Alcinoos's Kingdom: Odysseus Tells the Story of his Wanderings

Book IX - Book XII

Rouse, Pages 100-147

The scene: Alcinoos's Banquet Hall. Odysseus has come to Alcinoos's kingdom a handsome, mysterious stranger. Washed up on the Phaiacian shore, naked, dirty, hungry, he finds help from Nausicaa, Alcinoos's young daughter, with a little intervention from Athena. Odysseus has been welcomed as a stranger should be welcomed: he has been bathed, clothed, fed, and entertained, with the ballad sung by the minstrel, the ballad relating the events of the Trojan War, the ballad that has moved him to tears. Up to this point, Odysseus has kept his identity a secret; now, Alcinoos turns to our hero and asks him to tell his story. With a warning that the tale he will tell is a very sad one, Odysseus begins by giving his name.

The following four books trace Odysseus's wanderings, his quest to return back to Penelope, Telemachos, and his home. Chronologically, he tells us what has happened between the end of the war and his recent escape from Calypso's "prison" of pleasure.

As you read, think about...

• This narrative structure. The story of Odysseus's wanderings is embedded in the larger story of his eventual return to Ithaca. Why would Homer make use of this complicated narrative structure? What is the effect of having Odysseus tell this part of the story in the first person?
• Quest narrative. Remember the definition of a quest narrative from The Epic of Gilgamesh. A hero journeys toward a goal of some sort; as the hero makes this journey, he or she encounters frequent obstacles or trials which test some aspect of the hero's character. The process of getting to the end of the quest is actually more important than getting there...

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