirit of individuals such as Elpenor, one of his fellow sails man who died before setting on the journey to Hades, Teiresias, as well as his mother’s ghost Anticleia. He goes on to interact with other spirits in mutuality as both parties in the exchange seek information about each other’s realm. The interactive scenes serve to inform the reader on various details concerning both the parties involved and the realms from which they speak. Odysseus' narration of his encounter with Anticleia, for instance, provides an excellent platform for the analysis of various aspects of the scenes through which one understands their role in the poem and what they reveal about the parties involved in each. Odysseus' narration of his tale concerning his experience with the spirit of his mother, Anticleia, makes for excellent use of an ancient Greek literal device referred to as anagnorisis. Anagnorisis otherwise known as recognition is a common literal device employed in most works of ancient Greek literature that functions to portray the transition of an individual from a point of ignorance to informed or knowledgeable persons through revelations as witnessed in Odyssey 11. The scene of recognition between Odysseus and the spirit of his mother is thus an example of anagnorisis at work as the former comes to the sad realization of his mother’s demise in the land of the dead. The scene creates a vivid picture of the relationship between Odysseus...