Saturday, June 25, 2016

On what island was Odysseus trapped in The Odyssey?

In one sense, much of The Odyssey concerns the hero, Odysseus, being trapped on several different islands over the course of his adventures on his way back from the Trojan War. 


The first island on which he is trapped, and the captivity of the longest duration, is Ogygia, where the nymph Calypso traps him through her magical abilities. Her purpose in this is satisfying her lust, wishing him to be her husband. During the seven year period when he is trapped there, they do have a sexual relationship but Odysseus still wishes to return home to his wife, Penelope, and he asks Athena to petition Zeus to have him freed. Zeus sends the messenger god Hermes to command Calypso to free Odysseus. Calypso complains that this reflects a double standard, as Zeus himself has had affairs with many mortal women, but nevertheless, she lets Odysseus go. 


Odysseus and his men also are trapped on and escape from the islands of Circe, the Lotus-Eaters, and the Cyclopes. 

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