Cunning Odysseus

Date of Award

2008

Document Type

Thesis

Degree Name

Bachelors

Department

Humanities

First Advisor

Rohrbacher, David

Keywords

Odysseus, Homer, Osyssey, Homeric Bard

Area of Concentration

Literature

Abstract

This thesis offers a close reading of key scenes in the Odyssey, and examines the role of the bard within the Odyssey. Homer focuses on the transmission of song in the Odyssey, and in doing so casts Odysseus in the role of a bard so that he can tell his own story. This thesis argues that Homer leaves room for interpreting Odysseus� story as a fabricated tale. Odysseus creates his own homecoming by means of the agency that his manipulative faculties grant. The thesis then examines the reunion scenes between Odysseus and Eumaeus, Penelope, and Laertes. It ends with an examination of the arguments against book twenty-four�s inclusion in the Odyssey, and offers a positive argument for including it.

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